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San Diego continues to shatter gas price records | now $5.60/gallon

Some county leaders are now pushing to suspend the state gas tax for one year to give Californians' wallets some relief.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego is shattering record prices for gasoline, now inching closer to $6 a gallon.

According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in San Diego County recorded its second-largest increase since July 14, 2015, Wednesday, rising 11.9 cents to $5.602, its 20th record in 22 days.

The average price has risen 15 consecutive days, increasing 85.8 cents, including 10 cents Tuesday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service. It is 70.7 cents more than one week ago, 90.8 cents higher than one month ago and $1.797 greater than one year ago.

"To put that in perspective, that means someone with a typical mid-size sedan with a 14-gallon size fuel tank, they are paying more than $22 to fill up that same of gas today than one year ago," Said Doug Shupe, spokesperson for the Auto Club of Southern California/AAA.

While gas prices are up nearly everywhere, with the current national average at $4.06 per gallon, California continues to have the highest prices in the country.

AAA's Shupe noted that Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine continues to place pressure on the cost of crude oil, now nearly $120 a barrel, which impacts the cost of fuel on a global basis.

Another factor driving up the cost here at home, Southern California's switchover to the pricier "summer blend." 

Which, even though we are still in winter, happened about three weeks ago.

"That 'summer blend'  fuel is made to be less likely to evaporate in warmer temperatures," Shupe told CBS 8, "but is about 15 to 20 cents more per gallon, and it's more expensive  to produce. And the cost of producing it is passed along to consumers."

The extra cost of the 'summer blend' formula is far from the only extra cost tacked on to each gallon of gas purchased in California.

While across the border, gas in Mexico averages about $4.23 a gallon -- $1.15 Cheaper than in San Diego -- a large portion of what Californians pay goes toward taxes and fees, including 79 cents for federal, state and sales tax; a 22-cent fee per gallon for the "low carbon gas program"; 15 cents for greenhouse gas programs; and two cents for "underground tank storage."

RELATED: As gas prices head higher, many San Diegans are looking to trade their gas guzzlers for electric vehicles

"It's hurting people,"  said San Diego county supervisor Jim Desmond, who is backing a move to suspend the state gas tax -  which comes to about 51 cents a gallon - for one year. He and County Supervisor Joel Anderson have proposed that $6 billion of the state's budget surplus, estimated at over $45 billion, could fill the gap.

"This is bi-partisan," Desmond said, "This is not a left or a right issue. This is everybody buying gas at the pump, so I'm hoping we get unanimous support for this." 

RELATED: E-bike sales increase as gas prices soar to record highs in California

Depending on next week's vote by the County Board of Supervisors, a letter from the County would then be sent to the Governor's office pushing for the year-long state tax suspension. 

However, some Democratic state lawmakers, including Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, have come out against the idea of a gas tax suspension, or even suspending the gas tax increase scheduled for July.  

In a statement to CBS 8, Senate President pro tem Toni Atkins said: 

“The soaring gas prices that we are seeing right now are causing us all to have sticker shock, and there are a lot of ideas being batted around as to what California should do to ease the burden for working families. The Legislative budget process is underway, and we will continue to evaluate relief for California taxpayers, including the proposal by the Governor to suspend the gas tax. It’s important to note that suspension of the 3 cent increase to the gas tax will amount to about $15 over the course of the year for the average taxpayer. Real, meaningful relief to California taxpayers struggling with the increasing costs of almost everything is a top priority, just as it was last year, when we returned over $10 billion to taxpayers in the form of income tax credits, small business grants, the Golden State Stimulus, and by other means.”

WATCH RELATED: Gas prices hit another record-breaking high in San Diego (March 2022).

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