California gas tax climbs again on July 1

California’s gasoline excise tax will rise 2.2 cents on July 1 to 63.4 cents per gallon, adding to drivers’ costs with San Diego’s average pump price around $5.52 per gallon; the 2017 inflation-linked adjustment funds highway maintenance and projects, but revenue may shrink as electric-vehicle adoption grows. California aims to end sales of new gasoline cars by 2035 and to phase out oil extraction by 2045, while federal action on a possible temporary suspension of the 18.4-cent federal gas tax remains unresolved.