Refinery maintenance and a gasoline production downturn are pushing up Southland gas prices in a now-familiar pattern for early spring, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail statewide average is $3.49 a gallon for regular unleaded, five cents higher than last Thursday.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.56 per gallon, which is four cents higher than last week, 13 cents higher than last month, and 55 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.52, which is five cents more than last Thursday, 12 cents more than last month, and 52 cents higher than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.57, which is six cents higher than last week, 16 cents higher than last month, and 48 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $3.47, which is five cents more than last week, 11 cents higher than last month, and 51 cents more than at this time last year.
“Drivers haven’t seen gas price averages this high since August of 2015,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “Yesterday, the US Energy Information Administration reported a decline in West Coast gasoline inventories and production, which drove Los Angeles wholesale and rack gasoline prices to another 52-week high point. At the moment, upward pressure continues on pump prices.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on March 29, averages are:
|
Area |
Regular |
1-week change |
Record Price |
|
Los Angeles – Long Beach |
$3.56 |
+4 cents |
$4.70 (10/9/12) |
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Orange County |
$3.52 |
+4 cents |
$4.69 (10/8/12) |
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San Diego |
$3.52 |
+5 cents |
$4.72 (10/8/12) |
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Santa Barbara – Santa Maria –Lompoc |
$3.57 |
+6 cents |
$4.70 (6/21/08) |
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Riverside |
$3.47 |
+5 cents |
$4.68 (10/8/12) |
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San Bernardino |
$3.47 |
+4 cents |
$4.68 (10/8/12) |
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Ventura |
$3.54 |
+5 cents |
$4.68 (10/7/12) |
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Bakersfield |
$3.42 |
+6 cents |
$4.64 (10/9/12) |