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O.C. Motorists Blame Big Oil for 10-Cent Average Rise in Gas Prices

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

At a congressional hearing in Washington on Tuesday, a Nevada senator said the American public is “mad as hell” at sharply rising gasoline prices. In Orange County, consumers were indeed mad, but they weren’t the least bit surprised.

Motorists interviewed at gas pumps Tuesday said they expected the nation’s oil companies to take advantage of the Middle East crisis by convincing consumers that oil supplies are dwindling. But motorist Franco Ferretti was not buying it.

“The oil companies are not overcharging the people--they’re ripping off the people,” Ferretti, a Huntington Beach resident, said as he filled his pickup at a Costa Mesa Shell station. “This whole thing in the Middle East looks like a setup on the part of the oil companies to me.”

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Ferretti said his two-mile daily commute means that the price increase will have only a negligible effect on his income. Not so for commuter Danny Palmer.

“I commute from Mission Viejo to Huntington Beach every day,” Palmer said. “I have a Chevy truck that holds 20 to 25 gallons, so I’m going to notice it.”

Palmer and other South County residents are going to notice the price increase a bit more than other county consumers, according to a random survey conducted by The Times.

The survey of 21 stations revealed an average price of $1.25 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline Tuesday at self-serve pumps in South County stations; the average price in Central County was $1.20 a gallon, about $1.23 in North County. In all regions, prices were up since July 31 an average of 10 cents a gallon--including a new 5-cent-per-gallon surcharge levied by the state.

Prices were even higher for premium unleaded and diesel fuel. Premium prices soared past $1.40 a gallon at some stations, and diesel fuel prices were up as much as 8 cents a gallons since the weekend.

“I think it is outrageous,” said Jodi Holland, a Huntington Beach resident, while her diesel-fueled Mercedes-Benz was being filled at a Huntington Beach Texaco station. “I have to mortgage my house so I can pay the credit card bill.”

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The Times survey also showed that prices in the same parts of the county varied by up to 11 cents a gallon among gas stations. Jim Daskal, general counsel and director of government relations for the Washington-based Service Station Dealers of America, attributed the disparity to wild price fluctuations over the weekend.

“With prices changing almost hourly. . . . you have situations where 10 dealers of the same brand could pay six different (wholesale) prices,” Daskal said. “It depends on when they bought it. Over the weekend, we saw some 7- or 8-cent differences between ordering on Sunday evening or Monday morning.”

Daskal said service station owners have reported that the western states, including California, have been hit hardest by the increases, which he said “makes absolutely no sense, considering most of the crude sold in the Southland is coming from Alaska.”

Despite the increases, Daskal said, his organization has received few reports of consumers directing their anger toward station owners, who contend that they are making little profit while the oil companies are raking in millions.

“The customers have been in this situation before, and they expect things like this to happen,” said Avo Asyan, owner of Avo’s Shell in Costa Mesa. “We don’t control the prices. The oil companies and the suppliers control the prices.”

GASOLINE PRICES AT VARIOUS O.C. LOCATIONS

Gasoline prices in Orange County have increased an average of 10 in the past week, due to both the crisis in the Middle East and a 5 state tax hike that took effect last Wednesday.

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Prices are for one gallon of self-serve, unleaded gasoline paid for with cash. They are rounded up to the nearest penny.

NORTH COUNTY

Tuesday, Tuesday, July 31 Aug. 7 ARCO, 1490 S. Harbor Blvd., La Habra $1.12 $1.17 CHEVRON, 2001 N. Euclid St., Fullerton $1.18 $1.28 EXXON, 1100 W. Ball Road, Anaheim $1.16 $1.21 MOBIL, 15001 Golden West St., Huntington Beach $1.14 $1.24 SHELL, 18503 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda $1.20 $1.28 TEXACO, 5022 Crescent Ave., La Palma $1.05 $1.20 UNOCAL, 1176 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia $1.12 $1.22 North Region Averages $1.14 $1.23

One-Week Increase ARCO, 1490 S. Harbor Blvd., La Habra 5 CHEVRON, 2001 N. Euclid St., Fullerton 10 EXXON, 1100 W. Ball Road, Anaheim 5 MOBIL, 15001 Golden West St., Huntington Beach 10 SHELL, 18503 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda 8 TEXACO, 5022 Crescent Ave., La Palma 15 UNOCAL, 1176 E. Yorba Linda Blvd., Placentia 10 North Region Averages 9

CENTRAL AREA OF THE COUNTY

Tuesday, Tuesday, July 31 Aug. 7 ARCO, 13331 Euclid St., Garden Grove .99 $1.11 CHEVRON, 9491 Edinger Ave., Westminster $1.10 $1.21 EXXON, 8495 Western Ave., Buena Park $1.11 $1.21 MOBIL, 2921 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana $1.05 $1.19 SHELL, 13891 Red Hill Ave., Tustin $1.17 $1.24 TEXACO, 17966 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley $1.20 $1.28 UNOCAL, 2345 W. Chapman Ave., Orange $1.08 $1.17 Central Region Averages $1.10 $1.20

One-Week Increase ARCO, 13331 Euclid St., Garden Grove 12 CHEVRON, 9491 Edinger Ave., Westminster 11 EXXON, 8495 Western Ave., Buena Park 10 MOBIL, 2921 S. Bristol St., Santa Ana 14 SHELL, 13891 Red Hill Ave., Tustin 7 TEXACO, 17966 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley 8 UNOCAL, 2345 W. Chapman Ave., Orange 9 Central Region Averages 10

SOUTHERN AREA OF THE COUNTY

Tuesday, Tuesday, July 31 Aug. 7 ARCO, 3201 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa $1.04 $1.13 CHEVRON, 26202 E. La Paz Road, Mission Viejo $1.12 $1.22 EXXON, 26572 Junipero Serra, San Juan $1.19 $1.26 Capistrano MOBIL, 1430 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente $1.22 $1.32 SHELL, 1342 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach $1.13 $1.22 TEXACO, 1600 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach $1.14 $1.26 UNOCAL, 22391 El Toro Road, El Toro $1.20 $1.31 South Region Averages $1.15 $1.25 COUNTY AVERAGES $1.13 $1.23

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One-Week Increase ARCO, 3201 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa 9 CHEVRON, 26202 E. La Paz Road, Mission Viejo 10 EXXON, 26572 Junipero Serra, San Juan 7 Capistrano MOBIL, 1430 S. El Camino Real, San Clemente 10 SHELL, 1342 N. Coast Highway, Laguna Beach 9 TEXACO, 1600 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach 12 UNOCAL, 22391 El Toro Road, El Toro 11 South Region Averages 10 COUNTY AVERAGES 10

Source: individual service stations

Researched by Kathie Bozanich

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