Market manipulation in Cali is crap.
If you want to see manipulation, come here.
You can drive 5 miles and see the same gas price on every corner. Doesn't matter what the company is.
How is that market manipulation? It may in fact be perfect competition. If one station lowers the price, the others have to follow or else they will lose business.
Sounds like it could be simple price matching. Someone (not always the same one) leads and the others follow. For many years, it happened here. Often, the change would happen so fast -- usually overnight -- you'd almost think they had a meeting.
Then, a couple years ago, it gradually went away. Now, from one side of town to the other (about 10 miles), there might be as much as a nickel spread. I can only guess Wal-Mart and Sam's Club entering the market might have had something to do with it.
Try gasbuddy.com.