Four Dollar Gas Looms for Capitola and Soquel Drivers

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Santa Cruz County is inching closer to $4, a price much of the rest of California is already paying.

The average price of regular gasoline in California jumped 22.8-cents in the past week to a statewide average of $3.904, according to the state Energy Almanac.

The Wall Street Journal reported the average price at the pump in the San Francisco area was $3.93 earlier this week, up 21 cents from late January. The price of a gallon of gas has already topped $4 in Southern California, averaging $4.03 on Tuesday, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Report.

The spike in gas prices was traced back to the usual suspects: refinery problems, high crude prices and the costs of converting production lines to California's summer gas blend, the Mercury News reported.

In Santa Cruz, the cheapest gas is at Costco ($3.77 on Friday morning). Most gas stations were still pricing fuel around $3.85 Friday morning, which is slightly below the state average, according to Gasbuddy.com.

Below are some of the best gas prices available in Capitola and Soquel according to Gasbuddy.com.

USA Gasoline 2700 41st Ave near Cordelia Ln, Soquel $3.77

Quik Stop 5505 Soquel Dr & Hardin Way Soquel $3.79

Valero 2501 S Main St & Porter St $3.95

Chevron 836 Bay Ave & CA-1 Exit, Capitola $3.95