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Auto Club: New Year Brings First Monthly Gas Price Increase Since July

(Los Angeles, Jan. 13, 2009) - Gas prices posted an increase from December to January after plummeting for five straight months, but more than half of the local major metropolitan areas still have price averages under $2 a gallon, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report.
 
The Southern California January average price for regular self-serve gasoline rose 18 cents to $1.991 from the December average of $1.811 - still $2.59 below the all-time monthly record high of $4.585 set in July. In January 2008, the monthly Fuel Gauge Report average for Southern California was $3.357 - $1.37 higher than the current monthly average. The last time the Southern California average monthly price was lower than the current average was in February of 2004 - nearly five years ago, when it was $1.939.
 
The statewide average price of $2.012 is 21 cents higher than the December average of $1.799. The state's lowest average prices are in Whittier and Fullerton, where regular sells for $1.915. Tahoe City has the highest price average in the state at $2.399.
 
Nationally, the average price of $1.79 rose by nearly a dime from the December average of $1.698. Alaska has the highest state average price at $2.51, and Wyoming has the lowest state average price, at $1.459. Alaska, Hawaii and California are the only U.S. states with price averages above $2 a gallon.
 
"This is the fourth straight year in which we've seen gas prices post a monthly increase from December to January," said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. "However, the good news for drivers is that we are starting 2009 at a much lower price level than this time last year, and lower demand caused by the economic downturn may keep the U.S. from experiencing the same drastic gas price spike as last year."
 
In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below:
 

County/City

Unl 1/13

Reg 12/9

Pre 1/13

Pre 12/9

Imperial County

 

 

 

 

El Centro

2.063

1.860

2.399

1.992

 

 

 

 

 

Inyo County

 

 

 

 

Bishop

2.038

2.036

2.409

2.140

 

 

 

 

 

Kern County

 

 

 

 

Bakersfield

2.037

1.773

2.334

2.080

Ridgecrest

2.072

2.194

2.129

2.366

 

 

 

 

 

Los Angeles County

 

 

 

 

Alhambra

1.981

1.768

2.187

1.964

Arcadia

1.952

1.799

2.128

2.028

Burbank

1.988

1.818

2.197

2.016

Culver City

1.994

1.822

2.204

2.105

Glendale

1.961

1.827

2.164

2.050

Glendora

1.916

1.774

2.092

2.004

Inglewood

1.947

1.748

2.119

1.944

Lancaster

1.970

1.774

2.129

1.960

Long Beach

1.943

1.786

2.132

1.992

Los Angeles

1.967

1.826

2.159

2.031

Manhattan Beach

2.003

1.874

2.189

2.086

Montebello

1.970

1.785

2.099

2.019

Santa Clarita

1.948

1.791

2.079

1.962

Santa Monica

1.977

1.847

2.179

2.047

Van Nuys

1.928

1.772

2.142

1.966

Whittier

1.915

1.766

2.103

1.962

Woodland Hills

1.995

1.804

2.200

1.996

 

 

 

 

 

Orange County

 

 

 

 

Anaheim

1.930

1.773

2.150

1.978

Fullerton

1.915

1.747

2.111

1.961

Huntington Beach

1.958

1.761

2.135

1.964

La Habra

1.918

1.720

2.120

1.929

Laguna Beach

2.052

1.806

2.250

1.989

Newport Beach

2.014

1.859

2.211

2.087

San Clemente

2.013

1.821

2.207

2.039

Tustin

1.976

1.799

2.193

2.012

 

 

 

 

 

Riverside County

 

 

 

 

Blythe

2.090

1.892

2.349

2.074

Hemet

1.960

1.755

2.117

1.933

Palm Springs

1.972

1.798

2.196

1.984

Riverside

1.941

1.743

2.129

1.933

 

 

 

 

 

San Bernardino County

 

 

 

 

Redlands

1.967

1.757

2.188

1.941

San Bernardino

1.955

1.756

2.112

1.953

Victorville

1.936

1.717

2.140

1.882

 

 

 

 

 

San Diego County

 

 

 

 

Chula Vista

1.972

1.713

2.180

1.923

Del Mar

2.087

1.905

2.285

2.239

Escondido

1.969

1.757

2.168

1.909

Oceanside

2.020

1.761

2.213

1.981

San Diego

1.998

1.768

2.195

1.981

 

 

 

 

 

San Luis Obispo County

 

 

 

 

San Luis Obispo

2.037

1.891

2.189

2.001

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Barbara County

 

 

 

 

Lompoc

2.028

1.756

2.226

1.889

Santa Barbara

2.047

1.889

2.205

2.055

Santa Maria

2.034

1.830

2.189

2.014

 

 

 

 

 

Tulare County

 

 

 

 

Porterville

2.100

1.822

2.298

2.025

Visalia

2.107

1.873

2.382

2.056

 

 

 

 

 

Ventura County

 

 

 

 

Ventura

1.985

1.819

2.163

2.047

 

Unl

 

Pre

 

So. Calif. Avg.

1.991

1.811

2.189

2.010

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.