Gas Prices Are Spiking in California

Gasoline prices in California are on the rise amid refinery outages and ahead of the summer months.

Why It Matters

The price at the pump impacts the vast majority of Americans.

Potential fears of President Donald Trump‘s tariff threats to Canada, Mexico, and China have sparked concerns of it impacting gasoline prices across the country.

What To Know

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the price per gallon in the Golden State is $4.809. The national price per gallon is $3.168.

Los Angeles media outlet KTLA reports that the price is up .16 cents from last week but down overall nearly .30 cents from last year.

The counties with the highest price per gallon are Mono County with $5.803 and Humboldt County with $5.612 per gallon. Imperial County has the cheapest gas in the state at $4.504.

Gas Buddy’s Patrick De Haan posted about the upcoming spike on X, formerly Twitter, last week, saying, “HEADS UP: West Coast pain is coming to #gasprices again, with continued refinery outages playing a role. Just 2 refineries in NorCal churning product out, look for #gasprices to jump 15-30c/gal in NorCal, 10-25c/gal in SoCal (AZ/LV) and 10-20c/gal in Oregon/Wash in coming days.”

In an email to Newsweek, De Hann noted that the uptick in California is “likely one of the most significant yes” and that “Tariffs are not currently impacting prices.”

Phillips 66 also announced last year that the company was going to stop operations in their Los Angeles refinery location, sparking additional concerns about fuel supply.

Gas station — A man can be seen filling his tank at a gas station in downtown Los Angeles where gas is selling for over five dollars a gallon on March 16, 2012, in California. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J….

What People Are Saying

In an email to Newsweek, a spokesperson for California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom said: “In the two years since the Governor signed California’s gas price gouging law, the state has avoided severe gasoline price spikes like the historic 2022 spike, saving Californians billions of dollars at the pump. The law established the nation’s first state-level independent petroleum watchdog to hold Big Oil accountable, and the state has more transparency from the industry than ever before. And with last year’s special session on gas price spikes, we have more tools on the way, including requiring oil refineries to maintain adequate supply to protect the state from supply-driven price spikes.”

Chairman and CEO of Phillips 66 Mark Lashier said in a statement in October regarding the closing in part: “With the long-term sustainability of our Los Angeles Refinery uncertain and affected by market dynamics, we are working with leading land development firms to evaluate the future use of our unique and strategically located properties near the Port of Los Angeles.”

Lashier added, “Phillips 66 remains committed to serving California and will continue to take the necessary steps to meet our commercial and customer demands.”

AAA in a news release last week in part: “With Spring Break in full swing, drivers are paying more at the pump compared to last week. The national average for a gallon of gas went up 3 cents since last Thursday to $3.15. Gas prices typically start going up this time of year and peak during summer. But the national average is still about 40 cents lower than last year, due to tepid gasoline demand and weak crude oil prices.”