LA Auto Club: Gasoline Prices Take Slight Dip Throughout Region

    LOS ANGELES--Aug. 16, 2002--The summer trend of slight changes up and down in the average price of gasoline continued last week as pump prices dipped marginally lower throughout the southwest, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by the Automobile Club of Southern California.
    The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    Currently, the average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $1.609 per gallon, which is nine-tenths of a cent lower than last week's price, 1 cent lower than last month and 3 cents higher than prices at this time last year.
    In San Diego the price is $1.642, which is four-tenths of a cent lower than last week's level, a half-cent higher than last month and 6 cents lower than last year. Motorists in the central coast have an average price of $1.690, which is six-tenths of a cent below last week's price, a half-cent below last month and 2 cents under the price last year.
    "All summer long we've seen relative price stability and that remains as we near the end of the summer driving season," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "For the next couple of weeks we expect prices to stay close to their current levels, with perhaps a slight bump upward just before the Labor Day holiday weekend next month."

Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., Aug. 16:

Area                        Regular    Change from    Record Price
                                        last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach      $1.609      -0.9 cents    $2.036 (5/25/01)

San Diego                   $1.642      -0.4 cents    $2.025 (5/29/01)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
Lompoc                      $1.690      -0.6 cents    $2.069 (5/16/01)

Las Vegas                   $1.494      -1.2 cents    $1.885 (3/27/00)

Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.         $1.436      -0.1 cents    $1.720 (5/30/01)