header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
March 19
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez


Now and Then in the SCV | Commentary by Darryl Manzer
| Monday, Jul 27, 2015

darrylmanzer0215I was stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for a time, and I cannot forget the shock I had every time I bought gas. The price was nearly twice what it was on the mainland.

Then there was the time during a family vacation near Yellowstone National Park and gas was very expensive. I know the gas prices back in the SCV were 19 cents to 39 cents per gallon. Up in Yellowstone it was almost 59 cents per gallon.

At the time, we knew we were blessed to be living in California because we had plenty of oil and plenty of refineries to make that oil into gasoline. It was cheap, and you didn’t have to pump it yourself. Pull up to the pump and maybe two or three guys would rush out and pump it for you. They would also check your oil and tires and many other items on your vehicle.

Just about every teenage boy in the SCV worked in a station. I was at Jerry’s Chevron Service at the corner of Soledad and Bouquet Canyon. It was the only station there. There wasn’t a place named Valencia.

Hot summer days were boring at the station, but once in a while a customer would pull in and ask directions along with getting the car serviced. Like the day that a lady in a XKE convertible came in and we rushed out of the area where the fan blew hot air.

“Fill it up?” my friend and co-worker Mike asked. It was at that point the three of us who had responded to her arrival noticed she was driving without a blouse or anything else on above her waist. So we teenage boys rushed to make sure her windshield was washed and polished two or three times. She asked directions to get to Highway 126 and Santa Barbara.

Her XKE took “supreme” at 39 cents a gallon. Her total may have been $6.50. I’m not sure if we took her credit card or cash before she drove away. I don’t think Mike remembers, either.

So now we pump our own gasoline and pay more than anyplace in the United States, including Hawaii. Yes, you read that correctly. Gas is cheaper in Hawaii.

I don’t get it. In a state without any oil production and one refinery, the gas is cheaper, while here in California, a state that exports oil and with a lot of refinery capacity, gasoline is expensive.

We’ve all heard the reasons: refinery fire, summer blend, lack of oil imports, higher taxes, too much demand and too little demand. Are we tired of these explanations? Just what do they explain?

Why does gasoline produced in Los Angeles and near San Francisco cost less in Nevada and Arizona? Why does gasoline produced in Hawaii to the same “summer blend” requirements as we have here cost less?

I did find two places near Sacramento that had less expensive gas. One in that city for $2.99 a gallon and another for $3.11. But those were the only two I could find. The rest of the formerly great state’s gasoline prices went from $3.86 at Costco to $5.55 in Mendocino. Compare this with $2.49 in Kentucky (where all gasoline is barged into a distribution center in Paducah), $2.94 in Seattle, $2.69 in Phoenix, $2.99 in Lost Wages.

So what is the real answer? Are the oil companies gouging us? Is that wonderful “summer blend gasoline” the reason? What do all of you think?

There are a few other instances I’ve noticed that seem to affect the price of a gallon of gasoline. Is it just me, or do gas prices rise when there is a major holiday? Sure seems like it. More folks on the road, so increase the price – but don’t do so until everyone is committed to getting to an event they cannot miss. Like maybe Aunt Ella’s birthday party in Fresno.

Maybe that is too far-fetched of an example. Would any of you want to go to Fresno to see her when you could bring her to the SCV instead? Really – Fresno?

Sort of drifted off there, but I think maybe we all have. We need to find some way to tell our elected representatives, the oil companies, and each other that we have had enough.

But we’ll keep buying the gas. Why? Because I’m sure that being horseback or in a wagon pulled by horses won’t work in the drive-thru at your favorite fast-food place. Even saw a sign in one that said “motor vehicles only.”

Not a problem. There are few Amish around here, and they seem to be smart enough not to go to a fast-food joint.

But that doesn’t explain our gas price problem. We do have a governor who wants us to have a rail system just like Europe. Maybe he is working up a way to have gas prices go as high as they are in Europe, too. That way we would have to use his train.

I’ll avoid leaving the SCV before that would happen. Hate that train.

 

 

 

Darryl Manzer grew up in the Pico Canyon oil town of Mentryville in the 1960s and attended Hart High School. After a career in the U.S. Navy he returned to live in the Santa Clarita Valley, where he serves as executive director of the SCV Historical Society. He can be reached at dmanzer@scvhistory.com. His older commentaries are archived atDManzer.com; his newer commentaries can be accessed [here]. Watch his walking tour of Mentryville [here].

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

4 Comments

  1. Last Tuesday I was in Monterey, CA gas there ranged between $3.29 and $3.59 a gallon. In fact the highest we found between there and LA County was under $3.79 (including Frazier Park). Then we hit the county line, what gives here?

  2. Took this pic in June while we were in Oahu ?

  3. CG says:

    Thank you Daryl for your insightful, funny and always honest commentary. I hate that damn train, too!

