It's Going Up by About a Penny a Day

Gas prices have been rising by about a penny a day over the past week, bringing the average price of self-serve regular to $4.196 per gallon in the Long Beach-L.A. region. In the Belmont Shore-Naples area, the cheapest to be found is about a nickel more than a week ago.

The survey by the Automobile Club of Southern California’s Weekend Gas Watch puts the average price for the Long Beach-Los Angeles region at 7.2 cents more than last week, 23 cents higher than last month, and $1.10 higher than last year. In Orange County it averages out to slightly less, at $4.182. That's about the same as in San Diego, where it's $4.184. In the Inland Empire it's cheaper still -- if cheaper is the right word -- at $4.169. The Central Coast average is $4.224.

“At this time of year in 2008, Southern California gas prices were also going up by a penny a day – but on April 14, 2008, the average Los Angeles-Long Beach price was $3.77,” said Auto Club spokesman Jeffrey Spring. “Prices in 2008 spiked to all-time records in late June, but in most other years since 2000, Southern California gas prices have peaked sometime in May.” 

According to MapQuest, the lowest price for gas in the U.S. is $3.28, in Wickliffe, Ky., and the highest is here in California—$5.04 in the desert town of Shoshone, near the Nevada border.

The stations currently selling the cheapest gas in the Belmont Shore-Naples area are listed below. Local prices are according to GasBuddy.com and reflect prices reported within the last 24 hours.

ARCO at 1785 Bellflower Blvd. (at Atherton)

• Regular - $4.08

• Premium - $4.28

ARCO at 1001 Redondo Ave. (at 10th)

• Regular - $4.08

• Premium - $4.28

Sunco at 3605 E. Seventh St. (at Loma)

• Regular - $4.10

• Premium - $4.30

Vons Gas (3 cents less with membership) at 1818 Ximeno Ave. (at Atherton) 

• Regular - $4.11

• Premium - $4.34

ARCO at 3955 E. Ocean Blvd. (at Livingston)

• Regular - $4.12

• Premium - $4.32

Click here for more prices in the region. If you are planning a trip this weekend, click here and plug in your travel plans to find out how much it will cost.