I paid $107 to fill up — and other horror stories from LA’s out-of-control gas crisis

After Jill Gottlieb finished filling up her car at a Chevron station in downtown Los Angeles, the final tally on the gas pump read $107.

“This is crazy,” the social worker for the LA County Department of Health told The Post of the staggering amount she paid to top off her 2017 Mercedes. “I’ve never filled up my tank for this much before.”

As gas prices surge across the state, the Chevron station at 901 N. Alameda St. has become a stark symbol of the worsening pain at the pump plaguing Californians. 

A regular gallon of unleaded gas at the station goes for an eye-popping $8.21—leading drivers forced to fill up there speeding away in disgust. 

“This is f—ing crazy. What is this?” asked Crystal, of Orange County, whose Toyota RAV4 was running on empty when she pulled in.

“This was the closest station I could find, so I had to stop.I ’m only filling up enough to get home,” added the 36-year-old, who pumped 3.7 gallons for $30.47 and snapped photos of the price to send to her family. 

Two attendants at the Chevron station refused to answer questions about the sky-high prices, saying they signed a nondisclosure agreement.

Gas prices can vary widely depending on the brand, location and franchise owner, who set prices based on their own preference. 

On Saturday, the average cost of a regular gallon of gas in the state hit $5.07 — 17 cents more than Friday and 43 cents more than a week earlier, according to the American Automobile Association.

Prices in the Golden State remain well above the US average of $3.41 a gallon.

While prices per gallon in California usually rank among the highest in the nation, the recent attacks on Iran have sent fuel costs surging even more.

Drivers already pay a “California premium” that includes higher-than-average state excise and sales taxes, as well hefty fees for climate programs unique to the state.

The state also requires a costlier eco-friendly fuel blend, which only California’s refineries and specific Asian countries can produce.

Some lawmakers believe the combination of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s green agenda combined with instability in global oil markets could make the prices seen in downtown LA a reality statewide.

The situation risks potentially returning drivers to the desperate fuel rationing not seen since the 1970s, one lawmaker warned.

“It’s not scaremongering at all,” Southern California state Sen. Suzette Valladares told The Post of a report that found gas prices could reach $8 a gallon by the end of 2026.

At the station on Alameda Street, the future is now.

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