Calif. gas prices could spike even higher after India slashes exports

Gas prices at a Shell gas station in Santa Clara County, Calif., March 9, 2026. Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE Gas prices in California are soaring past $6 a gallon, and a new supply threat could send them even higher, experts warn.

Calif. gas prices could spike even higher after India slashes exports. Gas prices at a Shell gas station in Santa Clara County, Calif., March 9, 2026. Lance Yamamoto/SFGATE Gas prices in California are soaring past $6 a gallon, and a new supply threat could send them even higher, experts warn. The war involving Iran has rattled global oil markets, especially after disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow shipping route that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. The fallout has already pushed California gas prices higher for months, worsening the burden for drivers in one of the nation’s most expensive fuel markets. California has a problem “boiling in the background” because refiners in India are cutting back production of alkylate, Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, told SFGATE. The chemical is a...