Buffeted by skyrocketing fuel costs and high housing prices, California consumer confidence plummeted in the third quarter, according to a survey from the Anderson Center for Economic Research at Chapman University.

The consumer confidence index fell to 79.5 in the third quarter, off 16 points from the second quarter’s 95.6 and down 30 points from a high of 110.6 in the third quarter of 2004. A value of 100 indicates an equal number of pessimistic and optimistic consumers. The third quarter reading is the second-lowest since the survey was established in 2002.

The survey showed plunges in consumer confidence about both current and future economic conditions. Consumers also indicated they intended to cut back on their future spending. It also mirrors a nationwide trend.

The monthly national consumer sentiment index also released on Friday from the University of Michigan showed consumer confidence falling to 76.9 in September, down from 89.1 in August. It, too, reflected large drops in optimism about both current and future economic conditions, brought about in large part by the impact of Hurricane Katrina.