{"id":454189,"date":"2026-09-05T05:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454189\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T05:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T05:56:18","slug":"surging-california-gas-prices-could-set-records-for-labor-day-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/454189\/","title":{"rendered":"Surging California gas prices could set records for Labor Day weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re thinking of taking a long road trip for Labor Day weekend<\/a>, you might want to rethink whether or not it\u2019ll be worth the pain at the pump.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national average is $4.14, up 4 cents from last week,\u201d AAA said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in California reached about $5.81 on Friday. That\u2019s $1.67 per gallon more than the national average.<\/p>\n

Gas prices are seen at a gas station on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Jonathan Alcorn for CA Post<\/p>\n

With crude oil costs continuing to rise, gas prices are on track to reach record highs for the Labor Day holiday, according to AAA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A traffic jam is seen on the A9 from Berlin toward Nuremberg, just before Bad Berneck-Himmelkron, on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in Himmelkron, Bavaria. ZUMAPRESS.com<\/p>\n

\u201cLabor Day week travelers are facing the highest gas prices ever for this time of year,\u201d AAA said in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 3. \u201cAfter a record-setting August, this Labor Day weekend is on track to also set a record at the pump.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gas prices have continued to rise throughout the country as tensions between the United States and Iran<\/a> continue to create uncertainty in the global oil markets.<\/p>\n

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In a post on X<\/a>, Governor Gavin Newsom sarcastically blamed President Trump for the higher gas prices, writing \u201cGreat work, @realDonaldTrump!\u201d above a post from the news outlet Headquarters that shows Trump\u2019s face, a pump and reads, \u201cThe national price of diesel has skyrocketed to $5.82 per gallon. This sets a new record for the most expensive price of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, users in the comments, blame Newsom for the increase in prices with some making memes showing a pump and Newsom saying \u201cI did that!\u201d<\/p>\n

In California, diesel prices also reached a record high of $7.75 per gallon on April 9.<\/p>\n

Gas prices are seen at a gas station on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. Jonathan Alcorn for CA Post<\/p>\n

AAA added that lower demand after a busy summer driving season, has not been enough to counteract higher crude oil prices. <\/p>\n

The state\u2019s gas prices have climbed about 16 cents per gallon over the past week, according to AAA. <\/p>\n

Nationally, the current record for Labor Day is $3.82 per gallon, which was set on Sept. 3, 2012.<\/p>\n

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As for California, current average prices remain below the state\u2019s all-time high of $6.44 per gallon on average, set in June 2022. <\/p>\n

To find the cheapest fuel prices in your area, one option is searching on GasBuddy<\/a> for the stations with the lowest reported prices. <\/p>\n

People gas up at Morongo Gasoline on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Cabazon, California. Jonathan Alcorn For CA Post<\/p>\n

These were the average per-gallon prices for regular gas at different cities throughout California, as of Friday afternoon, AAA<\/a> said:<\/p>\n

Bakersfield: $5.77 per gallon <\/p>\n

Chico-Paradise: $5.58 <\/p>\n

El Centro: $5.59 <\/p>\n

Fresno: $5.77 <\/p>\n

Hanford-Corcoran: $5.72 <\/p>\n

Los Angeles-Long Beach: $5.86 <\/p>\n

Madera-Chowchila: $5.79 <\/p>\n

Merced: $5.70 <\/p>\n

Modesto: $5.60 <\/p>\n

Napa: $5.97 <\/p>\n

Oakland: $5.83 <\/p>\n

Orange County: $5.84 <\/p>\n

Redding: $5.60 <\/p>\n

Riverside: $5.74 <\/p>\n

Sacramento: $5.73 <\/p>\n

Salinas: $5.95 <\/p>\n

San Bernardino: $5.75 <\/p>\n

San Diego: $5.92 <\/p>\n

San Francisco: $5.95<\/p>\n

San Jose: $5.79 <\/p>\n

San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles: $6.05 <\/p>\n

San Rafael: $5.95<\/p>\n

Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc: $5.80 <\/p>\n

Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $5.75 <\/p>\n

Santa Rosa: $6.01 <\/p>\n

Stockton-Lodi: $5.65 <\/p>\n

Vallejo-Fairfield: $5.75 <\/p>\n

Ventura: $5.77 <\/p>\n

Visalia-Tulare-Porterville: $5.73 <\/p>\n

Yolo: $5.67 <\/p>\n

Yuba City: $5.50<\/p>\n

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