Auto Club: Gas Prices Zoom Up Again


LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - September 14, 2007) - Gas prices continued their post-Labor Day uptick at an even faster pace over the last week, zooming up by more than a penny a day in most regions, 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 $2.857, which is 9.2 cents higher than last week, 4.5 cents below last month, and 11 cents under last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.911, which is 7.6 cents above last week's price, two cents under last month, and two cents cheaper than last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.041, up 6.5 cents from last week, 8.5 cents under last month, and 16 cents below last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.863, 8.9 cents more than last week, two cents under last month, and 11 cents cheaper than last year.

"Despite this rapid price increase, most Southern California prices are still very close to the national average and still below where they were this time last year," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "Other states across the country have been experiencing a price spike over the past few months while California's prices were still coming down. Prices have just now started declining in most other states, but there are still 18 other states with higher prices than those in California."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Sept. 14:

                                           One-week
Area                          Regular       change         Record Price

Los Angeles - Long Beach      $  2.857    + 9.2 cents   $ 3.487  (5/9/2007)

Orange County                 $  2.822   + 10.6 cents   $ 3.479  (5/8/2007)

San Diego                     $  2.911    + 7.6 cents   $ 3.503  (5/8/2007)

Santa Barbara - Santa Maria
 - Lompoc                     $  3.041    + 6.5 cents   $ 3.614 (5/15/2007)

Riverside - San  Bernardino   $  2.863    + 8.9 cents   $ 3.486  (5/8/2007)

Bakersfield                   $  2.844    + 4.5 cents   $ 3.489  (5/7/2007)

Las Vegas, NV                 $  2.743    + 3.2 cents   $ 3.209 (5/29/2007)

Contact Information: Contact: Jeffrey Spring/Carol Thorp (714) 885-2333