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Auto Club: Gasoline Prices Continue Climbing as New Record Prices Are Set

(LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2004) ? The average monthly price of regular self-serve gasoline in Southern California climbed another 6 cents from March to reach an all-time April high of $2.261 per gallon, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's monthly Fuel Gauge Report. While this is a record monthly high for the region, daily averages during the past week hit record highs of $2.233 in Los Angeles and $2.240 in San Diego.

"The relationship between strong demand for gas and the ability to meet that demand remains the key issue," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "In the past month, there have been a few small refinery problems that, in normal times, would not affect prices in a significant way. But because our inventories of gasoline are so slim, any interruption in supply has the effect of sending wholesale price higher, causing a chain reaction at the retail pump. The Auto Club is urging motorists to conserve two gallons of gasoline per week by driving an average of 44 fewer miles. This will help bring demand more in line with supply and possibly bring down prices."

The Southern California average price for regular self-serve unleaded gasoline is $2.261, up from $2.200 on March 16, 2004. The previous highest April Fuel Gauge Report price was in 2003 at $2.128.

The lowest average price in Southern California is Porterville, where drivers can pump regular self-serve gasoline for an average $2.16, and the highest price is in Blythe, where regular goes for an average $2.42. San Francisco Bay-area motorists now pay an average of $2.30, up from $2.28 in March. Nationally, prices are up 6 cents since the March AAA survey and now are at a record high average of $1.78 per gallon.

In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below:

County/City

Unl

Pre

Unl. Mar. 16

Pre. Mar. 16

Imperial County

El Centro

2.311

2.499

2.234

2.439

Inyo County

Bishop

2.309

2.499

2.199

n/a

Kern County

Bakersfield

2.194

2.289

2.127

2.309

Ridgecrest

2.263

2.358

2.143

2.325

Los Angeles County

Alhambra

2.175

2.299

2.130

2.344

Arcadia

2.228

2.499

2.178

2.399

Burbank

2.208

2.369

2.140

2.309

Culver City

2.317

2.659

2.277

2.446

Glendale

2.223

2.566

2.139

2.308

Glendora

2.188

2.382

2.175

2.424

Inglewood

2.219

2.439

2.172

2.339

Lancaster

2.214

2.557

2.182

2.351

Long Beach

2.214

2.382

2.171

2.350

Los Angeles

2.240

2.435

2.183

2.367

Manhattan Beach

2.320

2.519

2.255

2.429

Montebello

2.284

2.509

2.213

2.399

Santa Clarita

2.239

2.582

2.186

2.355

Santa Monica

2.324

2.667

2.235

2.499

Van Nuys

2.208

2.366

2.161

2.324

Whittier

2.214

2.412

2.183

2.352

Woodland Hills

2.262

2.422

2.193

2.439

Orange County

Anaheim

2.197

2.382

2.135

2.333

Fullerton

2.216

2.366

2.145

2.304

Huntington Beach

2.214

2.424

2.160

2.343

La Habra

2.162

2.373

2.115

2.299

Laguna Beach

2.339

2.549

2.279

2.463

Newport Beach

2.314

2.519

2.247

2.449

San Clemente

2.263

2.489

2.216

2.439

Tustin

2.265

2.489

2.203

2.393

Riverside County

Blythe

2.417

2.634

2.288

2.522

Hemet

2.231

2.434

2.177

2.349

Palm Springs

2.395

2.609

2.317

2.499

Riverside

2.222

2.389

2.169

2.269

San Bernardino County

Redlands

2.379

2.639

2.269

2.453

San Bernardino

2.319

2.579

2.229

2.413

Victorville

2.349

2.609

2.249

2.433

San Diego County

Chula Vista

2.274

2.493

2.254

2.559

Del Mar

2.292

2.359

2.289

2.379

Escondido

2.164

2.429

2.131

2.306

Oceanside

2.245

2.469

2.202

2.439

San Diego

2.262

2.451

2.219

2.419

San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo

2.268

2.464

2.224

n/a

Santa Barbara County

Lompoc

2.334

2.500

2.256

2.538

Santa Barbara

2.318

2.484

2.277

2.559

Santa Maria

2.305

2.471

2.231

2.513

Tulare County

Porterville

2.159

2.325

2.149

2.431

Visalia

2.199

2.365

2.095

2.229

Ventura County

Ventura

2.253

2.442

2.187

2.359

So. Calif. Avg.

2.261

2.468

2.200

2.395

The Auto Club's Fuel Gauge Report is based on data gathered from monitoring fuel transactions at 2,800 Southern California gas stations. Oil Price Information Service — the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information, provides the data.

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CST 1016202-80 Copyright © Automobile Club of Southern California. All Rights Reserved.
The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.