Gas Prices On Catalina Island Pass $7 Mark
AVALON (CBS) — Catalina Island is known for many things… its picturesque scenery, seafood and hiking, to name a few. But what about high gas prices?
For the past two weeks, gas prices on Catalina Island have been an average of $7 a gallon.
Stacy Dizon, who works at the Santa Catalina Island Co.-owned gas station on Pebbly Road, tells CBSLA that a gallon of regular unleaded on Saturday was $7.03.
The gas station is one of two service stations catering to the island.
About 1.5 miles away, Ivan Hernandez at the city-owned Avalon Marine Dock says the price of regular unleaded is $6.90 a gallon, down 10 cents from Friday.
While some residents may be feeling the pinch, many aren't complaining.
"There's not a lot to complain about when we're living on an island," said Catherine Rogers, a server at Original Jack's Country Kitchen.
Rogers has lived in Avalon for 33 years and tells CBSLA that she doesn't hear a lot of complaints about gas prices since many residents walk and those who drive use golf carts to get around, many of which are electric.
On average, Rogers says, those who drive golf carts fill up about once a month.
Tony Gomez, who works at La Paloma, has lived on the island for 15 years. He tells CBSLA that as of last week, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was $7.10.
As Gomez explains, residents on Catalina Island pay on average about $2 more for gas as compared to prices on the mainland.
As for the cause of the spike in gas prices, residents say they expect prices to be higher since the fuel is barged in.
"It's not uncommon to see unusually high gas prices in certain remote areas, but of course, $7 gas may be a new high point for almost anywhere in the U.S.," Automobile Club of Southern California spokesperson Jeffrey Spring said. "It's a reminder to all of us that this year has been very expensive at the pump for Southern California drivers."
