If filling up your tank lately feels like a gut punch, you're not alone. Gas prices in San Francisco are soaring — fueled by a collision of global oil disruptions and local supply constraints that analysts warn could get worse.

The big picture: Drivers across California are watching the cost of gas climb fast, and at some stations in San Francisco, they're already nearing $7 a gallon.

• The war in Iran has triggered one of the sharpest gas price surges in recent history, while limited state refinery capacity is exacerbating the pain at the pump, experts say.

San Francisco was averaging about $6 a gallon as of yesterday for regular gas, a month after it averaged $4.83, per AAA.

• The statewide average was $5.82, while the national average was $3.97.

State of play: California is especially exposed to gas price increases. The state relies on gasoline imports from Asian refineries, many of which depend on crude oil moving through the recently closed Strait of Hormuz, Ryan Cummings, chief of staff at the Stanford Institute of Economic Policy Research, told Axios.

• Supply in Northern California is also tightening, with only one major refinery running at full capacity, leaving a thinner safety net and fewer backup options when supply tightens, he said.
• "It is a cataclysmic scenario," he said, adding that prices could reach as high as $10 a gallon in San Francisco if the strait is not reopened within the next two months. "That's when you're going to see things start to get really bad."

"It's ridiculous, it's horrible — I can't pay many of my bills now," downtown resident James Millard told Axios at a Shell station in the Inner Sunset yesterday.

Stanford economists estimate the average California household could spend about $857 more on gas from March through December this year, Cummings said.

• California gas prices last peaked at a statewide average of $6.21 per gallon in June 2022, driven by the Russia-Ukraine war.

What's next: It could take weeks to months for prices to ease, even after the war winds down, because of what Cummings calls the "rockets and feather" effect, where prices shoot up fast but take time to come down — meaning gas prices could stay elevated into the summer.

Share this story

Expect to see more of Zoox's cartoon-like cars zipping around more parts of the city soon.

The big picture: The self-driving-car company announced plans yesterday to expand across the eastern half of San Francisco — quadrupling its current service area.

• That includes neighborhoods like the Marina, North Beach, Chinatown and Pacific Heights, as well as along the Embarcadero.

Early access will be limited to employees and their friends and family.

• Next up are "Zoox Explorers" — riders who get free trips in exchange for feedback. (Interested? Sign up here).
• Zoox is also upgrading the system that predicts arrival times to make it more accurate.

Catch up quick: The Amazon-owned robotaxi service first debuted its self-driving cars in Las Vegas last fall before expanding into SoMa, the Mission and Design District.

• Unlike Waymos, Zoox rides don't have a steering wheel or a traditional front seat, so passengers sit facing each other.
• Zoox says it has accumulated nearly 2 million miles on the road and driven more than 350,000 passengers since its Las Vegas launch.

Tell a friend

The single-family home at 930 Monterey Blvd. where a family of four died in a murder-suicide last year has been listed for sale for $1.5 million. (SF Standard)

❌ Indie comics shop Silver Sprocket permanently closed its longtime storefront at 1018 Valencia St. (SF Chronicle)

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a Muni bus near Union Square yesterday morning. (NBC Bay Area)

🚫 The California gubernatorial debate at USC was canceled amid scrutiny over the university's decision to exclude the race's four prominent candidates of color. (LA Times)

The 80-year-old driver who killed a couple and their two children in a 2024 West Portal crash must now explain her actions under oath in ongoing civil lawsuits after not taking the stand during her criminal case. (ABC7)

It's now more common to get your DoorDash order delivered on two wheels than by car in San Francisco, per a new report first shared with Axios.

Why it matters: Such vehicles offer a lower cost of entry for people trying to earn a living or work a side gig.

• Bikes, scooters and mopeds are also typically cleaner and quieter than cars, and don't contribute as much to road congestion.

Two-wheeled DoorDash deliveries in the U.S. and Canada grew nearly four times faster than car deliveries from 2024 to 2025, with the highest 2025 shares in San Francisco (72%), Seattle (66%) and San José (64%).

• They're also more efficient and earn more than drivers in cars — spending about 15% less travel time from acceptance to pickup and making over 10% more per hour.

Share this story

Readers, we have a very important and serious question for you: who's the star of your household? We want to meet them.

• We're talking about the dogs who think they run the house, the cats who actually do, the birds with main-character energy and any other mini mischief-makers making your home a little more fun.

💭 Nadia's thought bubble: I'll start us off with my dog Mimi, a spunky five-year-old cockapoo with an extremely affectionate personality.

• She loves chicken and barking at the garbage man, is completely obsessed with the ball and will pick people over dogs any day (with the very notable exception of these two pups, who she's decided are acceptable company).

📸 Send us your best pet pics, drop their name and tell us what they love and dislike most for a chance to be featured in our new series celebrating San Francisco's most beloved companions.