🚨 MIKE ARIZA: Is California’s Energy Agenda Helping China? The Refinery Crisis Threatening U.S. Military Readiness

California isn't just losing refineries. Mike Ariza warns that America is losing critical fuel infrastructure in one of the most strategically important military regions in the country. U.S. Navy veteran and longtime refinery control-board operator Mike Ariza joins Michael Jaco for an urgent conversation about California's shrinking refining capacity—and why this story reaches far beyond what Californians pay at the gas pump. Mike spent more than two decades inside major California refineries, working at Chevron, Flying J and Valero and serving as a senior refinery control-board supervisor. His work put him at the controls of some of the state's most complex refining operations, where he says he repeatedly helped prevent significant partial and full refinery outages. Now he's warning about a problem he says is far larger than gasoline prices. California's refining infrastructure is disappearing. Valero completed the idling of processing units at its 170,000-barrel-per-day Benicia refinery in April 2026. Meanwhile, industry representatives and California policymakers continue battling over environmental regulations, operating costs and the future of in-state fuel production. Mike explains what happens when California becomes increasingly dependent on foreign crude and imported finished gasoline and jet fuel—especially when the state is also home to dozens of military installations and plays a critical logistical role in America's Pacific defense posture. 🔥 CALIFORNIA'S DISAPPEARING REFINERIES 🔥 GASOLINE & JET-FUEL SECURITY 🔥 AMERICA'S DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN SUPPLY 🔥 MILITARY READINESS IN THE PACIFIC 🔥 ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY & THE COST TO U.S. ENERGY SECURITY 🔥 CHINA, GLOBAL COMPETITION & WHO BENEFITS FROM AMERICAN DEPENDENCE And Mike goes further. He lays out his allegation that California environmental policy, activist pressure and China's strategic interests are converging in ways that weaken America's domestic energy infrastructure and military preparedness. That collusion interpretation is Mike's argument; the documented underlying issue is the decline in California refining capacity and the resulting debate over fuel-supply and national-security vulnerability. What happens during a major conflict, natural disaster, shipping disruption or geopolitical crisis when the fuel California and the military need has to arrive from somewhere else? Mike Ariza says America needs to answer that question before the supply chain is tested. ⛽ LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CALIFORNIA GAS & REFINERY CRISIS We The People Radio — California Gas Crisis THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT THE PRICE AT THE PUMP. IT'S ABOUT ENERGY SECURITY, NATIONAL SECURITY AND WHETHER AMERICA CAN STILL PRODUCE THE FUEL IT NEEDS WHEN IT MATTERS MOST.