SoCal Gas Prices Reach Record High In October
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Automobile Club of Southern California reports gas prices in California have reached a record high in October.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports the average price of a gallon of regular self-serve gasoline in Los Angeles County is $4.29, which is a nearly 6 percent jump since mid-May.
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The price in Orange County is $4.23/gallon—also up almost 6 percent.
Marie Montgomery, the spokeswoman for the Auto Club of Southern California, said the pain at the pump is only happening in the Golden State.
"This is a completely unusual time of the year for a gas price spike. It's not occurring in the rest of the country," she said.
Officials said the price hike was due in part to a limited supply of California's "summer blend" fuel. Refineries are now making the "winter blend", which burns cleaner at cooler temperatures.
A refinery fire in Richmond in September and power failure at the Exxon refinery in Torrance on Monday were also to blame because both incidents reduced the oil supply.
Los Angeles residents couldn't believe the cash they had to shell out for a full tank of fuel.
"I honestly had no idea. I didn't look at the sign," said driver Keith Wager. "I was like, that can't be right. It has to be a typo."
Max Paetzold said he tries not to drive as much these days.
"I also switch cars with my wife. I have another car that's a hybrid," he said.
