SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> Gas prices in Southern California are continuing to climb, with one expert saying they could possible hit $8 a gallon of gasoline by the end of the year – and its not because of the war in Iran.
Prices at one gas station in San Bernardino County were up 50 cents since Monday.
The price of oil has soared to more than $90 a barrel, and one expert says California gets two-thirds of its oil from foreign sources.
AAA Auto Club says it’s not just the war in Iran to blame for the soaring prices, but various regulatory policies in California.
“Over the last five years, we’ve lost about 22% of in-state gasoline production,” AAA said.
Also, they are predicting more than $8 a gallon for everyone in California. Recently, a top official at Chevron said that even more refineries could soon shut down for maintenance.
Refineries have begun producing summer‑blend gasoline and that cost more to make.
“That’s a shot across the bow, you lose those guys, you’ve now lost over 55% of production in California”.
“Probably the biggest thing that’s going to happen is inflation, we’re going to see more inflation, and with inflation comes more volatility, it’s just what’s going to happen,” said Sasha Kottmeier, UBS Financial Services Inc. “We were expecting 50,000 new jobs, but instead we got a negative 92,000 jobs, so that’s not what we were expecting, and when you have this much global volatility combined with some bad number coming out for the U.S., it’s going to definitely put some pressure on the markets.”
GasBuddy App shows the cheapest gas in you area below, as of Sunday 3/8/26.
The average price of gas in Southern California could hit $5 by this weekend.
AAA also offered the following gas‑saving tips for drivers
- Avoid rapid starts and hard acceleration.
- Avoid prolonged idling; turn off the engine if stopped for more than 60 seconds.
- Keep tires properly inflated.
- Minimize air‑conditioning use.
- Time traffic lights to reduce repeated braking and acceleration.
- Use cruise control to maintain a steady speed, except on rainy/slippery roads.
- Remove unnecessary or bulky items from the vehicle.
- Keep windows closed at highway speeds to reduce drag.
- Ensure the gas cap clicks three times to prevent fuel vapor loss.
- Use regular gasoline unless the manufacturer recommends or requires premium.
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