Sacramento officials consider removing ban on lowriding

The Sacramento Lowrider Commission has been in talks with city officials since an anti-cruising ordinance sparked a conversation on whether that ordinance should exist. Sacramento leaders including Mayor Darrel Steinberg said it is an unfair stereotype to associate lowriders with gangs or violence, and he would want to see these signs prohibiting lowriding removed. This conversation all started months ago when Miller Park was designated as a safe ground for individuals experiencing homelessness. However, this came into conflict with a promise the lowrider commission said the city made with it almost 40 years ago. That promise by the city was to designate Miller Park as a place to host cruises and events. Read That Story Here | Sacramento Lowrider Commission says city broke promise by making Miller Park a ‘safe ground site'”It’s not necessary to have or to be policed ​​in the way that maybe they were policing us back in the day,” said Shavolla Rodríguez, a community and youth liaison with the Sacramento Lowrider Commission. Council Member Katie Valenzuela, who brought up the conversation at Tuesday’s city council meeting, said she was not aware of the agreement but saw the meeting as the perfect opportunity to review the ordinance. “This is an outdated law that hasn’t been used and needs to be taken off the books, and PD (The Sacramento Police Department) right now is talking about additional laws that might be needed for sideshows, and it’s a totally different issue than cruising, so we’re really looking to continue with the conversation tonight and hopefully repealing this ordinance sooner rather than later,” Valenzuela said.She added that the current homeless safe ground at Miller Park isn’t permanent and once they open more housing and shelters, they’ll be moving out — a time frame for that move-out has not been established.As the city council looks into the possible removal of the anti-cruising ordinance, the commission said it wants the 1983 agreement that allows them to use Miller Park to stay in place.”We feel that the park has a better use than we used it for the lowrider community. There are plenty of buildings and parking lots that can be used, and the reality is that a parking lot is not a place where t he homeless should be put in,” said Israel Rodríguez, with the Sacramento Lowrider Commission. KCRA 3 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department, which said it has not identified any relationship between local lowrider groups and sideshow activities.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

The Sacramento Lowrider Commission has been in talks with city officials since an anti-cruising ordinance sparked a conversation on whether that ordinance should exist.

Sacramento leaders including Mayor Darrel Steinberg said it is an unfair stereotype to associate lowriders with gangs or violence, and he would want to see these signs prohibiting lowriding removed.

This conversation started months ago when Miller Park was designated as a safe ground for individuals experiencing homelessness. However, this came into conflict with a promise the lowrider commission said the city made with it almost 40 years ago. That promise by the city was to designate Miller Park as a place to host cruises and events.

Read That Story Here | Sacramento Lowrider Commission says city broke promise by making Miller Park a ‘safe ground site’

“It’s not necessary to have or to be policed ​​in the way that maybe they were policing us back in the day,” said Shavolla Rodríguez, a community and youth liaison with the Sacramento Lowrider Commission.

Council Member Katie Valenzuela, who brought up the conversation at Tuesday’s city council meeting, said she was not aware of the agreement but saw the meeting as the perfect opportunity to review the ordinance.

“This is an outdated law that hasn’t been used and needs to be taken off the books, and PD (The Sacramento Police Department) right now is talking about additional laws that might be needed for sideshows, and it’s a totally different issue than cruising, so we’re really looking to continue with the conversation tonight and hopefully repeating this ordinance sooner rather than later,” Valenzuela said.

She added that the current homeless safe ground at Miller Park isn’t permanent and once they open more housing and shelters, they’ll be moving out — a time frame for that move-out has not been established.

As the city council looks into the possible removal of the anti-cruising ordinance, the commission said it wants the 1983 agreement that allows them to use Miller Park to stay in place.

“We feel that the park has a better use than we used it for the lowrider community. There are plenty of buildings and parking lots that can be used, and the reality is that a parking lot is not a place where the homeless should be put in,” said Israel Rodríguez, with the Sacramento Lowrider Commission.

KCRA 3 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department, which said it has not identified any relationship between local lowrider groups and sideshow activities.