Your complete state of California presently has the very best fuel costs in the whole nation. Whereas Southern California drivers have it worse, LA County drivers are coping with one thing else. Costs are so excessive that, as KTLA experiences, LA County inspectors are checking native fuel stations for worth gouging.

Gasoline costs are excessive in California. In response to AAA, the present state common is $6.07, a whopping $2.24 greater than the remainder of the nation. LA County’s fuel costs are 24 cents greater than the state common at $6.31. The latest bounce is the twenty second time in simply 24 days that costs have risen within the county. Due to the excessive costs, inspectors have been hitting hundreds of stations cross the county to ensure consumers are getting the correct quantity of gas they’re paying for.

Takla Mankarious is an inspector with the L.A. County Weights and Measures Bureau and his division assessments 1,000 to 2,000 gas dispensers each month to be sure that drivers are getting the precise quantity of gas that’s said on the signage and aren’t being shorted out of cash, even when the present costs stay excessive.

“We wish to be sure that persons are getting the precise quantity for which they’re paying,” mentioned Ken Pellman who additionally works within the Bureau of Weights and Measures. “If you happen to’re paying for 10 gallons, try to be getting precisely 10 gallons.”

When it’s found {that a} station is shorting its prospects with a malfunctioning pump, it receives a quotation. And whereas KTLA says that violations solely occur on “1/2 of 1 % of meter assessments,” the variety of stations within the county signifies that nonetheless quantities to over 300 violations monthly.

So what’s the cope with the excessive fuel costs? Quite a lot of issues, however it all the time comes again to the identical drawback: regional refinery points, as a AAA spokesperson defined.

“It is a time of 12 months we see costs falling, however this 12 months is totally different on account of the rise in crude oil costs and regional refinery points currently,” defined Doug Shupe, a AAA spokesperson. “However the different issue that’s very distinctive to our space is the regional refinery points. We’ve been experiencing refineries which have had both deliberate or unplanned upkeep points.”

To assist fight excessive fuel costs, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new legislation again in June that’s supposed to stop the very factor we’re experiencing now from taking place. He additionally directed the vitality fee to have state refineries swap to a winter mix of gas a month earlier to assist costs go down. I received’t maintain my breath.