The price of a gallon of gasoline soared overnight in Los Angeles County, rising 16 cents from Wednesday into Thursday, exceeding $6 per gallon throughout the region and continuing a trend that has seen gasoline prices rise 70 cents in one week in the county.
Local ABC affiliate KABC-7 reported:
The average price of a gallon of self-serve gasoline in Los Angeles County jumped another 16 cents overnight to $6.26, and every county in Southern California is also paying more than $6 a gallon.
The average price has increased nearly 70 cents in one week. L.A. County’s 16-cent overnight increase for a gallon of regular gas is the biggest one-day spike in more than seven years.
In Orange County, the average is $6.25, while drivers in Riverside County are paying $6.10 a gallon.
As Breitbart News noted earlier this week, California drivers are paying about $2 per gallon more than the national average. The gas price is typically higher in California due to taxes and regulations, but the state has seen prices rise in recent weeks, despite a national price decline.
One explanation for the recent rise is that some local refineries are undergoing maintenance that was deferred from the spring, when gas prices were near record highs. Ironically, that has sent prices rising again. Other refineries are having unanticipated problems.
KABC suggests that prices may drop near winter, when gas stations are allowed sell a “winter blend” that costs less to produce.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
Photo: file