C. S. Lewis foretold the coming of the California bureaucrat.
Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
There was never a rule that was too small for those petty tyrants elected or appointed to positions of power in California government. These are the people who fought for paper grocery bags because plastic kills the turtles, then fought against paper bags because climate change or something. They, with great performative heroism, outlawed plastic straws. For their own good, they force residents to pay a fortune in gas tax to not improve roads. They mandated that shipping trucks be fully electric powered without thought to infrastructure, cost or even feasibility.
And now, they are coming after tires.
California today became the first state in the nation to create rules limiting the kind of replacement tires people can buy for their car, pushing energy efficiency.
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) August 18, 2026
We were the only TV crew (maybe only news org) in the room when the California Energy Commission voted on this. pic.twitter.com/XJk4ciqely
From Zavala's article.
"This ultimately is about protecting consumers," said David Hochschild, the chairman of the California Energy Commission. "I see this as sheltering the public from higher costs in the long run."
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Yeah sure. There is nothing a California bureaucrat does that actually benefits the public.
According to the commission's staff, the rules are meant to ensure replacement tires sold in California are at least as energy efficient on average as the tires that come with the car or truck when it's originally sold.
The CEC claims Californians could [emphasis added] save $79 in four months in gas or electricity costs under phase 1, and about $153 in phase 2 within seven months. "These regulations are a tool within our authority that can save money for every Californian," said Commissioner Nancy Skinner.
And high-speed rail could make a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco in three hours.
You can really regulate practically everything about people's lives in the name of energy efficiency, can't you? https://t.co/fYxWlWd758
— Mickey Kaus (@kausmickey) August 18, 2026
Yes, Mickey, you can. And if you attach the right buzzwords, 20 million Californians will nod along like bobble heads.
Thank you for being there!
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) August 18, 2026
As for me... I'm heading to NC before I have to replace my tires https://t.co/W8j5F5xgHc
Van Laar, like Zavala, is a rare breed of California journalist that actually does more than cheerlead for whatever liberal cause is being pushed by the Democratic supermajority. As noted, they were the only journalists who showed up.
California is banning most of the tires currently on sale.
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) August 18, 2026
You read that right.
The cruelty is the point. https://t.co/5fZyTeUOLm
It's benevolent cruelty.
Once again the environmentalists screw over California. Nobody elects these booger eating MORONS they are appointed by the biggest idiot in the state Gavin NewScum. @CAgovernor 😡😡😡😡👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 https://t.co/SDcK3pWcRM
— David (@MAGAWoodworker) August 18, 2026
Bingo!
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