Drivers across the Southland are feeling fresh sticker shock, as the average price for a gallon of regular hit $4.67 in Los Angeles County, the highest level since early December, while Orange County climbed to $4.606. The surge caps a monthlong run-up that has pushed L.A. averages roughly 31 cents higher over the past 27 days, even as the national average tracked by AAA hovers at about $2.95 per gallon.
Those figures, drawn from data compiled by the American Automobile Association and the Oil Price Information Service, were laid out Tuesday in reporting by MyNewsLA. The outlet noted the Los Angeles County average ticked up another half-cent to $4.67, marking the 26th increase in 27 days, while Orange County rose four-tenths of a cent to $4.606 in its 27th straight day of gains. Month over month, that pencils out to jumps of about 31.3 cents in L.A. and 36.3 cents in Orange County, though both remain well below their October 2022 peaks.
Why prices are climbing
Analysts point to seasonal refinery maintenance and a tightening West Coast fuel supply as familiar culprits for February pump pain, a pattern reflected in tracking by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. According to AAA, the national average edged up to $2.951 on Tuesday, underscoring how regional supply issues can push California prices far above what most of the country is paying.
State officials have already warned that the planned idling of Valero’s Benicia refinery will trim regional capacity, according to the Governor’s office. Industry coverage has also pointed to earlier cutbacks, including Phillips 66’s Los Angeles operations, as part of a broader trend that tightens supply across the state, Oil & Gas Journal has reported.
What it means for drivers
For drivers, higher local averages translate into several extra dollars per fill-up, a hit that piles up quickly for long-haul commuters and delivery workers who are constantly at the pump. The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook projects that national retail gasoline prices will be lower on average in 2026, but it also cautions that regional refinery capacity losses could keep West Coast prices elevated compared with the national picture, according to the EIA…