OIL'S NOT WELL: COST OF GETTING AROUND IS ACCELERATING AGAIN GAS PRICES HAVE DRIVERS BELLYACHING.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer Gasoline prices have started their spring ascent, jumping back to about $3 a gallon, and could set a California record by the summer driving season, analysts said Wednesday. That means last year's record of $3.40 for a gallon of regular could be surpassed, predicted Mary Welge, an analyst at Oil Price Information Service. "It's not out of the realm of possibility," Welge said. She is predicting an increase of 10 cents to 30cents a gallon statewide. Wednesday's average for a gallon of regular in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area was $2.92, up 13.2 percent from the $2.58 of a year ago, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. data from the Auto Club of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . But regular gas is already above $3 a gallon in many areas of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , including the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Balaji Vemuma paid $3.05 a gallon to gas up his Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry is a mid-size sedan assembled by Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky; Altona, Victoria, Guangzhou, China and the original factory in Toyota City, Japan. In some markets, the top range Camry models are seen as executive cars. at a Woodland Hills Chevron with regular and he was not happy about the tab. "They do bother me," Vemuma, 28, of Woodland Hills said of the rising prices, "but I don't have any alternative." He needed to get to work. Prices typically increase this time of year because of a variety of factors, experts said. In February, gas stations switched to a more-expensive summer blend of fuel. And scheduled and unplanned maintenance at refineries that make gasoline up to California standards curtailed supply. The raw material is getting pricier, too. On Wednesday, wholesale oil prices increased by more than $1 per barrel after the U.S. government reported an unexpected drop in crude inventories. Crude oil stockpiles dropped by 4.8 million barrels last week, to 324.2 million barrels, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported. "We're seeing a very tight supply situation," said Susanne Garfield, a spokeswoman at the California Energy Commission The California Energy Commission is California’s primary energy policy and planning agency. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento, the Commission has responsibility for activities that include forecasting future energy needs, promoting energy efficiency through , which monitors the supply of petroleum products. Of 14 refineries in the state that make California gasoline, a half dozen had planned downtime, Garfield said. Some of those had problems restarting production, forcing them to draw further on reserves or buy from wholesalers. Relief might not come for weeks, if past years are any indication. Gasoline prices, which have been creeping up about 2cents a day for the past four weeks as part of their usual early spring spike, often peak in May, Auto Club spokeswoman Marie Montgomery said. Prices then slack off until mid-August, when they frequently start rising again, according to Auto Club data. A second peak often comes in October or November. The double-humped-camel pattern has happened in years past, but not the most recent summer, when prices hovered just under the peak. "It's like a mountain range that's steeper on one end and then it doesn't come down as far," Montgomery said. Prices are high enough that customers are shopping around, said Raman Wason, manager of the Chevron station on Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. and Shoup Avenue in Woodland Hills. "They don't just buy for convenience," he said. "People are conscious. We don't blame them." The gas needy have two other choices at the busy intersection where Vemuma fueled up. Regular at a Shell station cost $3.09 a gallon and at a Thrifty, which appeared temporarily closed, a gallon cost $2.99. Jerry White Jerry White is a common name that can refer to different people:
n. 1. Any of various isomeric paraffin hydrocarbons with the formula C8H18, found in petroleum and used as a fuel and solvent. 2. An octane number. to fill his Volkswagen EuroVan “Eurovan” redirects here. For the large MPV codeveloped by PSA and Fiat, see Eurovan (PSA/Fiat joint venture). The Volkswagen Eurovan (US, Brazil and Mexico) or Transporter . "I was shocked," White said of the prices. "When I filled up in Vegas, I paid $2.45 or $2.47." julia.scott@dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, chart Photo: (1 -- color) Emilio Magliozzi of Encino fills up his car with gasoline costing more than $3 per gallon at an Encino station. (2) Gasoline is more than $3 per gallon at an Encino station Wednesday. Gas stations switch to a more expensive blend of fuel in February. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer Chart: Pain at the pump |
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