Greg Risling
Gas prices have skyrocketed toward the $2-per-gallon mark over the past
two months, but many Newport-Mesa residents don't expect to find
themselves in a financial pinch as summer nears.
The price hike has thrown much of California into a dizzying crisis,
forcing some to trade in their car keys for a bus pass. However, good
times are evident in Orange County, where the unemployment rate is at an
all-time low and housing prices are robust.
Although there are thousands of gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles on
local freeways, a few extra dollars for gas doesn't seem to aggravate
those living in Newport-Mesa.
"It's a little bit more, but it's just another expense," said Melissa
Thompson, who was filling the tank of her Ford Expedition on 17th Street.
A self-proclaimed Newport Beach "soccer mom," Thompson spends most of her
day shuttling her two kids and their friends around town. She estimates
driving about 25 to 75 miles each day.
"It's not really hurting us financially, but that can't be said for
everybody," she said. "What stinks is that we are subjected to these
prices and don't have a real say."
Other residents didn't seem too worried about the prices -- as long as
they are temporary. Officials from the federal Energy Department have
said a gallon of gas may reach $2 by the summer, considered a peak
driving time.
Costa Mesa resident Tammy Morris estimates she now spends about $40 a
week filling up her Honda Accord. Morris commutes every day to her job in
Laguna Hills and says she can handle the steady increases -- that is, if
prices go down sometime over the next six months.
"The price of nearly everything goes up at some point," she said as
she paid a cashier at an Arco station on Bay Street. "Movie tickets,
going to a ballgame, even a postage stamp have seen hikes. Gas is no
exception. It's not going to hurt in the day-to-day things, but in the
long run that may change."
Gas station attendants aren't hearing many complaints, either. Over at
the Shell station on Newport Boulevard near Fair Drive, store manager Al
Talebi said few customers have mentioned the increase.
The station actually has one of the higher prices in town with super
premium listed at $2.05 per gallon Thursday. Talebi also expects gas
prices to surge during the summer. Last July, he remembers a gallon of
gas cost about $1.60 -- about 15% higher than in prior months.
"We've had to change our signs about eight to 10 times in the last
month," he said. "This is the highest I've ever seen it, but I don't
think it's going to put a dent in the pockets of people who live around
here."
