Californias stunning new rules on tires spark widespread backlash over massive regulatory overreach

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt and Californians concerned with the Golden State’s skyrocketing cost of living are furious with state Democrats who pushed new regulations on replacement car tires.The rules are a “scam” that will actually increase costs more, Pratt claimed in a post on X.The California Energy Commission unanimously approved new rules Monday that will phase out the sale of replacement tires that don’t meet the state’s energy-efficiency standards — potentially wiping out 70% of the tires currently available to California drivers.The rules target a tire’s “rolling resistance,” or how much energy it takes to keep a tire moving down the road.Lower resistance means cars use less gas or electricity from better mileage, which Democrats claimed will help affordability.“Look at the gas prices everyone’s experiencing,” Commissioner Nancy Skinner told KCRA.

“If we can bring each Californian’s gas cost down just a little bit, then why wouldn’t we?”Democrats like Gov.Gavin Newsom even trumpeted estimates that the new rules would save drivers $1 billion a year, with his office declaring that “MAGA hates to see it.”But that was contradicted by estimates from Goodyear’s Bret Gladfelty who claimed that in the tire industry’s efforts to replace tires eliminated by the regulations, actual price increases for tires could reach several hundred dollars by the 2030s.Pratt and others noted that the state has not done anything to address the underlying causes of high gas prices, such as the state’s taxes and environmental regulations demanding certain blends of gasolines.“A longtime Democrat politician who made gas prices the highest in the nation complains about said high gas price and uses it as justification to raise the cost of your tires,” Congressman James Gallagher (R-Calif.) “You can’t make this up!”Skinner was a past Democratic state senator known for writing pro-environment bills, Gallagher no...