Joaquin Arambula and Esmeralda Soria are San Joaquin Valley Democrats in the state Assembly who often work toward the same goals.

For example, Arambula has championed expanding health care to undocumented people, particularly farmworkers. Soria, meanwhile, supported funding to keep rural hospitals like Madera Community open. These facilities provide medical care to low-income and undocumented patients.

It would therefore be logical to think that they would occupy the same place in the face of Governor Gavin Newsom’s desire to require that oil companies have a reserve of gasoline in order to minimize price increases when refineries close for maintenance and as regular supply diminishes.

Arambula voted for Assembly Bill X2-1, as it is known, when it was introduced in the chamber last week. It passed with a simple majority of support.

Soria? She was one of only two Democrats in the Assembly to vote against it.

Notice

I contacted Soria’s office for an explanation of his vote. She said that for her it was a question of the family budget.

“At a time when the cost of basic necessities is so high and workers are already struggling to pay their bills or put food on the table, we cannot take a chance on new regulations that could lead to an increase in gasoline prices,” she said in a statement. . “That’s why today I voted no on ABx2-1.

“The bill’s new regulations are unproven, risky, and could ultimately harm communities that can least afford them. »

The realities of the Soria district

What’s not said is that his district includes Coalinga, which is in the southwest corner of Fresno County and home to the region’s oil industry.

There are more than 2,000 wells in the county, most of which are in or near Coalinga. Nearly 3,000 people in Fresno County are directly employed by the industry, which contributes $1.67 billion to the local economy and $373.6 million in local sales and tax revenue, according to the Western States Petroleum Association.

Soria is in his first reelection campaign and can’t afford to lose votes, even though his 27th district is overwhelmingly Democratic as far as party registration goes. Arambula, on the other hand, is well known in his constituency as he is campaigning for his final term. His district also has a Democratic registration advantage.

California has never ordered oil companies to maintain reserves to mitigate the impacts of factors such as refinery shutdowns for maintenance. So Soria is right that the regulations have not been proven.

For his part, Newsom called AB X2-1 “a profoundly consequential effort to reduce costs for workers in the state of California.” His position is that oil companies raise prices every time refineries are shut down and the state’s supply of the special gas blend tightens.

Arambula also sees the issue as a portfolio issue, but differently than Soria. Arambula spokeswoman Felicia Matlosz said she “thinks the Legislature needs to do something to help California residents who pay more for gas.” He heard about these concerns from voters on 31^st District he represents.

Needless to say, the oil industry strongly opposed AB X2-1 as an unnecessary government incursion into the free market.

“Instead of proposing real solutions, the governor has chosen to demonize an industry that fuels California’s economy and fuels the daily lives of millions of people,” said the Oil Association, the state’s main lobbying group. industry.

Support gas reserve

The other Democrat to oppose the gas reserves bill? Jasmeet Bains. His 35th District includes most of Kern County, California’s major oil-producing region.

In election years, it’s normal for politicians to vote on their constituents’ top concerns, said Thomas Holyoke, a political science professor at Fresno State. Soria “probably feels the need to vote carefully in his district so as not to lose any votes, especially if his Republican opponent focuses on energy issues,” he explained.

For Soria, the Nov. 5 general election is a repeat of the March primaries, in which Republican Joanna Garcia Rose edged Soria with about 51 percent of the vote to Soria’s 49 percent. The 27th Assembly District includes parts of Fresno, Madera and Merced counties. Cities in the district include parts of Fresno, Madera, and Merced.

Soria recently celebrated Newsom’s signing of one of his bills authorizing the Westlands Water District in western Fresno County to oversee the conversion of farmland to solar energy projects.

Soria’s support for clean energy and the oil industry may seem incompatible. But not during an election period.