Southern CA Gas Prices Drop, While National Costs Zoom to Record Highs
20 June 2000
Midwest Replaces California As Most Expensive Place to Buy Gas
LOS ANGELES - Southern California fuel prices continued to inch downward this month while the national average price for gas reached a record high, largely because of price jumps in the Midwest.The Southern California average price for a gallon of unleaded fuel is $1.626, compared with $1.662 on May 16. Gas prices have been dropping in California since reaching an all-time average high of $1.79 at the beginning of April. This month's statewide average is $1.66.
Huntington Beach is where some of Southern California's lowest gas prices can be found, with an average price of $1.51 a gallon for regular unleaded.
Northern California gas prices also continued to drop this month, although only by an average of about two cents a gallon. The average price for Northern California is $1.71 for regular unleaded. San Francisco drivers pay an average of $1.85 a gallon, while the average is $1.66 in Sacramento and $1.63 in Las Vegas.
Nationally, average fuel prices for regular unleaded gasoline jumped 13.3 cents in the past month, to $1.644 a gallon. That's the highest level in history, according to the national price survey conducted for AAA.
For once, Californians aren't paying the highest gas prices in the continental United States -- Chicago and Detroit residents are. Oil analysts say the increases in Midwestern gas prices, which jumped by as much as 50 cents in the last month to more than $2 a gallon in some locations, are because of major supply pipeline problems and new requirements for those regions to use reformulated gasoline to reduce smog.
California has been using reformulated gasoline since the early 1990s.
Oil industry analysts predict that this week's meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will result in increased oil production, but the supplies will probably not be increased enough to significantly reduce U.S. gas prices this summer.
In Southern California, the averages for regular and premium grades of gasoline are listed below:
Imperial County El Centro 1.732 1.903 Inyo County Bishop 1.792 1.964 Kern County Bakersfield 1.636 1.825 Ridgecrest 1.659 1.821 Los Angeles County Alhambra 1.552 1.744 Arcadia 1.555 1.799 Burbank 1.577 1.733 Culver City 1.633 1.809 Glendale 1.585 1.782 Glendora 1.572 1.689 Inglewood 1.578 1.752 Lancaster 1.583 1.869 Long Beach 1.561 1.721 Los Angeles 1.593 1.755 Manhattan Beach 1.621 1.739 Montebello 1.584 1.719 Santa Monica 1.602 1.799 Van Nuys 1.553 1.714 Whittier 1.559 1.714 Woodland Hills 1.592 1.754 Orange County Anaheim 1.575 1.756 Fullerton 1.579 1.744 Huntington Beach 1.511 1.719 La Habra 1.527 1.679 Laguna Beach 1.633 1.789 Newport Beach 1.641 1.824 San Clemente 1.669 1.889 Tustin 1.569 1.689 Riverside County Blythe 1.766 1.941 Hemet 1.659 1.824 Palm Springs 1.722 1.859 Riverside 1.557 1.708 San Bernardino County Redlands 1.599 1.806 San Bernardino 1.593 1.749 Victorville 1.560 1.699 San Diego County Chula Vista 1.634 1.817 Del Mar 1.669 1.834 Escondido 1.625 1.849 Oceanside 1.646 1.866 San Diego 1.651 1.818 San Luis Obispo County San Luis Obispo 1.676 1.839 Santa Barbara County Lompoc 1.769 1.959 Santa Barbara 1.789 1.959 Santa Maria 1.677 1.749 Tulare County Porterville 1.662 1.831 Visalia 1.669 1.939 Ventura County Ventura 1.663 1.834 So. California Average 1.626 1.799
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 AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs and legislative advocacy.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.