A second straight week of price increases has brought Southern California pump prices back up to where they were around this time last month in most areas, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch. The state average is $3.619 a gallon for regular today – 3.9 cents higher than last week.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $3.676 per gallon, which is 5.1 cents more than last week, 2 cents lower than last month, and 5 cents lower than last year. In San Diego, the price is $3.661, 3.4 cents above last week, 1 cent below last month, and 6 cents lower than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.684, up 3.5 cents from last week, 6 cents lower than a month ago, and 5 cents less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $3.639, up 4.7 cents from last week, 2 cents lower than last month, and 7 cents less than last year.
“So far, prices are rising less quickly than they were at this time last year, which is hopefully a sign that price increases will be less aggressive this year than in 2012,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring. “About a penny of the 4- to 6-cent per-gallon increase that Southern Californians have experienced since Jan. 1 is due to the increased sales tax authorized by voter approval of Prop. 30.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Jan. 10, averages are:
Area | Regular | One-week change | Record Price |
Los Angeles – Long Beach | $3.676 | +5.1 cents | $4.705 (10/9/12) |
Orange County | $3.658 | +5.0 cents | $4.690 (10/8/12) |
San Diego | $3.661 | +3.4 cents | $4.725 (10/8/12) |
Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc | $3.684 | +3.5 cents | $4.709 (6/21/08) |
Riverside – San Bernardino | $3.639 | +4.7 cents | $4.688 (10/8/12) |
Bakersfield | $3.604 | +3.1 cents | $4.648 (10/9/12) |
Ventura | $3.671 | +4.8 cents | $4.689 (10/7/12) |