Under the Push of Various Factors, California Oil Prices Continue to Rise in February.

Valentine’s Day surrounded by flowers temporarily overshadowed the discontent the rising oil prices have brought to Californians since the end of last year. On February 14th (Friday), the average price of regular gasoline in California reached $4.823 per gallon.

According to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA), on Friday, California’s gas prices rose by 2.5 cents compared to Thursday, 27.7 cents higher than a week ago, and 44.1 cents higher than a month ago, significantly higher than the $4.631 per gallon during the same period last year.

Currently, the highest gas prices in California are found in areas including: near Humboldt County at the northwest corner of California, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Coast, and in the Central Mountain areas near Mono County and several counties to the north. Among them, gas prices in Mono County have soared to $5.802. In the largest metropolitan area of California, Los Angeles County, the average price for regular gasoline is $4.767, which is 17.7 cents higher than last week but lower than the state average.

The current national average gas price is $3.165, which is $1.658 lower than California. Several states bordering California have significantly lower gas prices, such as Nevada at $3.874, Arizona at $3.419, and Oregon at $3.765. Only California, Hawaii, and Washington have gas prices exceeding $4 per gallon in the entire United States. Nineteen states have gas prices below $3, and 29 states, including the District of Columbia, have gas prices between $3 to $4.

Despite the high gas prices in California, diligent car owners can still find relatively affordable gas stations. At the Sam’s Club in El Monte, Los Angeles, the price of regular gasoline on Friday was about 75 cents cheaper than a Shell station just 1 mile away.

Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for the Southern California Automobile Club, indicated that recent wildfires have caused a decrease in gasoline production at refineries in California. A fire at the Martinez refinery in Northern California on the 1st of this month, which is owned by PBF Energy, with a daily production capacity of 156,400 barrels, accounting for about 10% of California’s total output, has led to an indefinite halt in production.

Shupe pointed out that this has resulted in a greater increase in gas prices in Northern California. Although the gasoline from this refinery does not supply Southern California, some gas supplies in the south may be redirected to make up for the shortage in the north.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) stated in a news release on Friday that the rise in gas prices is attributed to this incident. The independent agency within the CEC, the Division of Petroleum Market Oversight (DPMO), wrote to Governor Newsom explaining how the gasoline shortage caused by the refinery fire has driven up wholesale and retail prices. Currently, the DPMO is collaborating with state agencies like CEC and the oil industry to limit the potential impacts of planned and unplanned refinery maintenance on consumers.

Patrick De Haan, an oil analyst at the GasBuddy price tracking website, also mentioned that the refinery shutdown from the fire has slightly raised gas prices in California last week, causing an increase of 5 to 10 cents per gallon.

Moreover, De Haan noted that California’s strict regulations have exacerbated the increase in gas prices. He revealed that in 1984, California had 39 refineries, and by 2024, only 14 remained, a closure rate of 64%; in contrast, the United States had 214 refineries in 1984, which decreased to 132 by 2024, less than half.

De Haan also stated that he completely disagrees with claims that the Trump administration’s tariff policies have raised oil prices because tariffs that have not been implemented would not impact current oil prices.

The rise in gas prices also has seasonal factors. U.S. refineries typically begin their biennial maintenance in February, meaning that around a quarter of refineries undergo spring maintenance each year, making the first week of February the starting point for the annual increase in gas prices in a year.

Although gas prices in California far exceed the national average, on July 1st of last year, the gasoline excise tax rate in California rose by an additional 1.9 cents, reaching 68.1 cents per gallon, making it the highest in the country. The gasoline excise tax is levied on drivers to fund road construction and maintenance. Over twenty states in the U.S. have gasoline excise taxes below 30 cents.