Gas Prices More Than a Dollar Above April of Last Year

Local gas prices rose by 25 to 30 cents over the last month and all Southern California areas currently have gas price averages above $4.10 a gallon, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California monthly Fuel Gauge Report.

In Riverside County, the average price among four cities surveyed was $4.19 as of Tuesday.

The Southern California March average price for regular unleaded self-serve gasoline is $4.18, 27 cents higher than the March average of $3.92, and $1.07 higher than last year’s April Fuel Gauge price of $3.12, according to an Auto Club news release.

The lowest-priced gas among surveyed Southern California cities can be found in Glendora and Hemet at $4.12, and the surveyed Southland city with the highest gas price average is Laguna Beach with an average price of $4.31, the Auto Club reported.

Nationally, the April average price of $3.79 is 29 cents higher than the March average of $3.52. Hawaii now has the highest average price among U.S. states at $4.44. Wyoming has the lowest state average price at $3.51, according to the Auto Club.

“Crude oil prices have tumbled in the last couple of days as the Goldman Sachs brokerage firm came out with a recommendation to sell crude oil holdings, yet they remain above $100 a barrel,” said Auto Club spokesperson Jeffrey Spring.

“The good news is that investors may finally be starting to pay attention to the decline in domestic gasoline demand that has been caused by skyrocketing prices at the pump. The Oil Price Information Service reported that in March, 70 percent of surveyed service stations saw decreases in the amount of gasoline they sold.”