LA Auto Club: Gasoline Prices Fall for Ninth Straight Week

LOS ANGELES--Dec. 2, 2005--As Southern Californians enter the holiday shopping season, their gift-buying budgets may go further because gasoline prices continue falling, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.422, which is 8.2 cents lower than last week, 36 cents lower than last month and 16 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.443 -- 7.2 cents below last week's price, 35 cents below last month and 15 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.556, down 5.5 cents from last week, 32 cents lower than last month and 16 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.446, down 7.1 cents from last week, 36 cents below last month and 16 cents higher than last year.

"Conditions appear right for continued declines at the gas pump through the holiday season," Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp said. "Southern California motorists have experienced nine weeks of lower prices and they should continue falling through December."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Dec. 2, 2005:

Area                            Regular  Change from   Record Price
                                          last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach           $2.422  -8.2 cents  $2.999 (9/6/2005)

Orange County                    $2.391  -7.1 cents  $2.970 (9/6/2005)

San Diego                        $2.443  -7.2 cents  $3.060 (9/5/2005)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
 Lompoc                          $2.556  -5.5 cents  $3.111 (9/7/2005)

Riverside-San Bernardino         $2.446  -7.1 cents  $3.030 (9/9/2005)

Bakersfield                      $2.461  -5.1 cents  $3.167 (9/9/2005)

Las Vegas                        $2.277  -5.6 cents  $2.968 (9/8/2005)