I wouldn't be surprised if supply chain issues (e.g., with trucking companies) are partly responsible for the price rises.
I wouldn't be surprised if supply chain issues (e.g., with trucking companies) are partly responsible for the price rises.
Now, you could reasonably make the case that we should therefore expect future non-energy inflation to follow since energy is a cost in pretty much every step along the supply chain. And that's fair! ...but it's not a sign the official figures are fudged either; after all, it takes time to collect figures, and it takes time for retailers and everyone along the supply chain to update their prices. Given an energy price spike, it's totally normal to see the energy price inflation spike a short time (1-2 months?) later when the figures are next updated, and then see goods inflation spike (less highly) a month or two after that. If everything aligns perfectly and businesses and data collectors act quickly, maybe a little more quickly - but never immediately.
So we should expect to see e.g. gas prices rise first, and then other goods, all while not yet immediately being represented in official figures.
If, after a few months, a perceived price spike wasn't captured by the official figures, then it's time to start worrying - and even then, not every worry turns out to be founded.
And gas goes up and down for a variety of reasons.
*Here in Los Angeles there's a handful of gas stations that inexplicably charge $1-$2 more than any other one. I always assume it's either money laundering or they just prey on people who aren't paying attention. $4.19 is just the cheapest price I've driven by in the last 24 hours
To the extent that's true (and its a rather including incomplete story) as an intermediate cause, those policies themselves exist to meet federal pollution mandates, which California has, and even moreso in the last had, particular population and geography challenges with, particularly in the LA basin.