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
Friday, Mar 15, 2024
Spring has definitely arrived and, along with sunnier days, we're all looking forward to celebrating this “season of new beginnings.” At Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Foundation, Spring brings an abundance of activities, some new and some treasured traditions.
Wednesday, Mar 13, 2024
In March of 2022 my husband and I volunteered to provide foster care for a two-year-old female Great Pyrenees dog for the Great Pyrenees Association of Southern California Rescue.
Monday, Mar 11, 2024
If you’re looking for local delicious food and drinks, live music and engaging activities that stimulate all your senses, then look no further.
Friday, Mar 8, 2024
It’s no secret that insurance providers have become more conservative because of increased wildfire threats across our county and state. As a result, homeowners are put in a tough position: pay higher premiums and comply with varied, costly and inconsistent mitigation requirements or lose your insurance.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
1875, 1:35PM - Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez hanged in San Jose [story]
Tiburcio Vasquez
College of the Canyons notched its first victory at the newly named Mike Gillespie Field on Saturday, winning its second straight conference series, this time over visiting Bakersfield College, by a 6-4 final score. 
Cougars Notch First Win at Mike Gillespie Field
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Master's University hit 20 3-pointers, one shy of the program record in a game, to defeat the St. Thomas Bobcats 122-91 in the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Basketball National Championship tournament.
Mustangs Advance to NAIA Sweet 16
The Master's University baseball team lost a pair of 1-run games Saturday against the Menlo Oaks in Atherton, Calif.
Mustangs Drop Three Games to Menlo
The Los Angeles County Development Authority is excited to announce that its executive director, Emilio Salas, has been appointed to a two-year term to serve as a member of the national Strategic Planning Advisory Committee for the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).
LACDA’s Emilio Salas Appointed to National Planning Advisory Committee
The 28th Annual Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is back with your favorite musical performers and an exciting lineup of new acts.
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival Live Music Performers Announced
REDLANDS — College of the Canyons track and field recorded a dozen top-10 finishes and established 30 new personal records while competing at the University of Redlands Invitational on March 15. 
Cougars Earn Top-10 Finishes at Redlands Invitational
There is so much to learn from different customs and cultures and you don’t need a plane ticket to experience it all.
City’s 2024 ‘Celebrate’ Lineup Released
Big Chicken, the star-powered fast casual chicken concept, which has a location in Santa Clarita, is fueling the mania for the Big Tournament with a nationwide Big Bracket Challenge.
Compete for Chance to Open Shaquille O’Neal Chicken Restaurant
California State University, Northridge’s Spring 2024 Cinematheque series will pay tribute to Hollywood casting director and producer Deborah Aquila, executive vice president and head of casting at Paramount Television Studios and CBS Studios, to mark the end of Women’s History Month on Wednesday, March 27.
Legendary Casting Director Deborah Aquila to Speak at CSUN
On Friday, March 22, the Uniquely Abled Academy (UAA) at College of the Canyons will host a graduation ceremony for nine students who have completed the UAA’s pilot robotics training program.
March 22: COC’s Uniquely Abled Academy Robotics Graduation
The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is excited to announce spring has sprung at its local parks, including those in the Santa Clarita Valley.
L.A. County Parks Releases Spring Jubilee Dates
The city of Santa Clarita’s Film Office released the list of six productions currently filming in the Santa Clarita Valley for the week of Monday, March 18 - Sunday, March 24.
‘Bosch Legacy,’ ‘CSI Vegas’ Among Six Productions Filming in SCV
Unlike our children who enjoy a week-long spring break, we adults no longer have that luxury.
Ken Striplin | Register Now for Spring Break Camp 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions residents who are planning to visit the following Los Angeles County beaches to avoid swimming, surfing and playing in ocean waters due to bacterial levels exceeding health standards when last tested.
Ocean Water Advisory Continues for L.A. County Beaches
The California Department of Motor Vehicles now offers a faster way for businesses to check that their employees have clean driving records using the new online Employee Pull Notice (EPN) Service.
DMV Launches Enhanced Digital Employer Pull Notice Service
1919 - Fire destroys abandoned second Southern Hotel, built 1878 in Newhall (corner Main & Market) [story]
Second Southern Hotel
1927 - Newhall telephone exchange, est. 1900, now serves 100 phones [story]
telephone
2003 - Lifesize sculpture honoring heroes of St. Francis Dam disaster unveiled in Santa Paula [video]
The Warning
In the first of three matches on consecutive nights in Arizona, The Master's men's volleyball team defeated Benedictine-Mesa in three sets 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
TMU Men’s Volleyball Sweeps Benu in Arizona
Greg Herrick, the former longtime College of the Canyons women's basketball head coach who recorded 611 career wins while winning 16 conference titles, was inducted into the California Community College Women's Basketball Coaches Association (CCCWBCA) Hall of Fame during the organization's annual Banquet of Champions at Mt. San Antonio College on March 13.
Longtime COC Women’s Basketball Coach Herrick Enshrined in Hall of Fame
The Santa Clarita Planning Commission will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd. 1st Floor, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
March 19: Planning Commission to Discuss Wiley Canyon Mixed Use Project
Attend the city of Santa Clarita's most unique egg hunt, the Splash N’ Dash at the Santa Clarita Aquatics Center, presented by Kaiser Permanente.
March 30: Dive into Spring at Splash n’ Dash Egg Hunt
String orchestras and concert bands from around the Santa Clarita Valley and Southern California will participate in the Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association concert festival hosted by West Ranch High School on Tuesday, March 26 and Wednesday, March 27, 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
March 26-27: SoCal School Band, Orchestra Concert Festival
SCVNews.com