Southern California gas prices are staying higher for now despite the anticipated restart of the ExxonMobil refinery in Torrance, with averages remaining within a couple of cents of last week’s prices, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. The retail state average is $2.778 a gallon for regular today, four-tenths of a penny less than last Thursday.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.847 per gallon, which is 1.3 cents lower than last week, 13 cents more than last month, and 29 cents lower than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $2.856, which is eight-tenths of a cent more than last week, 18 cents higher than last month, and 41 cents less than this time last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.869, nine-tenths of one cent less than last week, 18 cents higher than a month ago, and 27 cents less than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average per-gallon price is $2.819, 1.2 cents lower than last week, 18 cents more than last month, and 30 cents less than last year.
“The ExxonMobil refinery is expected to begin its restart process in mid-to late April after being approved on April 2 to resume operations following testing,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “But in the meantime, worldwide oil prices have climbed higher from $26 in January, the lowest point since 2003, to $41 a barrel as of Wednesday, and Los Angeles wholesale prices have risen by 30 cents after dropping 30 cents in early April.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 14, averages are:
Area |
Regular |
One-week change |
Record Price |
Los Angeles – Long Beach |
$2.847 |
-1.3 cents |
$4.705 (10/9/12) |
|
|
|
|
Orange County |
$2.840 |
-0.8 cent |
$4.690 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
San Diego |
$2.856 |
+0.8 cent |
$4.725 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
Santa Barbara – Santa Maria – Lompoc |
$2.869 |
-0.9 cent |
$4.709 (6/21/08) |
|
|
|
|
Riverside – San Bernardino |
$2.819 |
-1.2 cents |
$4.688 (10/8/12) |
|
|
|
|
Ventura |
$2.844 |
-1.8 cents |
$4.689 (10/7/12) |
|
|
|
|
Bakersfield |
$2.761 |
-0.5 cent |
$4.648 (10/9/12) |