An old gas station along Route 66 with a 1957 Corvette parked in front. (Photo: Andrey Bayda, via Shutterstock)In March 2021, Petaluma became the first community in America to permanently ban the construction of new gas stations. For a nation that has been ruled by automobiles for the last century, banning gas stations seems a bold, if self-destructive, move on the surface.
A driver with a disability fuels her automobile at the pump.(Photo: Californians for Smart Fueling)OPINION: For many Californians, access to a car means freedom of movement and independence, and it’s a simple way to get to and from work, attend social gatherings, go to the doctor, or get groceries for their families. But for those of us who have a disability and drive, it’s not always so simple; we have to plan everything.
A display of "rhino pills," seen in many gas stations across the country. (Photo: Amy Martyn, FairWarning)In 2015, Nam Hyun Lee, a South Korean living in Southern California, got into the lucrative business of making herbal, over-the-counter sex supplements for men. He put an aggressive-looking rhinoceros on the label, and over the next several years shipped 10,000 capsules of “Rhino 69 9000” or “Rhino 8 8000” to distributors in Maryland and Texas, according an indictment by a federal grand jury in Santa Ana.