LA county, America's largest, sees gas prices hit record high

Dani Romero

Los Angeles County saw a new record in average gas prices on Tuesday as the price of crude oil remains over $100 a barrel, signaling the cost to fill up at the pump won't be easing soon enough for drivers.

The average price for the largest U.S. county by population rose 2.3 cents to $6.011 — nearly 17 cents more expensive than it was a week ago, $1.224 higher than one month ago, and $2.085 greater than one year ago, according to figures from the American Automobile Association.

Gas prices in LA. (gasprices.aaa.com)
Gas prices in LA. (gasprices.aaa.com)

Gas prices rose after sanctions were issued on Russian commodities amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.

California has the highest fuel prices in the country, partially due to the higher taxes for environmental regulations and infrastructure. Governor Gavin Newsom pledged financial relief to try to help people during the rising gas prices.

“We are working on a proposal that helps Californians with rising gas prices and provides funding to public transit so they can provide direct relief for riders," Newsom spokesperson Erin Mellon told the Los Angeles Times.

Another proposal was introduced Friday by Democratic leaders of state Assembly and Senate that would provide a $200 payment for taxpayers and dependents in households earning less than $250,000.

In turn, that would mean around 90% of taxpayers would receive a check costing the state $6.8 billion, according to estimates from budget advisors to Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego.

By including an income cap, that proposal differs from one introduced last week by another group of state Democrats, who want to send every California taxpayer $400 at the cost of $9 billion.

A vehicle is parked next to a sign displaying Speedway gasoline prices at the Helios House, the first LEED-certified gas station in the United States, as cars wait in traffic in West Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 10, 2022. Picture taken March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan
A vehicle is parked next to a sign displaying Speedway gasoline prices at the Helios House, the first LEED-certified gas station in the United States, as cars wait in traffic in West Olympic Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 10, 2022. REUTERS/Bing Guan (Bing Guan / reuters)

Meanwhile, California Republicans are calling for an immediate suspension of the state's 51 cent per gallon gas tax in response to record-high gas prices, but that effort was shot down in the Democratic-controlled legislature.

It's still unclear how ardently Newsom plans to continue advancing his earlier idea of suspending a July increase to California's gas excise tax.

Dani Romero is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @daniromerotv

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