PETA criticizes Kittle, hopefuls for CA governor. Top Sacramento stories for May 18

From a crowded governor’s race to a deadly crash and surging gas prices, Monday’s top stories from The Sacramento Bee span politics, public safety and consumer news.

Here’s a quick look at what readers were following on May 18, 2026.

• A field of 61 candidates is running for California governor, including low-profile hopefuls like interdenominational chaplain LivingforGod AndCountry DeMott and Alameda Democrat Barack D. Obama Shaw. With no clear frontrunner — even top polling candidates Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra struggle to clear 20% — long-shot contenders are betting on a June 2 primary day surprise.

• A 16-year-old girl and a 14-year-old girl were killed and three other teens were critically injured when a car crashed into a tree and caught fire early Sunday on Scott Road near Sloughhouse in southeast Sacramento County. CHP investigators said speed was a major factor, and all five occupants were 16 or younger.

• California drivers are paying the nation’s highest gas prices at about $6.15 per gallon, with experts warning another spike could arrive just before Memorial Day weekend. The state’s average has climbed nearly $1.50 per gallon since March 2, driven by Middle East tensions and tight global oil supplies.

• PETA sent San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle an “unsportsmanlike conduct” rebuke for killing a spider in his bathroom, an incident Kittle described in a social media post. The animal rights group urged Kittle to adopt a “live and let live” approach and offered to send him a humane bug catcher.