California Governor Newsom to call special legislative session over gas prices

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will call a special session of the state Legislature to pass a new tax on oil companies. Newsom said Friday the session would begin Dec. 5. He accused oil companies of price gouging. The average price for a gallon of gas in California was $6.39 on Friday, according to AAA. That’s $2.58 higher than the national average. Western States Petroleum Association Vice President Kevin Slagle said state lawmakers should examine decades of California’s energy policy and what it means to the economy. Newsom said he wants money from the new tax to be returned to taxpayers.