Gas Prices Decrease For Six Weeks, But Higher Crude Prices Could Reverse Decline

As Southern California gas price averages inch closer to $3 a gallon, there are signs that they have reached a plateau, as Los Angeles and Orange County price averages today posted their first small increase in more than a month, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $3.09 a gallon for regular today, 4 cents less than last week.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.133 per gallon, which is 4.4 cents less than last week, 30 cents less than last month, and $1.17 lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $3.109, which is 4.7 cents less than last week, 30 cents lower than last month, and $1.16 lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.131, 3.8 cents less than last week, 29 cents lower than a month ago, and $1.15 less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $3.109, down 4.3 cents from last week, 30 cents less than last month, and $1.15 less than last year.

“Today, crude oil prices reached their highest level of 2015, climbing 27 percent in the last month,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “While crude oil is still at very low levels compared to most periods since 2009, a continued oil price increase could definitely push up local gas prices. We did see an overnight increase in Los Angeles and San Diego by a few tenths of a penny.”

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 16, averages are: