LONG BEACH — Tasha Bell fills the tank of her 1972 Lincoln twice a week in order to make her daily commute from Long Beach to Los Angeles — a pricey drive that costs her about $400 a month.

‘‘It hits me hard in the pocket to the point where Im considering the MetroLink, said Bell, 29, at the Shell station at Anaheim Street and Atlantic Avenue, where a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $2.47 on Saturday. High crude oil prices — this week ending up at $63.43 a barrel — and the winter refinery maintenance season have pushed gasoline prices up in Southern California by nearly 7 cents, according to the Automobile Club of Southern Californias monthly Fuel Gauge Report. The California Energy Commission estimated that the cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline rose by 11.5 cents this week, compared with last week. The average statewide price is $2.328, just a fraction higher than the national average of $2.327. Unleaded gas in Long Beach this week averaged $2.306 a gallon, up more than 8 cents compared with the December 2005 average of $2.222. The Southern California January average price this week for regular unleaded gasoline was $2.357, up 6.8 cents from a Dec. 20, 2005, average of $2.289. PIN/LONG BEACH PRESS
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