Q. According to the Business section in The Orange County Register, we Southern California drivers can submit a claim to get some gas money back if we bought gas from Feb. 20, 2015, to Nov. 10 of that year. Can you please check and see if this is legit? And if so, how safe is it to provide my California driver’s license number? And about how much can each person expect to be reimbursed?
– Bobbie Prentice, Santa Ana
A. Honk submitted a claim himself and encouraged family members and friends to do the same.
And he is giving it top billing in this week’s column – how better to serve those in Honkland than help them get some cash?
Yes, California Attorney General Rob Bonta says the deal is legit. The AG’s Office told Honk the driver’s license numbers will be kept confidential.
The funds are from a settlement that set aside $37.5 million, minus attorney and administration fees (of course). Foreign gas-trading firms were accused of secretly and illegally manipulating gas prices in 10 counties during the above-mentioned period.
Maybe your cash lands next year or in 2026.
“How much people will receive is dependent on how many claims are submitted and processed,” a spokesperson told Honk in an email. “Consumers will receive the same amount.”
To submit a claim, if you don’t plan to sue on your own, go to CalGasLitigation.com. The last day to submit a claim is Jan. 8.
Q. The express lanes offer transponders with settings for one, two and three or more occupants so drivers can sometimes get a break on the tolls when passengers are onboard. Can the setting be checked against how many are in a vehicle by law enforcement, or is it just an honor system?
– Larry Seidman, Rancho Mission Viejo
A. Both.
Kinda like some cat going solo in the carpool lanes when he shouldn’t — maybe he gets nabbed, maybe he doesn’t.
On the 91 Express Lanes, for example, cars and trucks with three or more occupants can slide into a special lane at one point. Nearby, a civilian in a booth can look to see if at least three are aboard. If not, the vehicle’s description can be relayed to a California Highway Patrol officer who, if in the area, might pull over the possible offender. On this tollway, a transponder is required, but doesn’t need adjusting.
On the 405 Express Lanes, a transponder is a must as well – but here, it does need to be properly set to get a break. When a vehicle goes beneath an overhang, a light on its backside goes off, the color depending on the setting.
If the light suggests two or more, but the driver is going solo, a CHP officer, if perched nearby, could pull over the offender and issue a citation for trying to not pay the full freight.
“That is money we should be collecting to help pay off the loan to build the express lanes,” said Joel Zlotnik, an Orange County Transportation Authority spokesman, adding excess funds go to other transportation projects. “The funds have to stay in the area. Whether you use the express lanes or not, any excess revenue helps everybody.”
Crucial to remember: Even on those two tollways – run by the same public agency – the laws are different on how and when discounts work.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at [email protected]. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. To see him on the social media platform X: @OCRegisterHonk
