He could be both, but which is he more of? Is he mostly dumb?, or is he mostly dishonest?

Oil companies make about $0.20 per gallon profit from California gas.

California government gets about $0.71 per gallon profit from high gas taxes.

California's restrictive regulations also make gas even more expensive.

If Newsom was smart and honest, he could say something like "We need high gas taxes to save the environment and to fund our clean energy goals." Instead of that, he is blaming the oil companies for his bad gas policies.


https://joemessina.com/2026/04/california-taxes-more-per-gallon-outpaces-oil-company-profits/

https://totalnews.com/the-california-premium-understanding-why-the-states-take-per-gallon-consistently-exceeds-refiner-profits/