Hollister residents are grumbling at the pump as gas prices here
and statewide soared to record levels late last week and aren’t
expected to come down anytime soon.
Hollister residents are grumbling at the pump as gas prices here and statewide soared to record levels late last week and aren’t expected to come down anytime soon.
The statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.20, and things are a little better in Hollister at $2.06, based on an average of the stations in town. That’s much higher than the national average of $1.77 per gallon.
Monica Villarreal taxis her kids around in a Ford Expedition, and said the extra $15 to $20 it costs to fill up puts a major dent in her pocket.
“It’s really expensive,” she said. “I use to fill my car up about once a week, but now I only put like $5 or $10 in at a time because it costs so much.”
Sean Comey of the AAA said high demand and low supply on top of recent problems at California refineries has brought the Golden State’s costs up.
“On a good day, just enough gas will be produced to fill the demand for that day,” he said. “When the demand is high and the supplies are low, naturally the cost is going to go up.”
Nationwide, fuel consumption is 4 percent higher than it was in 2003 at this time, according to AAA.
Ashley Nunes of Hollister commutes to California State University Monterey Bay five days a week, and said it’s worth it to seek out the lowest prices before filling up.
“I keep an eye on the stations that have the lowest prices,” she said. “The lines are usually longer, but you have to think of it this way: `is it worth it to wait an extra few minutes to save a couple of bucks?’ To me it is.”
Comey said since there’s no relief in sight, Californians can do little things in their day-to-day lives to improve gas mileage and lower the stress on their pocketbooks.
Just like Nunes, Comey suggests drivers shop around for the lowest price.
“A lot of people get comfortable with a certain station or it’s in their neighborhood so they just continue going there,” he said. “The best thing is to just keep your eyes open when you’re on your commute or running errands and shop aggressively for lower costs.”
Comey said a lot of the time you’ll find gas stations in the same neighborhoods who are competing for business. Another thing Comey said to keep an eye on is tire pressure.
“For every pound of pressure your tires are off you lose 2 percent of your mileage,” he said. “So you figure if your tires are five pounds off, which isn’t noticeable when looking at them, that’s 10 percent of your mileage.”
Wholesale gas prices began increasing at the beginning of April when the California Energy Commission reported gasoline inventories statewide were about 1 million barrels less than what they were in April of last year. Californians may get some relief from the high prices and production problems if federal officials grant a waiver to temporarily exempt the Golden State from clean-air rules for gasoline. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with 52 members of Congress requested the waiver at the beginning of this month.
Comey said paying attention to costs will help Californians get through the high prices at the pump for now.
“Yesterday I saved 14 cents on a gallon simply by driving an extra block to find a better deal,” he said. “Consumers should use their purchasing power to send a message by spending their money at businesses that offer the best value.”
