A pedestrian looks at high gasoline prices at a gas station in Los Angeles Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. Motorists in California paid an average of $4.232 per gallon Wednesday. That’s 45 cents higher than the national average and exceeded only by Hawaii among the 50 states.

Damian Dovarganes / AP

A pedestrian looks at high gasoline prices at a gas station in Los Angeles Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012. Motorists in California paid an average of $4.232 per gallon Wednesday. That’s 45 cents higher than the national average and exceeded only by Hawaii among the 50 states.