LA Auto Club: Gas Prices Make U-Turn and Rise after Three Months of Declines

LOS ANGELES--Jan. 21, 2005--Southern California motorists have been enjoying slowly but steadily declining gasoline prices since late October, but that trend appears to have ended as prices in most areas increased slightly last week, 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 $1.979 a gallon, which is nine-tenths of a cent higher than last week, 14 cents lower than last month and 25 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $1.986, which is 1.1 cents lower than last week, 16 cents below last month and 25 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.109, which is up eight-tenths of a cent from last week, 16 cents lower than last month and 28 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $1.985, which is up three-tenths of a cent from last week, 14 cents below last month and 25 cents above last year.

"We've observed a pattern since 2001 in which prices begin rising in January due to scheduled maintenance at the state's refineries and the annual turnaround in production from winter grade fuel to the summer grade," said Auto Club spokeswoman Carol Thorp. "Motorists can expect prices to continue rising through February, at least."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., Jan. 21, 2005.

Area                        Regular   Change from       Record Price
                                       last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach        $1.979   +0.9 cents  $2.446 (10/21/2004)

Orange County                 $1.955   +0.8 cents  $2.441 (10/23/2004)

San Diego                     $1.986   -1.1 cents  $2.464 (10/21/2004)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
 Lompoc                       $2.109   +0.8 cents  $2.570 (10/22/2004)

Riverside-San Bernardino      $1.985   +0.3 cents  $2.461 (10/21/2004)

Bakersfield                   $1.986   +0.6 cents  $2.437 (10/23/2004)

Las Vegas                     $1.874   +2.0 cents  $2.290 (10/20/2004)