The price of diesel in California is $9.00.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
The claim's $9.00 figure is not supported by the state average in the sources. California's average on-highway diesel was about $8.24 to $8.51 in mid-to-late October 2026, so the figure is roughly 6-9% too high, and the $9.99 figures cited in the sources are September station sign prices rather than state averages.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… Putin is a violent dictator who engaged in the largest land grab since World War II. This should be really easy. But so, first of all, we would our farmers, our farmers would love those prices here, but diesel in California is nine dollars, and that's because of Democrat policies here. Because of the war in Iraq, both the craziest thing, though, is that we have abundant oil reserves in California, but they're being shut down. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. The EIA weekly series puts California on-highway diesel at $8.242 for the week of Oct. 19 and about $8.155 for Oct. 26, and AAA put it at $8.51 on Oct. 18, all below $9.00.[1][2][3][4]
Contradicts. A Tier 1 Reuters item and the Oct. 26 EIA summary describe California as the highest-priced state at about $8.16, again short of $9.00.[5]
Context. The $9.99 diesel figures in the sources come from individual San Diego-area station signs in September, which reporters said often reflected stations that had run out of fuel, not a statewide average.[6][7]
Context. The claim's $9.00 figure is consistent with a statement that diesel is 'nine dollars' only loosely, and the sources do not show a state average reaching that level as of Oct. 24.[2][4]
Sources
7 sources: 6 not rated, 1 tier 2
- 1California Diesel Price This Week: $8.091 - Weekly Dieselweeklydiesel.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 2CA gas price: Costs drop with tax breaks, fuel blend changesacbee.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
- 3On-highway diesel prices remain elevated, West Coast sees slight dropcapitalpress.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4California Diesel Tops $8.24 per Gallon as National Average Reaches $6.276 - News and Statistics - IndexBoxindexbox.io · not rated · cited for: contradicts, context
- 5Diesel climbs for third straight week, while regular falls againbluebookservices.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6California Gas Station With $9.99 Diesel Exemplifies Fuel ...bloomberg.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
- 7California gas stations list maximum $9.99 diesel, but there's more to the storysan.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post