I heard on the news yesterday that gas stations in San Francisco are becoming hard to find. Many of the corner lots that they sit on are being scarfed up by real estate developers who are turning the properties into condos and making tons of money in the very tight and expensive residential market in the city. Plus, selling gas in CA is not very profitable any more, especially for the independent owners who own most of the gas stations in the state and can't subsidize their operations by selling and refining oil on the world market. They make more money on their convenience stores than they do on gas, plus the regulatory environmental and safety laws are very burdensome and costly for a "mom and pop" operation. This is leading to many stations in San Francisco closing, making gas harder to find and more expensive than elsewhere. There may be a time that if you live in a city, and if you don't want to take public transportation or bicycle in the congested streets, you may have to drive or ride an electric vehicle just to get around or get out of town.
