Gas
Gas Prices High in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO -- Driving around Sacramento, drivers are noticing gas prices are high.
"Gas prices are ridiculous. It's unbelievable," said Val Thiele from South Sacramento. It cost Thiele about $15 to fill up his full-sized truck.
"If you had asked me a year ago how many people I would see in the parking lot of my gas station, I wouldn't have thought there would be that many," Thiele said.
Sacramento drivers say the last time gas prices were this high was 2008. Many are hoping the higher prices are just a temporary spike.
"The only way I know to save on gas is to go camping," said John Phillips, who was waiting for gas.
Despite the high price, some drivers are willing to wait out the inevitable increase
"Usually, when gas is expensive, they've got a lot of company problems," said Norman Sera, who filled up his car.
Many drivers say high gas prices means more money to buy the gas or to spend on other things.
"We have a big family and so we go out to dinner a lot and my wife always jokes about how gas prices put her in a restaurant," Thiele said.
Despite the high price, some drivers are willing to wait out the inevitable increase.
"I'm hoping it does go up, but if it doesn't, we'll just wait a little bit more," Sera said.
Analysts believe gas prices will remain high through the summer as drivers go to the pump.
Farther south, the Golden Gate has about $6.10 a gallon. Meantime, those in Stockton are paying almost $7 a gallon. If you're paying less in Stockton, it's not a good sign. That's because gas prices there are up almost 65 cents a gallon compared to this time last year.
"Camping is one of the best things I can do to save money. There's a lot of roads to ride on there. There's not a lot of gas stations,
If you're looking for ways to save on gas, AAA recommends only driving when you have to and driving more slowly, or as little as possible. They also say to change your driving habits: use the right tires, keep your car in good shape and gas up more often. As for Thiele, he will be turning his truck in and heading out to camp more often.
"Camping is one of the best things I can do to save money. There's a lot of roads to ride on there. There's not a lot of gas stations," Thiele said.
According to GasBuddy, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Sacramento is $5.72. That's up more than 15 cents from a week ago. The average price in Stockton is $6.14 a gallon. That's up almost 65 cents from last month. The highest average gas prices in the country are in Texas.
On Thursday, San Francisco saw the most expensive increase in unleaded premium gas in the country. In that city, regular gas was going for $5.93 a gallon. That's up 42 cents from last week. On Thursday, a gallon of regular in Stockton was going for $6.90 a gallon. That's up nearly 23 cents from last month. At that rate, a Sacramento driver would have to pay $121.80 to fill up his entire tank.
To check your local prices and find a list of gas stations that are known for having the lowest prices, head to AAA's website.
The Sacramento region is not included in AAA's list of lowest average gas prices in the nation.