Gas prices are skyrocketing in California!

@TheHorse (228179)
Walnut Creek, California
May 12, 2025 2:11pm CST
How are gas prices where you live? Ours went way up a few months ago, but it may have been partially related to a refinery fire we had here. Then they dropped to pre-Trump levels. But now they have jumped again to the highest levels I have seen in this incarnation. I actually have no idea why. Are gas prices going up where you live?
15 people like this
13 responses
snowy
@snowy22315 (192014)
• United States
12 May
They have been up and down. The station closest to me they are 2.89. They were quite a bit higher in the city last week though whereas they are generally the same price.
3 people like this
snowy
@snowy22315 (192014)
• United States
13 May
@TheHorse It varies, Richmond sometimes has gas for less than here in Boonieville.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
They are generally higher in urban areas. At least here. And in New York.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
@snowy22315 Here, the gas prices are lower the further away I get from urban areas.
2 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (152204)
• United States
12 May
I looked at the gas prices this morning when I went to Walmart to pick up some groceries. The pumps at Murphy's show $2.58 a gallon but the little gas station at the end of our street shows $2.70 a gallon. We've still got 1/4 tank so won't need to buy gas for a couple more weeks. I don't pay attention to gas prices unless our tank is getting empty, about once a month or once every month and a half. We don't normally drive very much anymore. Once a week usually, (Doctor or grocery store visits are usually all we need.) It's odd when we have to make a second trip away from the house in a week.
2 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (152204)
• United States
13 May
@TheHorse I've been out there twice and didn't like the prices. You should move back to the Midwest.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
I do a lot of driving in CA.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
@DaddyEvil I do think of retiring in the Midwest.
2 people like this
Kareng
@kareng (76691)
• United States
13 May
They are down here. We paid $2.49 a gallon last week when we filled up. Sounds like that refinery fire may have been the cause there of the rise.
1 person likes this
Kareng
@kareng (76691)
• United States
13 May
@TheHorse We have steadily been going down.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
@kareng Wheee! Where are you? Are bacon and eggs down too? Maybe I'll retire there.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Prices went up, then down, and now up again.
1 person likes this
NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (123435)
• United States
12 May
It was $2.87 this afternoon on my way back here.
2 people like this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Chuckling. We will never see prices like that here again.
1 person likes this
Manuela Lopes
@nela13 (59040)
• Portugal
13 May
Prices have been worse here before but they are still very high.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 May
The general trend is "up" everywhere. I mean historically, not just right now.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 May
@nela13 Ours have dipped from their all-time highs here.
1 person likes this
Manuela Lopes
@nela13 (59040)
• Portugal
26 May
@TheHorse Yes, that is true.
1 person likes this
Jimlos Tatooth
@Ineeddentures (7538)
•
12 May
Petrol prices in Scotland Well it's £1.29 per litre 4.54 litres in an imperial gallon £5.85 per gallon. Which equates to $7.71
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Well dang! But isn't everything only 5 km away there?
1 person likes this
Jimlos Tatooth
@Ineeddentures (7538)
•
13 May
@TheHorse No. Sadly not. Everything worth exploring is at least 100 miles from where we live. I average about 1000 miles per month motoring so at £6 a gallon it's quite a lot of money
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
@Ineeddentures Yeah, that's a big chunk of change.
1 person likes this
Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (48124)
• India
18 May
Here, the Gas Prices are artificially more because of State and Central Taxes. This is in some ways a policy decision to make people move more towards Electric vehicles, Hybrid and CNG ones (Compressed Natural Gas). If more taxes have been added to Gas Prices in your place, that could be the reason for the higher prices. However, otherwise it should not be the case since the International Oil Prices are subdued and even below 65 USD per Barrel.
Crude Oil - Price - Chart - Historical Data - News
tradingeconomics.com
Crude Oil decreased 9.23 USD/BBL or 12.87% since the beginning of 2025, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Crude Oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on May of
1 person likes this
Ptrikha_2
@ptrikha_2 (48124)
• India
18 May
@TheHorse Do you like Geo Politics plus Economics Talk or you find that boring?
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 May
Thanks for the info!
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (477692)
• Italy
13 May
They are up here and this is ridiculous, crude oil is paid in US dollars and the dollar dropped so much!
1 person likes this
Anna
@LadyDuck (477692)
• Italy
14 May
@TheHorse Crude oil price has dropped, of course here in Europe it's all the time the cost of taxes that causes the gas to go up.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 May
@LadyDuck Understood.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Ah, a good example of the far-reaching consequences of what has happened here.
1 person likes this
Greg
@xander6464 (45273)
• Wapello, Iowa
13 May
Trump keeps saying gas prices are down, so they are going to just keep going up.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
I have a hunch he doesn't pump gas that often.
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (118505)
• Marion, Ohio
12 May
They hadn't when we drove by the station Saturday
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
I picked some gas up today further out in the suburbs. It was about 50 cents less per gallon than here .
1 person likes this
rakski
@rakski (141357)
• Philippines
13 May
gas price is expensive here as well
1 person likes this
rakski
@rakski (141357)
• Philippines
13 May
@TheHorse of course, we import it from the rich oil country
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 May
@rakski Which ones?
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Thanks for the info. Where to the Philippines get most of their gas from?
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (357176)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 May
Ours have gone down to glory. I'm not sure why either unless it's something to do with the elections we've just had.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
How did the elections turn out, from your perspective?
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 May
@JudyEv That is a good thing. I hadn't realized that Independents played a big role role in Australian politics.
1 person likes this
Judy Evans
@JudyEv (357176)
• Rockingham, Australia
13 May
@TheHorse We were happy with the outcome. It's interesting. Australia has long been a mostly two-party contest but now more and more 'Independent' candidates are being elected who aren't obliged to support one party or the other. It keeps the others honest, is mostly how we view the Independents.
1 person likes this
LindaOH
@LindaOHio (193155)
• United States
13 May
I forgot to look when I was out last week. Love the turkey.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
13 May
Heh. It was arguing with its own reflection in a rim.
1 person likes this
The Horse
@TheHorse (228179)
• Walnut Creek, California
14 May
@LindaOHio Yep. Turkeys like the "West Coast."
1 person likes this
LindaOH
@LindaOHio (193155)
• United States
14 May
@TheHorse The first wildlife we saw when we entered Oregon was a turkey in someone's driveway...just like this one.
1 person likes this