LOS ANGELES, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 1, 2006 -- Prices at the pump stayed stable over the past week, and now most Southern Californians are back to paying more for gasoline than they did a year ago at this time, 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 $2.489, which is the same as last week, six cents higher than last month, and five cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.544, six-tenths of one cent above last week's price, 12 cents above last month, and 10 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.715, down 3.4 cents from last week, two cents above last month, and 15 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.498, up four-tenths of one cent from last week, nine cents higher than last month, and three cents higher than last year.
"Fluctuations in the wholesale gasoline market just before the holidays have eased and don't seem to have affected prices at the pump," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "Most Southern Californians are now paying more at the pump than they did at this time last year because in November and December 2005, there were significant price drops following the hurricane price spikes."
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Dec. 1:
One-week
Area Regular change Record Price
Los Angeles - Long Beach $ 2.489 No change $ 3.402 (5/13/2006)
Orange County $ 2.436 -0.8 cent $ 3.371 (5/17/2006)
San Diego $ 2.544 +0.6 cent $ 3.438 (5/15/2006)
Santa Barbara-Santa
Maria - Lompoc $ 2.715 -3.4 cents $ 3.491 (5/16/2006)
Riverside - San
Bernardino $ 2.498 +0.4 cent $ 3.445 (5/15/2006)
Bakersfield $ 2.550 +0.3 cent $ 3.450 (5/16/2006)
Las Vegas, NV $ 2.466 +0.5 cent $ 3.176 (5/17/2006)
Contact Information: Contact: Marie Montgomery/Jeffrey Spring (714) 885-2333