Calif taxes on a gallon of gasoline== $1.18
The gas tax is closer to $0.51 per gallon. The difference is the costly gasoline blend California (and no other state) uses. That brings up the difference to $1.18.
It is essentially a hidden tax that no one notices until they go to another state.
My brother worked for Shell Chemical in the Bay Area decades ago.
When CA mandated a special formulation for its gas, Shell was thrilled!
They were the only refinery on the West Coast who could produce it.
It wasn’t any cleaner but it WAS much more expensive.
Consumers were handed the bill.