Californians are tire-ing of rising costs and regulations

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Key points

• By 2033, the regulatory changes could eliminate 70% of the tires at present on the market.
• But nobody trusts the California Energy Commission's promises that the approved tires will only cost a few dollars more each.
• Gavin Newsom latched onto that word almost as shortly as it gained traction nationwide.
• It's the Costco principle: Spend more funds buying in bulk today, so you save capital per unit over the long run.
• The new restrictions are just one more regulation making California more expensive.

Gavin Newsom latched onto that word almost as shortly as it gained traction nationwide. But now, he's defending the opposite.

Meanwhile, the California Energy Commission – all five of whose members were either appointed or reappointed by Newsom – decided this week to ban certain tires from the road in 2029.

Meanwhile, the commission decided to lower the maximum "rolling resistance" of replacement tires, ostensibly since that would reduce fuel usage.

By 2033, the regulatory changes could eliminate 70% of the tires at present on the market. And the remaining 30% of tires would be more expensive.

In practice, the bureaucrats say that drivers will create up for higher tire costs by saving funds on gas. But if that were true, why would California need to force drivers to purchase the fancier tires? Sign up for the California Morning Report newsletter.

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Individuals aren't stupid. They figure these things out, especially when it comes to saving funds.

It's the Costco principle: Spend more funds buying in bulk today, so you save capital per unit over the long run. We obtain it.

Manufacturers are warning that the low "rolling resistance" tires could cost hundreds of dollars more, especially since drivers usually have to replace all four tires at once.

Meanwhile, the new restrictions are just one more regulation making California more expensive.

Everyone understands that, whether they vote Democrat or Republican. It is why the new tire rules are provoking universal outrage.

Meanwhile, the thicket of rules and the list of taxes that law-abiding citizens have to heed in California are simply massive. Almost no area of life is untouched.

For generations, the open roads of California – the winding mountain roads, the wide interstates – represented freedom. (It's why we call them "freeways, " not just "highways" or "expressways.").

Now the roads are just one more way to feel trapped in a system from which there is no escape – except throughout state lines.

It's why tens of thousand of individuals continue to leave for places that actually try to keep the cost of living down. Do U-Haul trucks have to abide by California's "rolling resistance" rules? We are going to find out. It's too bad.

For now, californians are tire-ing of rising costs and regulations remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.