LA Auto Club: Seventh Straight Week of Lower Gas Prices

LOS ANGELES--Nov. 18, 2005--Southern California gasoline prices fell for the seventh consecutive week this week and the lower price trend is expected to continue through at least the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, 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 $2.583, which is 8.6 cents lower than last week, 34 cents lower than last month and 25 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.601 -- 9.6 cents below last week's price, 35 cents below last month and 24 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.696, down 6.9 cents from last week, 28 cents lower than last month and 23 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.606, down 7.9 cents from last week, 33 cents below last month and 24 cents higher than last year.

"With prices falling rapidly in the past month, the question motorists are asking is, 'how low will they go?'" Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp said. "While it's impossible to predict exact numbers, it's likely that there will be significant decline for at least the next couple of weeks."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Nov. 18, 2005:

Area                           Regular   Change from   Record Price
                                          last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach         $2.583    -8.6 cents  $2.999 (9/6/2005)

Orange County                  $2.527    -8.7 cents  $2.970 (9/6/2005)

San Diego                      $2.601    -9.6 cents  $3.060 (9/5/2005)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
 Lompoc                        $2.696    -6.9 cents  $3.111 (9/7/2005)

Riverside-San Bernardino       $2.606    -7.9 cents  $3.030 (9/9/2005)

Bakersfield                    $2.568    -9.7 cents  $3.167 (9/9/2005)

Las Vegas                      $2.418   -10.6 cents  $2.968 (9/8/2005)