Copyright 1999 Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles
Times
August 27, 1999, Friday, Orange County
Edition
SECTION: Business; Part C; Page 3; Financial
Desk
LENGTH: 233 words
HEADLINE: O.C. BUSINESS PLUS;
HEARD ON THE
BEAT / CONSUMERS;
RISING GAS PRICES SPUR TALK OF
REGULATION
BYLINE: ROBIN FIELDS, Robin Fields covers
consumer issues for The Times. She can be, reached at (714) 966-7810 and at
robin.fields@latimes.com
BODY:
As
gasoline prices once again creep upward, the rhetoric is reaching a boil in Los
Angeles over whether the City Council should support a state Senate bill that
would allow station operators to buy gas from multiple vendors. Currently, most
branded stations sign exclusive supply contracts. Proponents--which include San
Francisco, San Diego County and Tustin-based Automotive Trade Organizations of
California (AuTO-CA) Inc., the trade group that represents independently owned
gas stations--say the bill will drive gas prices down by creating competition
between vendors.
But a coalition of oil companies, the California
Chamber of Commerce, the California Manufacturers Assn., the Simi Valley Chamber
of Commerce and other groups oppose the measure.
They argue that
refiners would respond to the chaos of competition between dealers by setting
uniform wholesale prices, erasing the regional differences that exist within
California. That would be good news for places like San Francisco, where prices
are the highest, but bad news for spots where gas now costs less, they say.
The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to consider its position on
the bill Sept. 7. The city's vote is key, said Will Woods, AuTO-CA's executive
director. The senate committee that will decide the bill's fate is loaded with
Los Angeles-area members and may well follow the city's lead, he said.
LOAD-DATE: August 27, 1999 
