The day after Halloween, an unpopular force lurking in gas pumps will start siphoning more money from Californians’ wallets.

It’s not the plot from a horror movie. It’s a 12-cents per gallon increase in the state’s base gasoline-excise tax that takes effect Wednesday, Nov. 1. The increase raises the tax to 30 cents a gallon, with adjustments for inflation starting in 2020 that could make it even more expensive.

Taxes on California diesel fuel are going up as well. The excise tax on diesel will rise 20 cents, making the total tax 36 cents a gallon. And the diesel sales tax rate will go from 1.75 to 5.75 percent.

But wait. There’s a sequel.

Starting next year, a new fee ranging from $25 to $175 based on a vehicle’s worth will be added to the cost of vehicle registration, with zero-emission vehicles subject to a $100 annual fee starting in July 2020.

It’s all designed to raise $5.2 billion a year for the next 10 years to fix ailing roads, build new highways and fund other transportation improvements throughout the state. The tax hikes and new fees are the foundation of SB 1, a transportation funding bill that narrowly passed the Legislature in April.

The 12-cents a gallon increase may not be noticeable at first.

“I would be surprised if on Nov. 1, all the gas stations have their price rise 12 cents a gallon,” said Marie Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California.

That’s because Southern California gas stations are switching from the summer blend of gasoline, which is more expensive, to the cheaper winter blend. The switch could partially offset the tax hike, Montgomery said, adding it’s possible that gas stations might already have factored in the increase.

The executive director of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association, which represents gas stations and petroleum manufacturers, criticized the tax hike in an email.

“As of November 1, instead of California families saving about 12 cents per gallon from the annual switch to a winter blend of gasoline, the government is going to take the savings that people would have spent on food, entertainment, holiday presents, and much more,” Ryan Hanretty said.

“In a state that has consistently driven up the cost of living on working and middle-class families, this is another policy from Sacramento politicians that will reach deeper into family budgets for the next 10 years.”

It took intense lobbying by Gov. Jerry Brown and other Democratic leaders to get SB 1 past the required two-thirds vote threshold needed for passage.

To sew up the critical votes of state Sen. Richard Roth and Assemblywoman Sabrina Cervantes, both D-Riverside, leadership allocated $427 million for transportation improvements in northwest Riverside County. Brown also signed legislation restoring vehicle license fee revenue to four Riverside County cities after repeated vetoes of similar bills.

Higher gas taxes aren’t going over well in a state where gas prices are traditionally among the nation’s highest. A poll conducted in May by the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC Berkeley found 58 percent opposed to the gas tax hike, with 39 percent strongly opposed.

California Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly defended the higher gas tax as necessary if California wants pothole-free roads without taking money from education, health care or other services.

‘Time to reinvest’

“Around the country, infrastructure suffers when investment doesn’t keep pace with the needs. It was time to reinvest,” Kelly said, adding the state gas tax hadn’t been raised in almost 30 years.

Money from SB 1 already is going to work, with Caltrans moving ahead with more than $5 billion worth of transportation projects and planning next spring to announce grants for projects funded by SB 1, Kelly said.

SB 1 contains protections, including the hiring of an inspector general, to ensure the money is spent strictly on transportation and can’t be raided for other purposes, said Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs.

“Once you’re able to explain that to the public, they really understand that this is not business as usual for Sacramento,” he said.

Due to inflation and improved vehicle fuel economy, the current gas tax has lost 60 percent of its value in the past 25 years, said Quigley, whose alliance is part of the Fix Our Roads Coalition, which supports SB 1.

The average California driver spends $762 a year on vehicle maintenance. Road repairs funded by SB 1 will lower that cost, Quigley said.

With the exception of a term-limited senator, every Republican in Sacramento voted against SB 1, saying tax hikes aren’t needed to fix California’s roads. The gas tax hike prompted a recall effort against state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, who voted for SB 1.

Opponents, who are using the social media hashtag #GasTaxTrophe to express their disdain for the higher tax, also are gathering signatures for a ballot measure to repeal the gas tax increase. They’re holding 45 events statewide over the next 30 days to promote their effort.

“With the momentum we’ve gathered over the past six months, our grassroots effort to repeal the gas tax is kicking into high gear,” ballot measure organizer Carl DeMaio said in a statement.

“When the gas tax hits Californians starting this Wednesday morning, the issue goes from the theoretical to the real, and our grassroots coalition powering the real initiative will only continue to grow,” he added.

Kelly said the ballot measure “is something that’s being done purely for political purposes that is a colossal waste of money and provides no alternative to investing in our transportation infrastructure.”

As they get used to a higher state gas tax, Californians also might face a gas tax hike from the federal government. The Trump administration reportedly is considering raising the federal gas tax, which hasn’t been increased since 1993, to fund infrastructure.

New taxes, fees

SB 1, which passed the state Legislature in April, relies on tax increases and new fees to raise $52 billion to fix roads and fund other transportation projects.

Here’s a look at when the tax hikes and fees will be implemented:

Nov. 1 – California’s base excise tax on gasoline goes up 12 cents, increasing the total to 30 cents a gallon with adjustments for inflation starting in 2020. The increase is expected to raise $2.2 billion a year.

Also, the diesel excise tax will rise to 36 cents a gallon – up 20 cents – while the diesel sales tax rate will rise from 1.75 percent to 5.75 percent. Both taxes are projected to raise $1.1 billion a year.

Jan. 1, 2018 – A transportation improvement fee goes into effect. The annual vehicle registration fee, which will range from $25 to $175, amount depends on a vehicle’s worth.

The fees are expected to raise $1.7 billion annually.

Jan. 1, 2020 – Zero-emission vehicles will be charged $100 a year with adjustments for inflation starting in 2021. The new fee should raise $19 million a year.

Gas tax repeal website – www.nocagastax.com

Fix Our Roads coalition website (supports SB 1) – fixcaroads.com

SB 1 details – rebuildingca.ca.gov