Auto Club: Gas Prices Continue Higher

LOS ANGELES--March 24, 2006--As Southern Californians greeted the official beginning of spring this week, the new season greeted them with the fourth consecutive week of higher gas prices, 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 $2.728, which is 9.9 cents higher than last week, 22 cents higher than last month and 34 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the price is $2.720 -- 8.3 cents above last week's price, 19 cents above last month and 36 cents above last year. On the Central Coast, the average price is $2.829, up 7.9 cents from last week, 17 cents above last month and 33 cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.744, up 9.2 cents from last week, 20 cents above last month and 35 cents higher than last year.

"Prices in most parts of the region increased more than a penny per day during the past week, and we expect that prices will continue to rise for the next few weeks," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "More regions in the country are using ethanol in summer blend gasoline to meet federal clean air standards, and prices are going up as supplies of this additive are being stretched."

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline as of 12:01 a.m., March 24:

           Area             Regular   Change from      Record Price
                                       last week
Los Angeles-Long Beach       $2.728    +9.9 cents    $2.999 (9/6/2005)

Orange County                $2.697    +9.6 cents    $2.970 (9/6/2005)

San Diego                    $2.720    +8.3 cents    $3.060 (9/5/2005)

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-
 Lompoc                      $2.829    +7.9 cents    $3.111 (9/7/2005)

Riverside-San Bernardino     $2.744    +9.2 cents    $3.030 (9/9/2005)

Bakersfield                  $2.719   +11.0 cents    $3.167 (9/9/2005)

Las Vegas                    $2.522    +8.6 cents    $2.968 (9/8/2005)