LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County rose today for the second time in 60 days, increasing two-tenths of a cent to $3.605.
The average price decreased for 53 consecutive days, rose one-tenth of a cent on Sunday and was unchanged Thursday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It dropped 1 cent Friday to its lowest amount since Aug. 30.
The average price is 1.7 cents less than one week ago and 19.8 cents lower than one month ago, but 23.8 cents more than one year ago.
The Orange County average price dropped two-tenths of a cent to $3.534, its lowest amount since March 25. It is 1.1 cents less than one week ago and 19.4 cents lower than one month ago, but 20.7 cents more than one year ago. The Orange County average price has dropped 57 of the past 61 days, decreasing 55.4 cents, including a half-cent Friday.
California had the nation's highest average gas price in 2019, the second time in 20 years it had that distinction.
“California was one of the few states that went against the national trend of ending 2019 with a lower annual average gas price than in 2018,” said Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California's corporate communications manager.
“The U.S. average annual national gas price dropped from $2.72 a gallon in 2018 to $2.61 a gallon in 2019, but California's average rose from $3.56 in 2018 to $3.72 in 2019. About 6 cents of that rise can be attributed to increased taxes, with the rest happening due to refinery problems in October that drove average prices well above $4 a gallon.”
The only other year California's average annual price surpassed that of Hawaii was 2015 when an explosion at the Exxon Mobil refinery in Torrance caused major supply issues, Spring said.
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