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Auto Club: Holiday Shoppers Benefit From Lower Fuel Prices

    LOS ANGELES--Dec. 10, 2002--The December monthly average price of gasoline in Southern California dropped nearly six cents compared with last month, erasing all of November's price gains, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's monthly Fuel Gauge Report.
    The Southern California average price for regular self-serve unleaded gasoline is $1.559, down from the November average of $1.618. The October average was $1.570. The state average fell to $1.586, down 4.6 cents from November. San Francisco Bay-area motorists now pay an average of $1.670, down four cents from last month.
    The lowest average price in the state can be found in Marysville, where drivers can pump regular self-serve unleaded gasoline for $1.430. The most expensive gasoline in the state is in Eureka, where the price is unchanged at $1.86.
    Nationally, the average price for a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline dropped 8.2 cents to $1.378. Georgia has the lowest state average at $1.212, about 10 cents lower than last month.
    "Oil and gasoline supplies continue to be plentiful," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "This is due, in part, to recent international activities including subsiding labor unrest in Venezuela and the fact that OPEC oil ministers hinted that official oil production quotas will be increased."
    In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below:



County                  Unl       Pre

Imperial County

El Centro               1.694     1.879

Inyo County

Bishop                  1.679     1.857

Kern County

Bakersfield             1.440     1.608
Ridgecrest              1.552     1.732

Los Angeles County

Alhambra                1.516     1.699
Arcadia                 1.582     1.769
Burbank                 1.532     1.784
Culver City             1.602     1.869
Glendale                1.543     1.806
Glendora                1.586     1.799
Inglewood               1.529     1.714
Lancaster               1.463     1.674
Long Beach              1.568     1.742
Los Angeles             1.560     1.763
Manhattan Beach         1.539     1.724
Montebello              1.552     1.722
Santa Clarita           1.549     1.719
Santa Monica            1.587     1.719
Van Nuys                1.490     1.639
Whittier                1.541     1.737
Woodland Hills          1.536     1.736

Orange County

Anaheim                 1.520     1.738
Fullerton               1.522     1.744
Huntington Beach        1.534     1.732
La Habra                1.505     1.699
Laguna Beach            1.619     1.809
Newport Beach           1.630     1.859
San Clemente            1.639     1.829

Riverside County

Blythe                  1.712     1.959
Hemet                   1.505     1.739
Riverside               1.515     1.646

San Bernardino County

Redlands                1.516     1.639
San Bernardino          1.530     1.747
Victorville             1.472     1.651

San Diego County

Chula Vista             1.615     1.789
Del Mar                 1.577     1.719
Escondido               1.590     1.787
Oceanside               1.616     1.895
San Diego               1.616     1.847

San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo         1.485     1.675

Santa Barbara County

Lompoc                  1.613     1.839
Santa Barbara           1.648     1.769
Santa Maria             1.535     1.689

Tulare County

Porterville             1.520     1.699
Visalia                 1.454     1.649

Ventura County

Ventura                 1.579     1.799

So. Calif. Avg.         1.559     1.753


    In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below: The Auto Club's Fuel Gauge Report is based on data gathered from monitoring fuel transactions at 2,800 Southern California gas stations. Oil Price Information Service -- the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information, provides the data.
    The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by roadside assistance, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs.
    Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.