Porter Ranch, CA—Yesterday, the California Assembly met to take action on two special session bills that would protect consumers from potential gas spikes. But, not every Member was there.

Reporter Lindsey Holden from Politico writes that “Members…had to choose: side with consumers over Big Oil and score points with environmentalists, or vote against the legislation to avoid the wrath of Republicans and petroleum trade groups.”

Instead, some Members just didn’t show up, so they didn’t have to pick a side.

Holden explains, “Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, a vulnerable moderate Democrat from Santa Clarita, decided not to make the choice — she didn’t even show up at the Capitol. A spokesperson said she ‘had a meeting today in district that she could not reschedule due to availability of all parties.'” You can read the whole story here.

Pilar skipped out on voting for:

Exempt Gas from Cap-and-Trade (ABX2-3 – Gallagher): California’s Cap-and-Trade program adds roughly 30 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas. This bill would exempt gas from the program, allow out-of-state gas imports, and permit an earlier switch to winter-blend fuel to help reduce seasonal price spikes.

Stop Newsom’s Stealth Gas Tax Increase (ABX2-4 – Joe Patterson): California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard is already adding 11 cents per gallon to our gas prices, and a planned update by an unelected board could add another 52 cents. This bill would block this increase and protect family budgets from skyrocketing fuel costs.

Stable and Accessible Fuel Supply for Californians (ABX2-8 Mike Gipson): This measure seeks to delay implementation of air pollution regulations on petroleum tanker vessels to prevent a disruption in supply by allowing additional time for infrastructure needs to be implemented.

Pilar Schiavo can’t be counted on to fight for our communities. Instead of showing up and voting to protect consumers and fight Gavin Newsom’s plan to jack up gas prices, Pilar Schiavo once again took the easy way out by not voting. In the process, she failed to protect our community from surges in gas prices that, for many, could break budgets that are already stretched too thin.

The citizens of the 40th Assembly District deserve better.