Auto Club: Holiday Spirits High - Gas Prices Lower

LOS ANGELES--Dec. 16, 2005--As Southern Californians enter the final stretch of the holiday shopping season, their budgets are being stretched by lower gasoline prices, 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 $2.283, which is 6.5 cents lower than last week, 32 cents lower than last month and 13 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.316 -- 5.4 cents below last week's price, 31 cents below last month and 14 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.438, down 5.1 cents from last week, 25 cents lower than last month and 15 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.313, down 6.6 cents from last week, 31 cents below last month and 15 cents higher than last year.

"This is the 11th straight week that prices have fallen across Southern California and the trend should continue through the end of the month," Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp said. "Motorists are benefiting from lower prices as we approach the holidays, but they can expect prices to begin rising again after the first of the year."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Dec. 16, 2005:

Area                        Regular   Change from      Record Price
                                       last week
Los Angeles-Long Beach       $2.283    -6.5 cents    $2.999 (9/6/2005)

Orange County                $2.245    -7.8 cents    $2.970 (9/6/2005)

San Diego                    $2.316    -5.4 cents    $3.060 (9/5/2005)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
 Lompoc                      $2.438    -5.1 cents    $3.111 (9/7/2005)

Riverside-San Bernardino     $2.313    -6.6 cents    $3.030 (9/9/2005)

Bakersfield                  $2.355    -4.8 cents    $3.167 (9/9/2005)

Las Vegas                    $2.197    -3.5 cents    $2.968 (9/8/2005)