Gas price drops slowed to a crawl in many areas last week as 7.6 million Southern California holiday travelers get ready to gas up for Christmas and New Year’s getaways, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $2.646 a gallon for regular today, 2 cents less than last Thursday.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.747 per gallon, which is 1.9 cents lower than last week, 14 cents less than last month, and 11 cents lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $2.716, which is 1.6 cents less than last week, 12 cents lower than last month, and 11 cents less than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.693, 4.2 cents less than last week, 16 cents lower than a month ago, and 21 cents less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $2.673, 2.8 cents lower than last week, 14 cents less than last month, and 14 cents less than last year.
“Last year at this time, Southland gas prices were falling very rapidly as ramped-up production in Saudi Arabia drove down oil prices,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “While drivers in the rest of the U.S. are continuing to see the effects of the lower oil prices at the pump, Southern California gas supplies continue to be limited by the Torrance refinery outage that began in February. Those heading out of town will see prices under $2 a gallon in Arizona and well under $2.50 a gallon in Washington and Oregon.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Dec. 17, averages are:
Area |
Regular |
One-week change |
Record Price |
Los Angeles – Long Beach |
$2.747 |
-1.9 cents |
$4.705 (10/9/12) |
|
|
|
|
Orange County |
$2.731 |
-1.4 cents |
$4.690 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
San Diego |
$2.716 |
-1.6 cents |
$4.725 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc |
$2.693 |
-4.2 cents |
$4.709 (6/21/08) |
|
|
|
|
Riverside – San Bernardino |
$2.673 |
-2.8 cents |
$4.688 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
Ventura |
$2.724 |
-1.4 cents |
$4.689 (10/7/12) |
|
|
|
|
Bakersfield |
$2.679 |
No change |
$4.648 (10/9/12) |