Gas prices drop

Don't get excited - they're down less than a penny a gallon, to an average of $4.608 a gallon in the L.A. area, according to the government's weekly survey. But with oil prices maintaining a $130- to $140-a-barrel price range – even after Sunday’s disappointing Saudi Arabian energy summit – it’s possible we're in for a little relief, as often happens this time of year. Bad news is that relief could just mean the absence of weekly 20 cent-a-gallon jumps.