Bypassed in Brentwood: $4.19 a gallon

Saw this on Friday night, and whipped out the little camera because this is the highest I've seen: $4.19 a gallon, At 26th Street and San Vicente, in Brentwood.

Are rising gas prices an important regional economic story? It's sure beginning to look that way. It sure got me on the bus twice last week.

Submit your photo of high prices -- or low prices, or weird signage, whatever -- to the Pain at the Pump photo gallery in Your Scene at  LATimes.com.

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com.
Photo Credit: L.A. Land

Comments

[E]

Man oh man.

Just got into L.A. yesterday and was driving around today.

What happened to all the traffic?

[Chris]

Does anybody know what happened with the house auction in Gardena where some very mediocre houses were being sold with the starting bid at 489K?? Auction was supposed to be May 10th.

link for LA Land story here
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laland/2008/04/
photo-of-the-da.html#comments

[Joseph...The Real Estate Guy]

I don't think people would stop driving even if gas prices went up to $10 a gallon.

I wish that would happen, except that everything goes up because of goods that need to be transported.

[mbob]

It's mortal peril to try and drive 55, even at 1 am when the fwy's are pretty empty.

The prime speeders? Ess You Vees. Seriously. The newest style seems to be to see how close they can come to the driver's side rear bumper before swerving around me in the right lane. I guess they think they won't be clocked if they're goin nine-oh in the right lane.

Fuel is not expensive enough yet.

[adoptivefather]

Did you know??

1) US producing almost 50% less oil today than we did at peak in 1970? (9.6 mmbpd 1970 and 5.0mmbpd 2006)

Did you know??

2) US population has increased by 50% since 1970? (200mm 1970 and 300 mm now)

Did you know??

3) Alaska production peaked in 1988 at just over 2.0mmbpd and is less than 730mbpd now?

Did you know??

4) Avg annual per capita consumption of oil in US today is 27 barrels?

Did you know??

5) Illegal aliens in the US account for almost 1.5mmbpd out of total US consumption of 22mbpd?

Did you know??

6) That the phrase 'ghost town' will return to become part of modern American vernacular?

Did you know??

7) That US production of oil is falling by almost 2% annually?

Did you know??

8) That nobody knows the true price at which gasoline is replaced by alternatives but it will be over $10/gal because that's what Europe is paying and THEY DON'T HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE YET?

Did you know??

That if you don't take action very soon to protect your family's welfare that you will risk being caught in a financial disaster that you will never recover from?

Sorry but denial isn't helpful in the face of the current oil situation.

[Hugh Jorgan]

Hmm. Maybe if people spent more of their income on housing, they'd have less to waste on fuel (90 mph in Suburban or Hummer is grotesque)

[squidlow]

That 76 station on 26th and Vicente has always had expensive gasoline relative to the surrounding area, but those prices are egregious!

[Cal]

There was an article in the Times regarding how some people working in Hollywood weren't finding work. There was one person in the story who drove 2 hours each way from Palmdale to LA to the only set job he could find for $12 an hour. With gas prices and tax rates the way they are he would have been better off working a minimum wage job close to home. Maybe he didn't know the difference between Net and Gross income.

[KathyR]

Pedantry raises its ugly head: Isn't 26th & San Vicente in Santa Monica?

[seattlesnoop]

Thank you for the food for thought. While the rising cost of gas has been a fleeting snap of the synapses that photo made me slow down a moment.
Makes places like the I.E. even less desirable. Perhaps in-city more desirable because of accessability to work, services and entertainment. Or, it makes the entire place a heinous place to be, period.
Something for everybody.

[gj]

Um, mbob, you seem to have forgotten something: slowER traffic keep right. Those signs are posted all along the freeways for a reason, i.e., to keep slowpokes like you from stopping the flow of traffic. If YOU want to drive slowER than other traffic, fine, great, whatever, but the onus is on you to move to the right. (And, no, I don't care that speeders are breaking the law, too. That's not the point here.)

[Valley Observer]

Across the street is Santa Monica 90402. The 76 station is in LA 90049. Most people who live around there on either side probably don't care how much mundane things like gasoline cost, although there are some retirees sitting on a wise investment from a few decades ago.

[puckhead]

Good, I hope is goes up more. It'll make people car-pool and think twice about buying a 6000 pound SUV. Europe deals with $8/gallon gas and they've adapted. I hope people drive less, that way I can drive faster on thef fwy.

[Laker]

E,
I can clearly feel the "better" traffic conditions on the freeways. It is not that people stopped driving, but more like more carpooling, some start using the bus, Illegal aliens cramming more in the same car, and many unnecessary trips are canceled.
Traffic on the 101, 118, 405 is somewhat lighter.
Let gas get to $6-8, it would become sweet to drive.

[fedupinLA]

For every DOLLAR profit the oil companies make...the GOVERNMENT makes $2.50 profit!

Ethynol and biofuels will bankrupt this country!

We are going to end up begging and borrowing from the Sovereign Wealth Funds!

[Habib]

Expensive? You aint seen nothing yet! 4.19/gal works out to $0.26 per cup. What other liquid can you buy for $0.26 per cup? I can think of a few but nothing that can propel a 2500lb car with 6 people in it over a mile.

