SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The American Automobile Association of California said some drivers are now paying up to $5 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.

Monterey station KSBW is reporting drivers in Gorda, Calif., are paying $5 for gas.

Light, sweet crude for December delivery fell 22 cents to $96.15 a barrel Thursday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, but alternated frequently between gains and losses. Prices fell slightly Wednesday after the government reported a smaller-than-expected decline in crude inventories.

Over the past two weeks gas has gone up 15 cents in California alone, according to AAA.

Crude prices are within the range of inflation-adjusted highs set in early 1980. Depending on how the adjustment is calculated, $38 a barrel then would be worth $96 to $103 or more Thursday.