Ban On Cruising: Sacramento City Leaders To Consider Repealing Decades-Old Law

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sacramento city leaders on Tuesday will consider repealing a controversial law that's been in place for more than three decades.

Cruising in a car is currently banned in the city, but car enthusiasts say it's time that law is driven off the books.

Nicholas Rodriguez grew up cruising Sacramento streets.

"We'd go down to Broadway, go to Miller's, go to Old Sac, and kind of go in a circle," he said.

But that's currently illegal under Sacramento's anti-cruising ordinance which is more than three decades old.

"I think it's unfair," Rodriguez said.

So for months, Sacramento's lowrider community has been meeting with city leaders, trying to remove the cruising ban.

"We do not do sideshows. We don't do donuts. We don't rev our vehicles. We don't speed. We are low and slow," said Olivia Fonseca with the Sacramento Lowrider Commission.

The anti-cruising measures were put in place in 1983 by then-Mayor Joe Serna following an increase in violent attacks and vandalism on nights when people would cruise. Hundreds of cars would clog streets and businesses along Broadway complained they were losing customers due to the large crowds.

"It's time to repeal that ordinance," Fonseca said.

Fonseca says there are already laws on the books to prohibit unsafe driving.

"If you're in an intersection and you stop there, or if you're running a red light, or even if you are doing sideshows, there are California vehicle codes that address those particular incidents," she said.

Some restaurant and store owners worry that a repeal would lead to increased traffic and noise.

"It could be detrimental," said Troy Paski with Hoppy Brewing Company.

But the Broadway business district says they have worked with car clubs to address concerns and they are not opposed to overturning the cruising ban.

"All we want to do is cruise," Fonseca said.

And lowrider enthusiasts say if the city allows cruising to come back, they plan on self-policing each other to make sure drivers don't create a hazard.

"We tell them, 'Hey man, you can't do that over here because you'll get us kicked out of here,' " Rodriguez said.

Last week, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced that he supports overturning the ban on cruising along with tougher laws against sideshows and reckless driving.