Facing a ‘climate apocalypse,’ Californians are meh on plan to phase out gas cars
Your morning catch-up: Californians refuse to give up their gas cars, this SoCal heat wave could be hottest of the year and more big stories
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In September 2020, California was burning.
Deadly wildfires scorched a record-breaking swath of the state. Californians suffered from terrible air quality, struggling to breathe amid the COVID-19 pandemic as a sooty plume blotted out the sun. On Sept. 13, The Times published a striking Sunday front-page banner headline: “California’s climate apocalypse.”
In the midst of that chaos, Gov. Gavin Newsom, citing the urgent need to address the climate crisis and cut air pollution, issued an executive order banning the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035.
Polling in the summer of 2021 by the Public Policy Institute of California showed an even split: 49% of Californians supported the plan. And 49% opposed it.
Now, most Californians have soured on it.
A new statewide PPIC poll released this month showed that 66% of Californians now oppose Newsom’s edict, which directed the state Air Resources Board to come up with a plan to require 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in the state by 2035 to be zero-emission.
The air resources board approved such a plan in 2022, with Newsom saying: “It’s ambitious. It’s innovative. It’s the action we must take if we’re serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations.”
Today, per the PPIC poll, most Republicans (91%) and independents (69%) oppose Newsom’s order. Democrats are evenly split.
Opposition is especially high in inland areas such as the pollution-ridden Central Valley, where 74% opposed the order. The highest support came from the Los Angeles region, with 40% in favor (and 59% opposed).
People are worried about charges, both financial and electric.
Amid the spiraling cost of essentials in America — housing, healthcare, child care, gas, utilities, groceries — many simply cannot afford to buy electric vehicles, which typically cost more than fossil-fueled cars.
And in California, my colleague George Skelton reported, residents are not convinced there will be enough charging stations to handle a huge surge in electric vehicles, even though the state now has more than 200,000 public and shared charging stations, plus 800,000 chargers in homes.
The PPIC poll, per Skelton, found “plenty of contradiction and hypocrisy in the divided minds of Californians,” who “strongly favor fighting climate change — at least in concept — until it adversely affects them directly.”
On the other hand, most Californians (62%) favor California’s ambitious law requiring all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2045, per the poll. But fewer than 4 in 10 said they were willing to pay extra for clean energy.
PPIC polling director Mark Baldassare, who owns an electric vehicle, told Skelton he was struck by “the disconnect between what people support in policies and what they’re prepared to do.”
“Two things are going on in California now,” he added. “People have their long-standing concerns about the environment. But they also have immediate concerns about affordability.”
A new rebate is coming for EVs, which make up a solid chunk of sales.
Nearly a year after the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax incentive for new electric vehicles and $4,000 on used ones, Newsom, in his final state budget as governor, allocated $135 million to provide incentives for new and used EVs.
Eligible buyers will receive $3,500 off new EVs and $1,750 off used ones. Unlike the federal tax credits that expired in September, the incentives offer an instant discount and don’t require buyers to apply for credit later. The state and auto manufacturers will split the cost of the incentives.
California leads the country in EV sales, though the PPIC poll shows mixed views about them, with 12% of residents saying they own one and 33% say they have seriously considered purchasing one — and 54% saying they had not considered buying one.
The governor’s press office in an email declined to comment on the PPIC survey, saying it does not typically comment on polls.
In a news release Monday, Newsom said Californians purchased 86,857 new zero-emission vehicles in the second quarter of 2026, representing 19% of new car sales. Demand for such vehicles, the governor’s office said, grew as gasoline prices skyrocketed amid the war with Iran.
“While Donald Trump makes Americans pay the bill for his Iran war at the pump, California is giving families the freedom to choose a cheaper way forward by going electric,” Newsom said in the statement, adding that “we built the largest electric car market in America, and we’re not stopping now.”
Today’s top stories
This SoCal heat wave could be the hottest of the year
- Southern California is bracing for its hottest stretch of the year, with triple-digit temperatures and stifling humidity forecast from Tuesday through Monday across much of the region.
- Exacerbating the misery will be the lack of cooling temperatures overnight. The L.A. Basin may see low temperatures of only about 70 degrees.
Paramount-Warner Bros. deal on hold after court ruling
- A federal judge ruled that the proposed merger “raises serious questions” about whether the blockbuster $111-billion deal violates U.S. antitrust law.
- The ruling was anticipated, but it dealt a blow to tech scion David Ellison’s efforts to quickly finalize his massive acquisition, which has the support of President Trump.
New evidence in brutal killing of teen set to come to light
- A preliminary hearing in the murder and sexual assault case against David Anthony Burke, a singer who performs under the stage name D4vd, is set to begin Tuesday.
- Burke is accused of killing 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez and dismembering her body at his Hollywood Hills home.
What else is going on
- UC San Diego illegally uses race in admissions, Trump’s Justice Department alleges.
- Sunset Boulevard remains closed as ruptured trunk line repairs continue “into this week.”
- E-bike injuries are increasing rapidly in California. Many hurt are 14 or younger, a study finds.
- Cyclosporiasis cases climb and the probe into Taylor Farms produce continues after a false positive.
- California fights the Trump administration, again, over Santa Barbara oil pipeline: The coast is “not for sale.”
- A father-son duo kidnapped U.S. Forest Service workers and held them hostage, the feds say.
Commentary and opinions
- Newsom pushes California to crack down on sex trafficking — fast, writes columnist Anita Chabria.
- In his latest column, Gustavo Arellano writes about how this World Cup finally taught him to love soccer.
- Trump’s transgender-based attack on the CHIPS Act is his most unhinged yet, argues columnist Michael Hiltzik.
This morning’s must-read
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a co-founder and longtime leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, was sentenced to life in U.S. prison by a federal judge in Brooklyn.
For your downtime
Going out
- Travel: Crushing crowds turn Yosemite into “Disneyland.” Can visitors still have fun?
- Book crawl: 13 bookstores, one weekend and a $325 grand prize: L.A.’s first book crawl kicks off this weekend.
Staying in
- Books: Medicare sucks. Caregiving is hard. Too bad the pain of aging feels like old news in this new memoir.
- 🥗 Here’s a recipe for summer squash ribbons with green beans and herbs.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games.
A question for you: As temperatures rise in SoCal, how do you stay cool?
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... your photo of the day
Today’s great photo is from Times contributor Samanta Helou Hernandez at Burbank Tennis Club, where L.A. moms are returning to sports for their kids and themselves.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Hailey Branson-Potts, staff writer
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.
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