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- Written by: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Shoulder Tap operations focus on adults who purchase alcohol for people under the age of 21.
The statewide effort’s goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of underage drinking and the potential legal repercussions on those who supply minors with alcohol.
“ABC’s efforts this weekend alongside more than 60 California law enforcement agencies to bring awareness to underage drinking issues was an overwhelming success,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. “These types of collaborative efforts increase public safety for communities in our state and also boost protections for California’s young people.”
During a Shoulder Tap operation, minors supervised by law enforcement stand outside stores that sell alcohol and ask customers to make a purchase for them.
The minor says they are underage and cannot purchase the alcohol. Adults who agree may be arrested and cited for furnishing alcohol to a minor.
The purpose of the operation is to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage individuals. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. Of those crashes, 27% of drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 had a blood alcohol content of .01 or higher.
The operation resulted in citations for 162 individuals who allegedly furnished alcoholic beverages to minors. At least five other individuals were cited for driving under the influence or other infractions.
The operation demonstrates the serious consequences for adults that buy alcohol for minors. The penalty for furnishing alcohol to a minor is a minimum $1,000 fine and 24 hours of community service.
The local operations were funded by ABC’s Alcohol Policing Partnership program and the California Office of Traffic Safety through NHTSA.
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- Written by: AAA
Thanks in part to lower oil prices, the national average for a gallon of gas dropped a penny from last week to $3.11, which is 27 cents lower than this time last year.
Drivers could see fluctuations at the pump due to markets and retailers reacting to the news of tariffs, and the higher cost of producing summer-grade gasoline.
The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station stayed the same at 34 cents.
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased from 8.45 b/d last week to 8.87. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 248.3 million barrels to 246.8. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day.
Fuel prices around the state as of Thursday, March 6, are:
San Francisco: $4.91.
Oakland: $4.89.
San Jose: $4.80.
Sacramento: $4.84.
Fresno: $4.75.
Stockton: $4.62.
At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI dropped $1.95 to settle at $66.31 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 3.6 million barrels from the previous week. At 433.8 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 4% below the five-year average for this time of year.
Quick gas and electricity stats
Gas
The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($4.74), Hawaii ($4.54), Washington ($4.11), Nevada ($3.79), Oregon ($3.73), Alaska ($3.43), Arizona ($3.38), Pennsylvania ($3.28), Illinois ($3.21), and Washington, DC ($3.21).
The nation's top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Mississippi ($2.64), Kentucky ($2.69), South Carolina ($2.70), Tennessee ($2.71), Louisiana ($2.71), Texas ($2.73), Alabama ($2.74), Oklahoma ($2.76), North Carolina ($2.76), and Arkansas ($2.77).
Electric
The nation’s top 10 most expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Hawaii (56 cents), West Virginia (47 cents), Montana (45 cents), Idaho (42 cents), Tennessee (42 cents), Arkansas (42 cents), New Hampshire (42 cents), South Carolina (42 cents), Kentucky (41 cents), and Alaska (41 cents).
The nation’s top 10 least expensive states for public charging per kilowatt hour are Kansas (22 cents), Maryland (25 cents), Missouri (25 cents), Nebraska (26 cents), Delaware (29 cents), Iowa (29 cents), Michigan (29 cents), Utah (29 cents), Texas (30 cents), and North Dakota (31 cents).
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- Written by: Cal Fire
Applications will be accepted until midnight on April 25, 2025, via the Wood Products and Bioenergy webpage. A total of $5 million in grant funding is available.
Cal Fire’s Wood Products & Bioenergy Program supports the creation of a robust and diversified wood products industry to facilitate the economic and sustainable management of California’s forests.
These grants help make California a more competitive place to conduct forest-sector business and create financial incentives for industries to invest in clean technologies, develop innovative ways to process wood products, and support the growth of a strong forest-sector workforce.
Since 2022, the program has provided over $80 million in grant funding for 94 projects.
“No other grant program is as targeted or efficient in using public funds to leverage private investment to manage down wildfire risk by creating new economic outlets for biomass,” said Andy Miller, CEO of Loamist, a 2024 grant recipient.
A virtual pre-recorded workshop link is available to explain the grant process and requirements. Inquiries can be submitted to
Projects that receive funding from this grant program are designed to complement the California Forest Carbon Plan, California’s Natural and Working Lands Implementation Plan, California’s Wildfire & Forest Resilience Action Plan, California’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire, and AB 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan.
Business and Workforce Development grants are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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- Written by: Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
ABC also encourages the public to have a plan in place for a sober driver to get everyone home safely.
ABC is partnering with the California Office of Traffic Safety, or OTS, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, also known as NHTSA, to help communities through the holiday season.
“We urge everyone to plan ahead to make safety a priority this holiday season,” said ABC Director Joseph McCullough. ”ABC licensees can help keep our roadways safe by checking identification and not over-serving alcohol.”
The department has several education and prevention programs available to ABC licensees that promote responsible service of alcoholic beverages. ABC Agents and local law enforcement officers will be out this holiday season to ensure compliance.
Holiday season enforcement efforts are funded by a grant from OTS through the NHTSA.
Visit ABC’s website to see how the department protects communities through education, prevention and enforcement programs designed to increase compliance with California’s alcoholic beverage laws.