By John Seiler in The Orange County Register

January 30, 2016

I sometimes check how things are going in my hometown of Wayne, Mich., about 10 miles west of Detroit. Last week I noticed gasoline at one station for 99 cents a gallon. The same day, I paid $2.49, the lowest I could in Orange County.

Why is gas 150 percent more expensive here than there? It’s a story of California’s unique weather, regulations and taxes.

In most areas of the world, the air cools as it rises, wafting pollution away from population centers. But in Southern California, according to an explanation on the Cal State Northridge website, “An ‘inversion’ occurs when a section of the atmosphere becomes warmer as the elevation increases. Inversion layers” cause smog “in Los Angeles because they create stable atmospheric conditions.”

Read more at The Orange County Register