Prices at the pump have been moving higher recently, according to a new report from AAA of Northern California, which tracks the cost of fuel as a service to consumers.
The statewide average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is now $3.26, up eight cents in the last two weeks. The average statewide price is the same as it was on June 13, when the last AAA monthly fuel price report was published. Prices were dropping at the end of June before they reversed course in July.
Sean Comey, spokesman for AAA of Northern California, said the average price for gasoline has not been below $3 for nearly three months, which means consumers are paying twice as much to fill up their tanks.
The average price in the state is 71 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The most expensive average gas price in Northern California communities, where AAA monitors fuel costs, is in South Lake Tahoe, where regular unleaded sells for $3.40 per gallon. The lowest prices among California cities tracked by AAA are found in Pleasanton and Vallejo, where gas costs an average of $3.13 per gallon. Throughout northern California, the average price is $3.20 per gallon. In the Bay Area, the average price is $3.226. The statewide average record high price of $3.38 was set on May 18 this year.
