Southern California Gas Prices Surge Upward
31 March 1999
Southern California Gas Prices Surge Upward
LOS ANGELES--March 30, 1999--Refinery closures, anticipated international production cutbacks and holiday travel demands have sent Southern California gas prices climbing upward an average of 14.5 cents per gallon in two weeks, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.With this increase, the average price for a gallon of regular self serve unleaded gasoline is $1.33 in Southern California. The Auto Club conducted a special spot survey this morning of 12 selected Southern California cities. The survey compares prices on March 29 to March 16, the date of the Auto Club's most recent Fuel Gauge survey, to determine the actual increase in gas prices.
Oil industry analysts say that supplies of California's reformulated gasoline have been reduced recently due to maintenance or equipment fires and explosions at three key Northern California refineries. In addition, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries has agreed to reduce production by about 2 million barrels a day. The refinery outages have had a greater effect to date on Northern California motorists who have seen price increases of between 30 and 40 cents per gallon as reported by the AAA affiliate in Northern California.
The following are comparisons of prices for a gallon of regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in selected Southern California cities:
City March 29 March 16 Increase Anaheim 1.267 1.137 13.0 cents Bakersfield 1.282 1.108 17.4 cents El Centro 1.429 1.245 18.4 cents Escondido 1.327 1.176 15.1 cents Laguna Hills 1.329 1.199 13.0 cents Long Beach 1.300 1.170 13.0 cents Los Angeles 1.307 1.176 13.1 cents Riverside 1.315 1.168 14.7 cents San Bernardino 1.333 1.194 13.9 cents San Diego 1.345 1.197 14.8 cents Santa Barbara 1.430 1.310 12.0 cents Ventura 1.393 1.233 16.0 cents Average 1.338 1.192 14.5 cents
The Auto Club's spot survey is based on data gathered from monitoring fuel transactions at more than 1,000 Southern California gas stations. The data is provided by Oil Price Information Service -- the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information.
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 emergency road service, 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.
