Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 176
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 161
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 176—Relative to cruising. [Filed with Secretary of State August 30, 2022.]
legislative counsel’s digest
ACR 176, Luz Rivas. Cruising.
This measure w ould celebrate the history and culture of cruising and encourage local officials and law enforcement to work with local car clubs to conduct safe cruising events.
WHEREAS, Cruising is the custom of leisurely dri ving on urban boulevards in dropped and dolled-up v ehicles, that includes meetups of lowrider, vintage, and custom vehicle owners; and
WHEREAS, Cruising is all about fun, the love of cars, the love of culture, and the craft of maintaining a vintage vehicle; and
WHEREAS, Cruising can occur as gatherings where cars are parked and owners show off their cars and admire other cars, or as one-off cruises where people gather and drive their cars through the streets; and WHEREAS, Cruising in some form has been popular in California since the first American teenagers obtained vehicles in the 1930s; and WHEREAS, Cruising along a specific route became popular after World War II with individuals of Mexican heritage driving lowriders in southern California towns, and cruising rapidly became a popular acti vity among teenagers; and
WHEREAS, Lowriders are customized cars whose springs ha ve been shortened so that the chassis rides close to the ground and which are often equipped with hydraulic lifts that are controlled by the driver; and WHEREAS, The West Coast style vintage lo wrider car is embedded throughout popular culture and is frequently featured in films, music videos, video games, museums, marketing, and the digital NFT art world; and WHEREAS, The fountainhead of lowrider culture is Whittier Boulevard in East Los Angeles; and
WHEREAS, Van Nuys Boule vard and the San Fernando Valley are popular hubs of lowrider culture and cruising in California; and WHEREAS, The San Fernando Valley Car and Truck Club Council is a highly respected body of car and truck clubs in the San Fernando Valley; and
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Lo wrider Council is an adv ocacy organization and recently marked its 40th year in operation; and WHEREAS, Sacramento car clubs are dedicated to preserving the art, hobby, and culture; and
96 WHEREAS, The Sacramento Lo wrider Commission w as instrumental in the repeal of a 34-year-old city ordinance that prohibited cruising; and WHEREAS, Whittier Boulevard, Van Nuys Boulevard, Laurel Can yon Boulevard, Hollyw ood Boule vard, Crensha w Boule vard, Colorado Boulevard, and McHenry Avenue are among the most famous cruising strips in California; and
WHEREAS, Lo wrider communities are also thri ving in the Cities of Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland; and
WHEREAS, Mission Street in San Francisco, Broadw ay Boulevard in Sacramento, Lake Merritt in Oakland, and Story and Kings Road in San Jose are famous cruising strips in northern California; and WHEREAS, Cruising has resurged in the last 10 years and cruises and lowrider meetups occur e very week end throughout southern California, from Oxnard to Riverside to San Diego to Lancaster; and WHEREAS, Car club gatherings have been drawing new types of vehicles driven by younger motorists influenced by the “Fast and the Furious” media franchise; and
WHEREAS, While cruising is most popular among Latinos, cruising is becoming increasingly popular among man y other groups including Armenians, African Americans, and Persians; and
WHEREAS, Car clubs are often eng aged with their communities and collaborate with local law enforcement and elected officials to conduct toy drives, fundraisers, and other philanthropic activities; and WHEREAS, Car clubs ha ve participated in CO VID-19 vaccine drives, raised money for local causes, raised a wareness about the census count, engaged in activism, and advocated for the community; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate ther eof concurring, That the Legislature celebrates the history and culture of cruising and encourages local officials and law enforcement to work with local car clubs to conduct safe cruising events; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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96 — 2 — Res. Ch. 161