SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County rose to a record Sunday for the second consecutive day, increasing eight-tenths of a cent to $6.392.
Gas customers are in disbelief.
"Sick. I honestly feel sick right now," said Smith as he looked at a gas pump in Kearny Mesa.
Smith got less than 2 gallons of gas for $12.
“I should be putting in some premium, but I can only afford plus," said Smith.
The average price has risen 16 consecutive days and 29 of the past 30, increasing $1.17, including 6.2 cents Saturday and 15.7 cents on Thursday, the largest daily increase since July 11, 2015, according to figures from the AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.
The average price is 64.4 cents more than one week ago and $2.036 higher than one year ago.
Sunday's increase was the smallest since Sept. 13 when the average price rose three-tenths of a cent.
The record before Saturday was $6.373 set June 15.
The Auto Club of Southern California said several planned and unplanned refinery maintenance issues are to blame.
“Unscheduled maintenance should’ve been figured into the operational costs. That’s ridiculous. I mean who doesn’t do that?,” said Smith.
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the California Air Resources Board on Friday directing it to take whatever steps are necessary to allow refineries to begin making and distributing winter-blend gasoline, which is cheaper to produce.
Stations normally cannot start selling winter blend gas until Nov. 1.
"It is hard to know when this will impact gas prices," Marie Montgomery, a public relations specialist with the Automobile Club of Southern California, told City News Service. "It all depends how quickly logistics can be adjusted to get that supply in the pipeline and also how quickly refineries return from maintenance, but it should help to stop the steep increases."
An 11-day streak of increases to the national average price totaling 12.6 cents ended with a decrease of four-tenths of a cent to $3.796. It is 8.2 cents more than one week ago and 60.2 cents higher than one year ago but 1.3 cents less than one month ago.
The national average price is $1.22 less than the record $5.016 set June 14.
The streak of increases followed a 98-day streak of decreases totaling $1.342 that began the day after the record high was set.
Check the gas prices in your area here.
Copyright 2022, City News Service, Inc.
