Gas Prices Rose Slowly Last Week, But May Be Picking Up Pace

Gas prices rose slightly this week, but Southland drivers can expect more increases in coming days as the summer blend of fuel is introduced at the pumps, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $2.488 a gallon for regular today, 5.4 cents more than last Thursday.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.608 per gallon, which is 3.7 cents higher than last week, one cent less than last month, and 90 cents lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $2.542, which is 4.3 cents more than last week, six cents lower than last month, and 93 cents less than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.532, 4.7 cents more than last week, three cents lower than a month ago, and 96 cents less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $2.527, 5.4 cents higher than last week, seven cents less than last month, and 94 cents less than last year.

“Los Angeles wholesale fuel prices reached a 14-year low point of 68 cents a gallon on Feb. 23 and have rocketed up by 87 cents since then as the state’s refineries began their maintenance season and switched from producing the winter to the summer blend of gasoline as mandated by California air quality requirements,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “Even with that wholesale spike, though, local average prices have only risen by 20 to 25 cents so far, likely because they had not kept pace with the steep wholesale price drop in early to mid-February.”

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on March 10, averages are: