The pump chronicles: $4.89/gallon in Santa Monica

Most recent first. $4.89 a gallon today at Santa Monica and Lincoln. That's an increase of 80 cents a gallon, since April 25.

This was All the way back on June 5. I drive by this gas station most Friday mornings.

This was May 30.

This was April 25, $4.09 a gallon. Recapping: Gas at this station has spiked by 19.6% in six weeks. I pulled over and took this picture because, at the time, I thought $4.09 was a really high price for gas.

Why so many pictures and so few words? Because a picture is worth 1,300 words (inflation), and because some media companies now measure journalists' productivity in column inches produced, and I'm padding my production (That's an inside-the-building joke).

Your thoughts? Comments? E-mail story tips to peter.viles@latimes.com
Photo Credits: LA Land

Comments

[TakeFive]

Get ready for another big spike:

"Corn prices, which have been hitting new highs for a week, are reacting to six weeks of heavy rains and cool weather in the Midwest. That prevented planting in some areas, leading some farmers to abandon the crop in the last few days. It is still raining. " - NY Times.

By now we all know what's made from corn:

Ethanol, used in our Summer Blend gasoline.

[CD]

It is important to report it as it is the barometer of madness and destruction. Let it go up and up and we will go up in smoke.....We will need extreme regulations at every level. Speculators cannot be allowed to play with people lives this way.....It's going to end badly. What confidence is there to have in anything right now. It's out of control.

[mike]

I MADE IT FROM HERMOSA BEACH LAST NIGHT TO HOLLYWOOD AND WESTERN IN 40 MINUTES LAST NIGHT AT 6:00 PM. I SAY LET IT GO TO 10:00 PER GALLON IF I CAN GET AROUND THAT FAST. YOU KNOW WHAT...MOVE CLOSER TO YOUR JOB OR SHUT UP AND GET OUT OF TOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mike]

THE STUFF IS 10 BUCKS A GALLON IN ANY COUNTRY WITH AN ECONOMY AND DEMAND FOR IT. YOU KNOW WHAT, ITS CHEAP IN PLACES LIKE IRAN. U WANT TO LIVE IN A PLACE LIKE IRAN???? GO MOVE THERE AND FIND OUT THAT THEIR ECONOMY WONT EVEN SUPPORT A JOB GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU TO BUY A CAR AND CRY ABOUT THE PRICE OF GASOLINE.

[D]

Well said, MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mexifornia]

My fifteen mile work commute took me nearly an hour this morning. And yesterday, I almost got mowed over by a teenage punk with the humongous wheels on his truck going over 55 on a 35 mph zone. Not to mention the street racers with their souped up cars zig-zagging on the local freeways.

I don't think gas prices are high enough. .. or maybe these teenage punks are just immune to the current downward economy. As my wife said, it took her more than half an hour to find parking at the local mall last weekend... teenagers just aren't affected by the looming recession.

[tealeaf]

uhhh... Mike ?

The point isn't so much the impact to fill your own tank, it's the impact on the price of everything else...

Like the trucks that repair the cell towers
and the guys who pickup your trash
and your pool man
and your plumber
and the stuff you get at Fry's (that is hard to return)
and the produce from Costco

think beyond yourself.

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

When the city and the state adopt the very environmental friendly horse lanes, rickshaw lanes (well, you already know who will be using these), palaquin lanes and donkey lanes?

Another good idea is that the government should require all taxi operators to run at least 10% richshaws and all government officials ride palaquins on trips less than 10 miles on the east coast and 30 miles on the sparsely populated west coast.

[Dave T]

I like expensive gas. I get good mileage and I don't drive very much so the price has minimal effect on me. But people with Hummers and other 8000 pound SUVs are getting what they deserve.

[Uncle Silly Gasses Up Mt. Pelerin]

I was talking to a fellow today in Little Tokyo. He told me he takes the train to work downtown every day from .....

Orange County

Wow. Says the ride itself is only one hour. Wow.

Maybe there's hope for this downtown thing?

[Uncle Wobbly Pedals for Mt. Pelerin]

I was in Manhattan a few years ago, mid morning. Sea of cars frozen and I had to get from one end of town to the other. Smiling girl in Pedicab pulls up. Not a word. I hop on, and 15 minutes I arrive at my destination.

One word, Benjamin: Pedicabs

Or there's the Amsterdam approach -- distribute bicycles throughout the city. Need one? Just pick one up and drive off. Then you leave it for the next person.
It actually works! I have a feeling that here though people would be melting them down in mass quantities

[MyLessThanPrimeBeef]

Uncle Wobbly Pedals, in Portland, Oregon, you can get free bikes as well.

[Pat]

If you bicycle, your 15 mile work commute will still take you an hour....

[tealeaf]

Dave T: Refer to my comment above.

It's the price of everything else that is the factor.

And no - I drive a 4 cylinder passenger car.

[Dave T]

tealeaf: ok, I hadn't thought of that. But even considering that, I don't mind paying more for milk and bread if it means USV owners have to suffer.

[tealeaf]

Dave:

As long as you know what you're in for ... let's do the math.

My car gets avg 25mpg. According to fueleconomy.gov, a 2008 2WD Tahoe gets combined 16mpg. Assume 12k miles/year.
Annually, that's 750 gallons for the tahoe, 480 for me. At $5 per gallon, that's $312 per month for the Tahoe driver, $200 per month for tealeaf.

Now let's look at your grocery & restaurant bills (forget all the other stuff/services you buy).

Around our place, we spend about $1200 per month total for a fam of 4. With a 15% increase (a conservative estimate), we're looking at a $180 per month increase at Trader Joe's, Ralph's, and an occasional Happy Meal for the kids.

Schadenfreude is a dish best served, not partaken, my friend.

Methinks your anger is blinding your senses. Redirect...

[yours truly, Johnny Dollar]

CD, you're a broken record.

[tealeaf]

Dave:

I didn't think the math would work out so strongly to support the instinctual statement I made earlier today.

In fairness, you mentioned the Hummer. I looked up the combined MPG on the bestselling Hummer, the H3, on the EPA's web site, fueleconomy.gov.

The V8 gets 14mpg ($357/month gas payment using assumptions above).
The 5-cyl gets 15mpg ($333/month gas)

The monthly increase in food prices ($180) is still costlier than the incremental cost to drive a Hummer over my 4-cyl ($157).

And I haven't even factored in the increase in price for the other stuff.

Also consider the non-SUV drivers (like myself) who are getting slammed over this at the checkout line. And you're happy that the SUV driver might feel a sting that's incrementally worse than yours ?!

Redirect, my man!

[Michael Snyder]

mike,
It has been some time since I've encountered such idiocy or someone so proud of displaying their ignorance. Your narcissistic need for an easy commute and your invitation to relocate prove your complete lack of awareness of anything but mike and his stuck caps lock key.
When gas hits your desired $10 mark you will likely be out of your minimum wage job but have no fear, I'm sure your parents will still put up with you. As for me; you should take your own advice and get out of town. Oh yea, don't forget your broken keyboard.
What you are advocating is nothing less than the collapse of the world's economy and the deaths of millions from starvation and the conflicts this will bring. But you will have an easy commute.

[tealeaf]

Michael Snyder:

Your comment was both poignant and macro.

2 concepts I have trouble grasping!

Well said.

[Ruby Jackson]

tealeaf and Michael Snyder are the only two logical and compassionate voices here. Mike, you've got a real attitude problem as well as a lack of global vision. And, WHY ARE YOU YELLING?

[Nate]

thank you Henry Waxman for derailing federal funding for a subway in 1986! Well done, sir. People would be riding the subway from Downtown to Santa Monica by now if it wasn't for you and all your Nimby west side constituents.

[David Raether]

Dear "Think Beyond Yourself"

Try it -- if cell phones get too expensive because gas for the truck to repair their towers is too expensive, cancel your cell phone. I recently went two years without a cell phone. I initially tried it on a weekend to see if I could do it. It's possible. It's actually better. The times you absolutely have to have a cell phone occur about once a month. And I have a career and kids, all active in sports and other things.

Gas for the trash truck? Recycle and compost as much as possible. You'll be surprised at how little trash you actually have.

Pool man? Get rid of the pool. Fill it in, or don't move to a house that has a pool. Take that backyard and turn it into a vegetable garden.

Plumber? Okay, I give you that one...

Returning stuff to Frye's? Don't buy stuff at Frye's. In fact, limit the number of electronic devices you have and you'll actually be happier. Trust me. It works. I'm on a computer at the library. It works great.

Produce from Costco? Grow your own produce or ride your bike to a local farmer's market.

That's how you think beyond yourself. Not thinking just about how high gas prices inconvenience you. Thinking about how high gas prices allow you to make decisions that benefit not just you but your whole city.

Don't mean to seem preachy, but it's the cumulative effect of a million small decisions that transform a city into a cleaner, safer, more liveable place.

[Dave T]

If you're going to interject logic, math and compassion for our fellow human beings into the debate, you're going to suck all the fun out of being vindictive and irrationally hostile.

[tealeaf]

David R:

Wow - I mean, I'm a fan of self-reliance and all, but you're straight up fringe, brother.

Admirable, but fringe.

Sure, we can all go back to the homestead, but honestly.... this is a discussion on how gas prices impacts more than the westside commute and ye olde stagecoach.

Speaking of which, I didn't hear the typical green-fare, like taking a bus or riding a bike, but I'm pleased you took my random, Usual Suspects-style-glance-around-my-office examples with more than a grain of salt.

Flattering. Still fringe, though.