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April 2, 2026
March 29, 2026March 13, 2026March 4, 2026February 8, 2026January 18, 2026 |
March 27, 2026March 13, 2026February 22, 2026January 24, 2026January 13, 2026 |
California Insider Show · January 10, 2026
California’s fuel system is changing quietly, but the effects reach far beyond the pump. As major refineries shut down or stop refining crude, the state moves closer to relying on imports for fuels it still uses every day. In this episode, we put a panel with California Assemblymember Stan Ellis, USC professor Michael Mische, and former senior refinery technician and control board supervisor at the Benicia Valero Refinery Mike Ariza to walk through what happens as local production declines and the state relies on more imported gasoline.
California’s fuel system is changing quietly, but the effects reach far beyond the pump. As major refineries shut down or stop refining crude, the state moves closer to relying on imports for fuels it still uses every day. In this episode, we put a panel with California Assemblymember Stan Ellis, USC professor Michael Mische, and former senior refinery technician and control board supervisor at the Benicia Valero Refinery Mike Ariza to walk through what happens as local production declines and the state relies on more imported gasoline.
January 2, 2026December 7, 2025 |
December 11, 2025September 27, 2025 |
Acronym Decoder - California State Agencies Involved
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Professor Michael Mische, MBA, MS, Cert-AI. Professor Mische is the Associate Professor of the Practice of Management and Organization. He is widely sought for his independent and objective perspective, exceptional consulting acumen, boardroom skills and direct, Socratic, data driven and client centric style of addressing highly complex and critical strategic, organizational, operational and positioning issues.
A member of the USC faculty since 1997, Mische is responsible for teaching and coordinating USC’s Marshall management consulting undergraduate and graduate curricula and programs. Mische brings over 43 years of global management consulting experience in strategic planning, mergers, turnarounds and strategic innovation to both the classroom and clients. Having studied the Oil industry since 1973, Professor Mische is considered to be an authority on Industry strategies from production to final downstream distribution. |
Stan Ellis
32nd Assembly District California State Capitol Office P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA 94249-0032 |
Stan Ellis Stan Ellis is a farmer, local businessman, and community member with deep roots in the Central Valley. Growing up on a hog farm in South Dakota, he worked to put himself through college at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.
After graduating with a degree in mathematics, Stan settled down in Kern County, where he began an extensive entrepreneurial career. Stan started his career in the Kern County oil industry in 1975 as a “mud engineer” before forming his first company in 1981. After this company found success, Stan entered the chemical process industry to minimize waste from oil refineries. He started several small businesses across various fields, including oil, agriculture, chemical process, and reclamation. He has since founded a quantum physics lab as well as a company that works with the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense to advance cybersecurity in the U.S. His work in quantum physics includes innovations in quantum communication, quantum networking, and the development of revolutionary medical research and treatment using quantum entanglement. Stan utilized his experience and management skills to spearhead the collaboration between himself, Professor Mische, and Mike Ariza to deal with the energy crisis in California. |
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Mike Ariza Mike is a US Navy veteran with over twenty years of experience in the refining industry. His refining experience extends from the Chevron Refinery in Richmond California, the Flying J refinery in Bakersfield, and the Valero Refinery in Benicia. Mike held the positions of number one control board Operator at Flying J and Senior Refinery Control Board Supervisor at Valero.
He was an instructor of both operator field and control board classes. Among his peers Mike was well known for his control board skills during emergency situations. However, he was best known for his quick troubleshooting skills which he utilized to prevent emergency situations. Mike on numerous occasions prevented significant partial refinery outages. In addition, he utilized his skills to prevent two full refinery unscheduled downtimes. For these abilities his peers often referred to him as one of the top ten control board operators in the country. |