Southern California gas price averages are at their highest level in nine years and are now within 25 cents of their all-time record in October 2012, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $4.46, which is three cents higher than last week. The average national price is $3.30, which six cents higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $4.45 per gallon, which is two cents higher than last week, four cents higher than last month, and $1.26 higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $4.40, which is up two cents from last week, four cents higher than last month, and $1.22 higher than last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $4.39, which is one cent higher than last week, three cents higher than last month, and $1.17 higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $4.36, which is one cent higher than last week, five cents higher than last month, and $1.22 higher than last year. In Bakersfield, the $4.39 average price is three cents higher than last week and last month, and $1.24 higher than a year ago today.
“The last time that prices were this high, it was in response to a shortage of summer blend gasoline and the governor stepped in to allow early sales of winter blend to alleviate the crisis,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “This year, there is not a shortage crisis, and the high prices are due to a combination of higher oil prices, inflationary pressures which add to higher overhead costs for gas stations, carbon costs for refineries and higher taxes.
“While we would usually expect a cost decrease of 12 cents per gallon or so once stations start selling winter blend gasoline on Nov. 1, indications are that higher butane and oil costs this year will make that cost decrease less significant,” Spring added.
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on Oct. 14, averages are:
