# Unlocking California's Future > Nonprofit advocacy organization fighting to hold Big Oil accountable and build an economy where working families can afford to live in California. --- ## Homepage ### Hero Fighting for the Affordability Californians Deserve. We are building a grassroots movement to take back our state from corporate interests and restore the California Dream for every family. ### Mission Statement We believe California's economy should work for Californians — not just oil executives. Our mission is to ensure that data-driven policy and civic courage define the next chapter of the Golden State. Unlocking California's Future is a nonprofit advocacy organization fighting to hold Big Oil accountable and build an economy where working families can actually afford to live here. We research, educate, and organize to push for the policies that put money back in Californians' pockets. ### The Problem Californians are being squeezed — and it's not an accident. Oil companies operating in California have reported billions in profits while Californians pay some of the highest gas prices in the nation. When energy costs spike, everything else follows: groceries, rent, child care, small business overhead. The burden falls hardest on working families and communities that can least afford it. This isn't just the market at work. It's the result of deliberate choices — by oil companies, and by the politicians who protect them. ### Our Strategy — A Three-Pillar Approach to Systemic Reform **Accountability — Holding the powerful accountable.** We investigate oil company pricing practices, profit margins, and political spending — and make sure the public knows what we find. **Policy — Building the case for change.** We develop policy solutions that reduce Californians' dependence on volatile oil markets and put long-term affordability within reach. **Mobilization — Mobilizing Californians.** Real change requires real pressure. We help Californians make their voices heard — with their legislators, in the media, and at the ballot box. ### Call to Action California can do better. So can its leaders. Add your name and tell Sacramento it's time to hold Big Oil accountable. --- ## About ### Who We Are Unlocking California's Future is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to affordable living for all Californians. We were founded on a simple premise: that the cost of living in California has become a crisis — one driven in significant part by an oil industry that has used its market power, political influence, and California's unique refining infrastructure to extract maximum profit from the people who have no choice but to pay. We bring together researchers, policy advocates, and everyday Californians to document the problem, demand accountability, and champion solutions. ### Our Values **Accountability.** Oil companies must answer for their pricing decisions and political spending — publicly and on the record. **Transparency.** Californians deserve to understand who is profiting off their pain and why prices work the way they do. **Equity.** The affordability crisis falls hardest on lower-income families, communities of color, and rural Californians. Any serious solution has to start there. **Independence.** We accept no funding from oil companies, utilities, or entities with a financial interest in high energy costs. --- ## The Issue — Why Are Gas Prices So High in California? If you've ever driven past a gas station and wondered why California's prices are so much higher than the national average, you're asking the right question. The oil industry has a ready answer: it's taxes. It's regulations. It's the special California blend. These explanations aren't entirely wrong — but they're incomplete. What they leave out is the role that oil company margins, refinery consolidation, and pricing practices play in keeping Californians paying more. ### A Captive Market California's gasoline market is largely isolated from the rest of the country. The state requires a cleaner-burning fuel blend, and only a handful of refineries produce it — most of them owned by the same handful of major oil companies. When one refinery goes offline, prices spike. When prices spike, profits soar. And the companies that control the supply are the same companies collecting those profits. ### Record Profits, Real Harm In recent years, major oil companies have posted some of the largest profits in their history — while Californians absorbed those costs at the pump. Higher gas prices don't just mean more expensive commutes. They feed through to the cost of every good that gets transported, grown, or manufactured — which is to say, almost everything. ### The Political Dimension The oil industry is one of the most powerful lobbying forces in Sacramento. It spends tens of millions of dollars each election cycle to protect its interests, resist transparency requirements, and block policies that would give Californians more options. That investment has paid off — for the industry. We're working to change the math. --- ## Take Action — Make Your Voice Heard Change doesn't happen on its own. It happens when enough Californians demand it. **Sign the petition.** Tell your state legislators that Californians are tired of paying for oil company profits. **Contact your representatives.** Find your state Assembly member and state Senator and let them know this issue matters to you. **Spread the word.** Share our research and resources with your community. The more Californians understand what's driving prices, the harder it becomes to look away. **Stay informed.** Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest research, policy updates, and calls to action delivered to your inbox. --- ## Organizational Details - **Legal status**: 501(c)(3) nonpartisan nonprofit - **Geographic focus**: California, United States - **Issue focus**: California affordability crisis, oil industry accountability, energy policy, consumer protection, political spending transparency - **Funding policy**: Individuals and foundations only. No oil companies. No utilities. No corporate PACs. - **Language**: English