Southern California refineries are undergoing their annual maintenance season along with some unplanned breakdowns, but so far it has not affected prices at the pump, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. Today’s retail statewide average is $3.52 a gallon for regular unleaded, which is one cent lower than last week.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.59 per gallon, which is the same as last week, three cents lower than a month ago, and 33 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.57, which is one cent lower than last Thursday, four cents less than last month, and 35 cents higher than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.63, which is one cent higher than last week, seven cents lower than last month, and 34 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $3.49, which is one cent lower than last week, two cents lower than last month, and 33 cents higher than last year. In San Bernardino, the $3.54 average price is two cents lower than last week, six cents lower than last month, and 32 cents higher than a year ago today.
“While concerns about the coronavirus are pushing down demand for oil and gasoline nationwide, locally our gas prices are more affected by the performance of our refineries,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “Once gas stations start selling the more expensive summer blend of gasoline, which will happen over the next couple of weeks, we could see price increases that reflect both the increased production costs and the constrained supply if these unplanned refinery issues aren’t quickly resolved.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Jan. 30, averages are:
