Los Angeles gas prices fall for 16th day in a row, likely to keep dropping
LOS ANGELES — On Friday, prices for regular gasoline dropped for the first time since Sept. 8, when a record high was set for the same week. Gasoline in Southern California averaged $3.68 a gallon, down from $4.00 last week, AAA reported Friday.
The nationwide average was $3.88 for regular and $4.14 for premium gasoline. The national average last week was $3.92 and $4.21, respectively.
In California, the average price was $3.86 a gallon for both regular and premium, the AAA said.
That’s the 17th straight day that prices have fallen statewide, and the sixth since last August. Last week, average prices in Southern California were $3.87 for a gallon, down from $3.92 the previous week.
“Prices have been falling in Southern California for the past two months, but even though they’ve dropped, they’re still higher than average for the United States,” AAA spokeswoman Heather Foulkes said.
The national average was $3.64 last week and $3.54 a gallon, according to AAA.
“The reason why is clear from our gas prices report,” Foulkes said. “The cost of driving has been going down, and that’s encouraging for consumers.”
The national average was $2.97 last week.
The price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California is down more than 9% from last October, when it averaged $4.21 and was the highest average price in a year.
The California average was down 4.6% from August, when gasoline averaged $4.34 and was the highest average price in a year.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California this year is the lowest in a year since the end of 2011. California motorists in 2012 paid an average $4.15 for a gallon, down from $4.39 last year and $4.29 in 2010, according to AAA.
The price for a gallon of premium gasoline in California fell to its lowest level in more