Bottom line, global crude has reached max production (my educated opinion), recoverable reserves are quickly declining (just pull out an annual report for a major like Exxon or Chevron and see for yourself) and all the feel good sound byte fixes like “ethanol” and “Canada tar sands” etc. etc. have major drawbacks and/or cannot be produced on any meaningful scale compared to US and Global demand.

Goodbye $4 hello $5 and then $6….

[Passportholder;-)]

**************Laurel Canyon/Riverside Dr.*********
If you that picture is scary.......it cost me .75, to put air in my tires....... even THE PRICE OF AIR HAS GONE UP!!!!
What happen to 'FREE AIR'??????

[frank]

The east side of 26th is in the City of Los Angeles (Brentwood). The 76 station is on the Southeast corner.

[Anthrodiva]

@ seattlesnoop:

"Makes places like the I.E. even less desirable."

Unless you work in the IE...

[Big Tim]

I have been running into less and less traffic. Weird!

And yes those people in the SUVs need to slow down --I noticed women drinvers to be the biggest offenders--no disrespect intended.

[Alicia Ferris]

The 76 station at San Vicente/26th is known for being the highest gasoline in the land, following closely by the Shell station at Bundy/Olympic. And yes, the 76 station IS in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles...just look across the street from the 76 station and any observer will see the large, stone 'monument' with the words "Welcome to Brentwood" embossed on it. It's not Santa Monica.

[prefab sprout]

As Slate points out today, gas is still cheap. For example, a gallon of gas is $4...BUT a gallon of Starbucks Venti Latte is $11 while a gallon of Budweiser is $23.

Also gas is $8.23 a gallon in England.

Adjusted for inflation, gas is just slightly higher priced than it was in 1922.

[Tim Hebb]

Just a drive-by thought: high gas prices will become more of a major story as it sinks in that (as I believe) low prices aren't coming back, just as it's sinking in to home sellers that high prices in that market aren't coming back.

[Christian]

Go to the gas station on Fairfax and Melrose.. it is $4.59 for 87!!!!!!!!!!! It looks like it is solo station but can't understand why they are at least .50c higher than anywhere else

[jbunniii]

The AVERAGE gas price in the Bay Area seems to be around $4.19.

[KateNonymous]

E, yesterday was Sunday. The traffic is always lighter on Sunday. In fact, in my part of town, it's the only day that traffic isn't completely insane.

I'm not surprised that gas is that high in that part of town. But I'm pretty sure that the Brentwood v. Santa Monica location debate depends on which corner is home to the gas station, since 26th Street marks the city boundary at that point.

[squidlow]

Sorry, my mistake not 26th & San Vicente, as I stated but the one next to Vicente Foods past the Country Club.

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

Passportholder, Gandhi had his Salt March. Maybe it's time for Air March.

[TakeFive]

Stopped for gas a lunchtime today. Pulled up to the pump as a truck was leaving. Looked like a contractor – tools, ladders, etc. Reading on pump was $10 – he got 2.5 gallons. Truck looked practically new

This was one of those stations with about 15 pumps, so while waiting to fill up, I wandered around and looked at the last sale on some of the pumps. Saw a number of $5’s and $10’s, a couple in the low $20’s. The guy next to me in the brand new looking Suburban put in exactly $25.

So are folks buying on a daily, as needed basis rather than stocking up (filling the tank)?

Another expensive commodity sold in dime-bag transactions for huge profits.

[TakeFive]

“…can't understand why they are at least .50c higher than anywhere else.”

I’m seeing a pricing anomaly with the Valero stations. Between 30 to 50 cents extra per gallon for credit card transactions. My guess is these stations are so close to the margin that the extra fees and processing time would push them below their cost for most transactions, so they really try to discourage it.

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Some of you people must be getting your gas at Big Lots.
Union 76 station at Barrington and Pico where West LA
becomes Santa Monica (or is it vice versa) has had
87 octane at $4.39 point 9 for sometime now (including
this morning); and diesel has hit a posted (drum roll, please) $4.99 point 9; "Where have all the diesel Mercedes gone? Long time passing."
Of course, you are saying, at these prices, "I Don't Get Around Much, Anymore."

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Three ways to save so I can buy more gasoline:
1) good bye Sparkletts--hello kitchen faucet;
2) good bye Directv--hello rabbit ears
(as Bert and Ernie always say:
"Fewer channels spell fewer commercials."
(above message brought to you by the letter "B"
and the number "6.")
3) good bye car payments--hello don't buy a new car
in 2008 or 2009 (shazam! suddenly household
budget is in the black). $5 gas or not.

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Difference between a Recession and a Depression:
Re-ses-shun: when your neighbor's house is a walk-away.
De-pres-shun: when your house is a walk-away
(note: by these definitions, I am in a Recession).

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

Even if it is a herd of (see "endangered species")
caravan-ing real estate agents, vote "yes" on
Prop. 202-A (renewing for another four years
your right to shoot any driver while he is using
a cell-phone). Companion proposition 202-B
pertaining to people whose head you barely see
through the steering wheel and tourists with
four or more cameras around their necks.
Please ignore recorded telephone messages
voiced by Bernard Parks for the opposition.

[JN]

I took a picture today at the "Prena" station at the corner of Fairfax and Melrose; the prices were $4.69/$4.79/$4.89. (I've never even heard of Prena before.)