As gasoline prices continued to climb, independent stations in the suburbs currently offer the best option in San Diego County, said one expert.
At just such a station in Chula Vista is where Juan Mendiola filled up his tank on Thursday, though it meant driving around a little bit more in in the rain to look for the cheapest gasoline.
"I'm on the road a lot," he said.
Gasoline prices have been rising lately across the nation. Regular gas reached $3.33 per gallon this week in the San Diego area, up from $3.28 a week before and $3.14 a month before, according to the Auto Club of Southern California.
A local gasoline analyst said the recent spike so late in the year is troubling because it could be a signal for what to expect next year.
"We're going into the year 2011 with the highest prices we've seen, at the beginning of the year," said Charles Langley, gasoline analyst for the utility consumer advocacy group, UCAN. "That's a problem because it sets the pace for gas prices for the rest of the year."
Langley said prices can fluctuate within a dollar during a typical year. He said he wouldn't be surprised if gas reaches $4 a gallon in $2011.
The price increase is due to rising oil price, stronger demand and lower supply, according to experts.
Oil prices rose to more than $91 per barrel Tuesday, in the final week of trading before the New Year. Several large investment banks have predicted that oil will hit $100 next year as China, India and other emerging economies compete with developed countries and tighten the world's oil supply.
In San Diego County, the lowest gas prices currently can be found in places where independent gasoline dealers are more active such as in Chula Vista, El Cajon and Santee, Langley said.
Several independent gas stations were selling regular gas for less than $3.20 per gallon, he said.
"These are smaller gas stations, off the beaten path, not well trafficked but where they still have to deal with other competitors," Langley said.
Independent dealers are particularly adept at buying surplus gasoline but more vulnerable when supply decreases, he said.
His group is concerned that oil companies will drive up prices by closing refineries and reducing production.
In the week ending Dec. 17, refineries in the state produced 10 percent less California-grade gasoline than the week before and nearly 4 percent less than a year earlier, according to a news report.
The lowest gas prices in the binational region can be found in Tijuana, where the price for a gallon of regular is $2.80.
In Chula Vista, Mendiola found the cheapest gas at the Optima Gas Station at the corner of Third and Orange avenues – $3.19 for a gallon of regular unleaded. "In other places it's $3.32," he said, after filling his pickup.
He follows gasoline prices on the news and is worried by reports that gas could reach $5 a gallon in the near future.
"With the economy the way it is, that's just too much," he said.
Leonel.sanchez@sandiegored.com
The Associated Press and The San Diego Union-Tribune contributed to this report.
[sidebar]The latest on San Diego-area gasoline prices can be found at:
tility Consumers' Action Network:
Fuel Tracker:
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