Gov. Gavin Newsom last fall clarion call for a special legislative session to sanction the profits of California oil companies.

The story, woven into news articles

across the country almost wrote himself: The Democratic governor launched another offensive in his war with

“

Big oil.

“

However, the battle did not go as planned.

State legislators in his own party opposed his idea of ​​limiting the industry’s profits. At legislative hearings, some said they found no “smoking gun” that corroborated Newsom’s allegations of deliberate price-gouging.

The final version of the bill focused on demanding more transparency from the industry. Instead of imposing a cap and fine on oil refinery profits, Newsom and lawmakers allowed state regulators

but no mandate

to do that in the future. Consumer advocates have celebrated the new law as a ground

–

breaking tool that could prevent gas prices from rising.

But even if the law falls short of the policy he originally said he wanted, it still gives the governor a political victory over the oil industry.

Upon signing

the law

Allowed

news sum

can

to position themselves as a leading scorer leader

a victory

against a politically powerful industry that many progressives see as a bogeyman.

When signing a bill at the Capitol

on

On Tuesday, Newsom stood next to Democratic lawmakers and praised their cooperation as he re-examined the petroleum industry.

He argued that the final legislation is stronger than his original idea because it creates a new department within the California Energy Commission to act as a watchdog over oil companies.

“Finally, we’re able to look our constituents in the eye and say that we now have a better understanding of why you’re being taken advantage of,” Newsom said.

“There’s a new sheriff in town in California where we have b

right

need to bring Big Oil to their knees. And I am proud of this state.”

Still, Newsom also acknowledged that it would take time for Californians to feel it

has consequences

of the law: “Nothing is going to happen in the short term,” he said. “Gas prices will not fall immediately.”

David McCuan, chairman of Sonoma State’s political science department

University

said the special session is symbolic of Newsom’s strengths and hisses.

Newsom has a tendency to try to “go it alone” and send an agenda before setting a policy, which often forces him to come back.

and “do things that are window-dressing at best”,

McCuan said.

When the governor announced in October that he planned to convene a special session in December, he told reporters he was still getting his “ducks in a row” over what he then described as a plan to tax oil companies.

But even as he jumps ahead with political statements without policy details, Newsom has shown a knack for generating headlines and getting ahead of other politicians.

In typical Newsom style, H

These well-timed words announcing the special session drew attention across the country.

The governor lay shifted

debt

On

the

greedy

Oil industry

when

just a month before his

from Newsom

regarding

–

election,

like it

Golden State voters were caught off guard by near-record gas prices of over $6 a gallon.

“This is symbolic politics over substantive policy,” McCuan said of Newsom’s special session.

Newsom’s aides disagree with criticism that the governor backed down. The legislative process, they argued, worked as intended and resulted in the best possible policy.

The new plan also gives more powers to the Energy Commission

all five members

have been appointed or reappointed by the governor.

After reviewing his original idea, California leaders found they needed more information and transparency from the industry to understand and establish the market

as if

a fine is necessary.

The law creates a new department within the California Energy Commission to act as a watchdog over oil companies.

Anthony York, a spokesman for the governor, also argued that politics is more than just symbolic. Newsom’s efforts to target the oil industry are an important part of his policy agenda.

“California has been a global leader in the clean energy drive, and our success in making that transition depends largely on our ability to weaken the political power of the oil lobby,” York said. “We need to end the vice grip they’ve had on our politics for decades.”

State Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who wrote the bill, called it “the strongest, most effective transparency and oversight measure in the country.”

“This groundbreaking law will enable us to hold oil companies accountable if they increase profits at the expense of hard-working families,” she said at the signing ceremony.

While Newsom may not have gotten everything he wanted from the legislature, he deserves to take a victory lap for what he accomplished, said Roger Salazar, a Democratic political consultant and former Gov. press secretary. Gray Davis.

Sometimes you get the moon when you shoot for the stars. And that seems to be the case here, Salazar said.

He clearly wanted to make a bold statement about the oil industry at a time when many Californians were struggling. But I think he is also pragmatic and realistic. And given the limits of what was possible, I think he’d be right to paint it as a success.

Salazar said the legislation could serve to give Newsom national bragging rights.

That kind of performance, while it may not be what he set his mind to, is a few steps beyond what most other states have been able to do,” he said.

Environmental advocates expect Newsom to use the new transparency bill to tout his bona fide warrior action against Big Oil and see it as an opening to push him to further restrict oil drilling in California.

Stands

Officials in Newsom’s administration have continued to approve permits for oil drilling projects near homes and schools.

the

The governor signed a bill to ban drilling in such sensitive locations, which is now on hold until voters vote in a referendum next year.

There’s a big discrepancy here regarding how they hold the oil and gas industry publicly accountable versus what the agency actually does, said Brandon Dawson, executive director of Sierra Club California, which supports the new transparency law.

It’s a weird, unique balance, but how he uses it politically won’t be without scrutiny from the environmental community. I can tell you that.

Mary Creasman, chief executive of California Environmental Voters, said the bill puts the state on track to regulate the industry and

restrictive

oil profits, which she called “the end game.”

“Are

a

This is a very important step and sheds a very important light on a corrupt industry to protect consumers, and there are more steps in the process,” said Creasman. “There is more work to be done.”

The powerful oil industry lobbied against the proposal, arguing that it would only make it more difficult for refiners to operate in California.

GOP Councilman Vince Fong, who represents the oil-rich Bakersfield region, called on lawmakers to reject the bill Monday before Democrats sent it to Newsom. Fong criticized the approach, saying the policies “we approve in this body should be based on economic reality, not to create political headlines.”

McCuan said Newsom can get away with it

–

promising and under

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deliver in California, where the governor has no serious political challengers and Democrats in the legislature are largely trying to deal with him.

But McCuan said that will start to change as Newsom looks beyond California and faces competition for his next leg. While Newsom has repeatedly denied any interest in the White House, McCuan and others believe he’s setting himself up as a backup

up option in case President Biden is not seeking re-election.

“What I would argue is that they run into a legitimacy factor,” McCuan said of Newsom and his team. “Their approach to pandering to gimmicks and their approach to political wizardry doesn’t necessarily get you into the hearts and minds of early primary voters.”

Sean Clegg, Newsom’s chief political strategist, said the bill gives state regulators

the

“to hit the hammer” oil companies when they cross the border. And that’s more than any other state has done.

“If you’re taking big transformative swings, you’ve got to lead from the front,” Clegg said. “He will be the first governor in America to hold the oil industry responsible for driving up prices.”

Americans can expect more from that.