LA Auto Club: Gasoline Prices Peak and Inch Lower

Snides Remarks; Just a personal note, I am based in Louisville KY and filled up my trusty steed with regular at $2.07 per gallon...have a nice weekend. Let me know what you think msnide@theautochannel.com.

LOS ANGELES--April 22, 2005--Gasoline prices, after peaking and then hovering near record highs, have begun inching lower in most areas, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch. However, the average declines are so small that they hardly can be noticed.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.619, which is four-tenths of a cent lower than last week, 26 cents higher than last month and 42 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.615, which is nine-tenths of a cent lower than last week, 27 cents above last month and 41 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.716, down 1.1 cents from last week, 24 cents higher than last month and 41 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.643, down three-tenths of a cent from last week, 25 cents above last month and 40 cents above last year.

"Orange County and the Central Coast were the only areas to set new highs this week, but those records were made only by fractions of a cent. Prices in most areas have peaked and now we're seeing small reductions," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "It's likely that the average price of gasoline in Southern California will inch lower over the next couple of weeks."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., April 22:

Area                        Regular   Change from      Record Price
                                       last week

Los Angeles-Long Beach      $2.619     -0.4 cents   $2.625 (4/13/2005)

Orange County               $2.605     +0.3 cents   $2.605 (4/21/2005)

San Diego                   $2.615     -0.9 cents   $2.626 (4/12/2005)

Santa Barbara-Santa
 Maria-Lompoc               $2.716     -1.1 cents   $2.727 (4/20/2005)

Riverside-San Bernardino    $2.643     -0.3 cents   $2.649 (4/13/2005)

Bakersfield                 $2.679     -0.1 cents   $2.682 (4/15/2005)

Las Vegas                   $2.531     -0.3 cents   $2.534 (4/14/2005)