Four-Dollar Gas Looms for North Bay Drivers

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Sonoma County is inching closer to $4, a price much of the rest of California is already paying.

The average price of regular gasoline in California jumped 22.8-cents in the past week to a statewide average of $3.904, according to the state Energy Almanac.

The Wall Street Journal reported the average price at the pump in the San Francisco area was $3.93 earlier this week, up 21 cents from late January. The price of a gallon of gas has already topped $4 in Southern California, averaging $4.03 on Tuesday, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

The spike in gas prices was traced back to the usual suspects: refinery problems, high crude prices and the costs of converting production lines to California's summer gas blend, the Mercury News reported.

In Petaluma, the cheapest gas can be found at the Gas N Shop on Redwood HIghway. ($3.87 on Friday morning). Most gas stations were still pricing fuel around $3.90 Friday morning, which is slightly below the state average, according to Gasbuddy.com.

Below are some of the best gas prices available in Petaluma according to Gasbuddy.com.

• Gas N Shop, 4550 Redwood Dr. Regular: $3.87 Premium: $4.07
• USA Gasoline, 2601 Lakeville Hwy. Regular: $3.91 Premium: $4.11
• Valero, 910 Baywood Dr. Regular: $3.93 Premium: $4.09
• North Petaluma Gas Outlet, 4990 Petaluma Blvd. North. Regular: $3.93 Premium: $4.11