Los Angeles becomes 1st in US to reach $6 gas average
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles on Tuesday became the first major city in the U.S. to reach an average gas price of $6 or more.
That's according to fuel savings platform GasBuddy, which reported the national average gas price in the U.S. beginning to decline since its peak of $4.35 per gallon on March 10.
However, that doesn't apply to California, where gas prices have continued to soar.
Gas has risen steadily in the past few weeks due to rebounding oil prices amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, but also recent refinery issues in Southern California amid a rise in seasonal demand.
GasBuddy says California also typically has some of the highest gas prices in the country because of high gas taxes and its cap and trade program, which assesses a premium based on emissions.
Amid this increase in gas prices, refinery workers at Chevron refinery in the Bay Area recently went on strike, pushing Chevron to find replacement workers in the meantime.
Democratic state lawmakers last week announced a $400 gas rebate proposal for every California taxpayer.
The proposal would use $9 billion of the state's budget surplus to provide the rebate, which is expected to cover the 51.1-cent-per-gallon gas tax for one full year of weekly fill-ups for a car with a 15-gallon gas tank.
Under this proposal, every California filer will receive a rebate—including those who don’t own or drive a car.
While gas prices continue to hit record highs, some people in Southern California are now resorting to gasoline theft.
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According to Long Beach PD, a group of suspects tried to steal fuel from the gas station on Redondo Avenue. One person was taken into custody as of Thursday.
Prices for domestic and international flights have soared along with gas prices, and experts say the rise will continue.
Rideshare companies Uber and Lyft are rolling out fuel surcharges to help offset the rising cost of gas.
Uber’s new fee goes into effect on March 16, which adds about 45 to 50 cents for each trip depending on distance and 35 to 45 cents for each UberEats delivery.
Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.