California gas prices spike for 11th day in a row — as drivers shell out at the pumps

Californians continue to wince at the pump as gas prices in Los Angeles climbed for the 11th day in a row.

Costs statewide jumped from $5.58 on August 19 to $5.66 on Saturday, keeping the Golden State as the nation’s most expensive for fuel.

The increase is driven by California’s political policies towards oil in the state and the Iran war. “Due to continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz, crude oil prices remain in the $80 per barrel range,” AAA wrote in a Thursday update.

The national average as of Saturday sat at $4.08 a gallon of regular gas, slightly down from a month ago but more than 80 cents higher than a year ago. Analysts point to oil prices for the abysmal gas prices.

“Oil prices jumped to over $90 a barrel late last week but have since backed off slightly,” Kandace Redd, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s senior public affairs specialist, said in a statement released Thursday.

“Continued instability in oil supply has kept prices above $4 a gallon nationally all this month, while California, Washington and Hawaii have had average prices above $5 a gallon every day in August,” Redd added.

Gas prices in the Los Angeles area have also increased. The average price sat at $5.73 on Saturday and has bumped up each day for the last 11 days.

President Donald Trump is set to meet with oil refining executives next week to discuss how gas prices can be lowered and how to bolster domestic fuel refining capacity, Bloomberg reported.