What's behind the steadily rising gas prices across California and San Luis Obispo County? AAA says the cause is due to seasonal factors rather than political ones.
A spokesperson for AAA Auto Club of Southern California, Gianella Ghiglino, said the state's steady rise in gas prices is not related to the conflict in the Middle East.
"While we can be indirectly affected by conflict overseas, the issues in California are not directly impacted by that," Ghiglino said.
Instead, she attributes the uptick in prices to the approaching summer months.
"During this time of the year, gas prices typically increase because of the summer blend," Ghiglino said, "There are more people out on the roads ... in the summertime … so as more people are driving, gas prices do tend to increase."
She explained that the summer blend of gasoline costs more than gas used during other times of the year.
Additionally, problems at nearby refineries can translate to higher fuel costs.
"Right now, a lot of the local refineries are having maintenance issues, which does increase the price," Ghiglino said.
But with the average price of gas in San Luis Obispo County at $5.59, those contributing factors fail to comfort local drivers like Pauline Line.
“This is outrageous … I can’t afford this," Line said.
Line may have to resort to other modes of transportation to compensate for the weekly $100 she's spending on her commute to work.
"[I'm] going to have to cut back somewhere," Line said, "I’m going to have to start riding my Harley instead.”
Ghiglino said she can't say when, or at what price, the increases will stop.
"We can't predict exactly what the highest numbers will be when they decrease," Ghiglino said.
However, the current average price of gas in SLO County is more than a dollar below the region's highest recorded price — $6.63 in June 2022.
You can find gas price changes by region on AAA's website.
