Gas Prices Continue To Inch Downward

The Fourth of July holiday came and went and gasoline prices continued their unusual summer decline.

In the East Bay, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is now $3.76. That's 5 cents cheaper than last week and 23 cents cheaper than a month ago.

Last year at this time, regular unleaded was selling here for $3.17 a gallon, according to a California State Automobile Association website.

In Walnut Creek, the prices listed on mapquest's gasoline price website show a range of $3.69 to $3.87 a gallon.

Two of the cheapest stations are within a block of each other on Ygnacio Valley Road. The Ideal station at Civic Drive and the Valero at Broadway both are selling unleaded regular for $3.69 a gallon if you pay cash. It's $3.79 with a credit card.

Livermore also continues to have some of the cheapest gas in the region.

The price range listed there is from $3.71 to $3.89 a gallon.

On Monday, the price for regular unleaded at the Union 76 on First Street near Interstate 580 in eastern Livermore was $3.75 a gallon.

The drop in price, however, wasn't appeasing at least some of the customers there.

"I think it sucks. This isn't the Soviet Union or England. This is the United States," said "Duke," a San Jose resident driving home from his daughter's Independence Day celebration in the Sierra foothills.

Duke, who spent $70 filling up his truck, blamed the economy as well as the Iraq war for the high fuel prices.

He said the United States needs to use more oil from the wells it currently has in Oklahoma and Texas to reduce the amount of imported oil.

At a nearby island, Ashley Johnson was pumping $40 worth of gas into her Mustang GT.

She said she's relieved fuel prices have dropped, but she still thinks they're too high.

Johnson, who was driving home to Mountain House from her job at a fitness center in Pleasanton, said she hasn't changed her driving habits.

Her Mustang gets only 13 miles per hour, but she loves the vehicle too much to give it up.

Johnson might be the exception. Motorists in the United States have been using less gas over the past two months. Analysts say that is one of the reasons for the recent decline in price.

The cheapest price in the East Bay on the gas buddy website is $3.44 a gallon at the Costco in Livermore. The Quik Stop and the Gas and Shop on North Vasco Road in Livermore are next, both selling regular unleaded for $3.49 a gallon.

The most expensive station in the East Bay listed on that site is the Chevron station at Camino Ramon and Fostoria Way in San Ramon. Unleaded regular is listed at $4.09 a gallon.

In California, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $3.78. That's 4 cents less than a week ago and 22 cents cheaper than last month. Last year at this time, gas was $3.14 a gallon.

Nationally, the average price remains at $3.56. That's the same as last week and 22 cents lower than a month ago. In July 2010, it was $2.72 a gallon.