Car cruising bans, regulations could be lifted in California under new bill
EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A new state bill is proposing to repeal bans and regulations on car cruising.
Driving low and slow, or car cruising down a road in Southern California mostly became popular in the Mexican-descent community after World War II.
Since then customized cars are still seen on the streets like Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles. According to state officials, it's the fountainhead of lowrider culture.
"It's better than Disneyland. That's definite," said Alex Parra, a member of the Elusive Car Club. "It's family. That's all it is for us. It's spending time together out here and cruising is the biggest thing to do."
In the 1980s, the state legislature passed a law allowing cities to ban cruising. Now, lawmakers like Assemblywoman Luz Rivas wants to change that by co-authoring AB 436. A bill that "would remove the authorization for a local authority to adopt rules and regulations by ordinance or regulation regarding cruising."
"It means we will be able to cruise without worrying about getting a ticket, or pulling up to the boulevard and the boulevard is closed off because they don't want nobody cruising. We'll be able to have fun," said Jose Dominguez, a member of Numinis Mini Truck Club.
Some car club members said in the past, cruising overlapped with crime and violence, but that's not the case anymore and the current law is outdated.
In part of a statement, Rivas said: "Cruising is a critical part of Chicano culture where it is a form of self-expression and cultural identity. For decades, Latinos have been told that this form of self-expression is illegal."
"It's become more family oriented than it was back in the day to me," said Dominguez.
The next step for the bill is to be reviewed by a committee.
"They need to have places where we can go to," said Parra.
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