SoCal gas prices see biggest spike in  months as pain at the pump persists

Just as Californians started to feel some relief at the gas pump, a summer price spike has struck just in time for the busy travel season.

Californians already pay the highest prices for gas in the nation, and in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, gas prices for regular gasoline jumped up 2 cents, from $5.38 on Wednesday to $5.40 Thursday, according to AAA.

A month ago, Los Angeles drivers were paying a staggering $5.88 a gallon before prices steadily declined over the past 30 days — until this week’s spike.

Orange County drivers are seeing the same trend, with the average price for regular gas rising 3 cents Thursday, from $5.26 to $5.29. Just a month ago, motorists there were paying $5.76 a gallon before prices began falling.

A year ago, regular gas averaged $4.55 a gallon in Los Angeles and $4.49 in Orange County.

Californians had been getting some relief at the pump before this week’s reversal. Statewide, the average price jumped from $5.36 to $5.83 a gallon in just 24 hours, compared with the national average of $3.85 on Thursday.

On July 1, California’s annual automatic gas-tax increase took effect, raising the state’s gasoline excise tax from 61.2 cents to 63.4 cents per gallon — the highest in the nation.

The increase stems from SB 1, the 2017 law signed by former Gov. Jerry Brown that raises the gas tax every July 1 to keep pace with inflation. The law also increased the base gas tax by 12 cents per gallon, boosted diesel taxes and raised vehicle registration fees, with the revenue earmarked for road and transportation projects.

Despite those promises, California ranked 49th out of 50 states for highway performance in the Reason Foundation’s 29th Annual Highway Report released in March, ahead of only Alaska.

Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Legislature could halt future automatic gas-tax increases at any time by passing new legislation.

The new gas tax doesn’t even count all the other taxes and fees that Sacramento pumps into fuel –– including sales taxes and hefty climate fees –– that drive the total taxes on gasoline in California to an estimated $1.20 per gallon.

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