Recent laws in California ban MTBE in gasoline, so they have to replace it with ethanol (less % than MTBE% => more gasoline per volume => higher prices). California has always been the pioneer in environment-related laws for automobiles in the US.

Property values in highly populated areas of California, such as Silicon Valley or Los Angeles have risen dramatically compared to 5+ years ago. Many people bought their house for $100K or $150K in 1995 and are now selling them for $500K+ (their living square footage ~ 1100-1400 only!)

I'm buried under mortgage debt!

Eric