Marin drivers feel sting of surging gas prices
Average local cost for gallon of regular hits $6.54
Gas prices are surging throughout the state and Marin drivers are feeling the pinch.
The average price Friday for a gallon of regular gas in Marin was $6.547, according to AAA Northern California.
In San Rafael, resident James Ahrenholz pulled up to a pump at Fuel 24:7 on Second Street with his dog, a bright-eyed husky named Aurora, for his first fill-up of the day. Prices there were a discount, he said, at $5.79 per gallon.
He gave the attendant $40 in cash. He received about 6.5 gallons.
“It's frustrating. I do DoorDash full time and gas prices are eating into the profits,” he said.
John Treanor, a spokesperson for AAA, said gas prices are on the rise in California and much of the Western market in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Arizona, in part because of oil refinery maintenance. The maintenance is typically scheduled after summer and before Thanksgiving in order to not disturb the market, he said.
But unexpected maintenance, especially in Southern California, is contributing to a drop in supply. This has led to California having some of the highest gas prices nationally,
"I do DoorDash full time and gas prices are eating into the profits . ... I have to selectively choose orders now, or else I lose money."
— James Ahrenholz, San Rafael resident
he said.
“Since supply is struggling to meet demand, prices are rising,” he said. “It just happens to be, especially in the West, we're seeing this maintenance crunch. It's an atypical thing and it's a regional problem right now.”
Oil prices hovered Friday at about $80 a barrel. During the summer gas price surge, oil prices hit a high of $123.
Statewide, the average price for regular gas was $6.293, up by over a dime from the day prior. A week ago, the average was $5.581. A year ago, the average was $4.399.
Prices in California are $1.89 more than the national average — the highest price gap in at least 22 years.
Focused data on San Rafael followed a similar trend. On Friday, the average regular gas price was $6.553. A month ago, it was $5.356.
Ahrenholz estimated he spends about $150 a day on gas. He planned to return to a station later that day for another fill-up before his evening deliveries.
“Prices are skyrocketing,” he said. “I have to selectively choose orders now, or else I lose money.”
Chad Solter, owner of iPrint Technologies in Larkspur, said he reduced the amount of days his employees are required to work in person. He said the employees told him they were paying 30% more in gas prices weekly in order to drive into the office.
“It's not an inconvenience as much as it is costing us more money,” he said.
He paid about $107 for a full tank of gas at a Chevron in San Rafael, where regular unleaded gasoline was $6.79 on Friday.
Eric Nelson of San Rafael said he remembered when $5 would fill an entire tank.
“It makes sense to me at the end of the day. That's the way the world works,” he said. “It just costs you more money.”
Kelly Owen of Berkeley said she filled up in Mill Valley because it was cheaper than in the East Bay.
“I came over here to go to the beach and run the dog and figured, why not get gas?” she said.
California's gas prices are typically more expensive than the national average. Drivers pay a 54-cent gasoline excise tax and strict environmental regulations contribute to higher prices.
With federal fees, experts estimate Californians typically pay $1.20 more.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that oil refineries could start selling more polluting winter-blend gasoline ahead of schedule to ease soaring fuel prices, according to the Associated Press.
He also called on lawmakers to pass a new tax on oil company profits and return the money to California taxpayers. Lawmakers don't return to the Capitol until January.
“They're ripping you off,” he said in a video posted on social media.
Ray Pranger of San Rafael filled up the tires on his minivan at the Chevron on Second Street. He said he got gas elsewhere, where it was cheaper, as he prepared to hit the road for a 500-mile trip to Southern California.
“It's going to cost hundreds of dollars to go down,” he said. “It's ridiculous.”