Lowriding was once banned in Sacramento. Now, it’s celebrated on Capitol Mall
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Cruising for Community hosted 250 lowriders at Capitol Mall in Sacramento.
- Organizers used regional input to select cars with cultural and community impact.
- California legalized cruising in 2023, marking policy shift toward lowrider culture.
Armando Lara-Millán was about to join hundreds of polished, modified and brightly colored cars in Sacramento when the back windshield of his new lowrider flew onto the highway.
Lara-Millán’s destination was the third annual Lowrider Holiday Celebration where cars like his lined four blocks of Capitol Mall Sunday afternoon. Without a windshield, Lara-Millan went from participant to spectator.
“It’s all good,” Lara-Millán, an associate professor of sociology at UC Berkeley, said. “It’s all part of the game.”
The Lowrider Holiday Celebration was organized by Cruising for Community, a volunteer organization committed to sharing lowrider culture with the public. Lowriders — customized vintage cars, often with height adjustable suspensions and intricate artwork along their bodies — are a cultural product of Mexican American and Latino communities, according to Carlos Molina III, lead organizer of Cruising for Community.
Molina estimated that the event featured 250 lowriders from across California, including Los Angeles, Chico and Sacramento. In the space between the cars, Cruising for Community brought together DJs, food trucks and clothing vendors for hundreds of attendees.
The celebration’s wide reach made Capitol Mall an ideal site.
“If we really want to make a statement that California is where culture is celebrated not criminalized,” Molina said, “then we want to make it on the red carpet to the state Capitol.”
But the location also has a downside.
“This footprint now, for the lowriders that want to be part of it, is too small, believe it or not,” Molina said.
To decide which cars were allocated a spot, Cruising for the Community used regional liaisons familiar with the lowriders in their respective communities. This year, Molina said, 40 cars from Sacramento were represented at the event.
“We prioritize those who have been lowriding for a number of years; those who put on community events like turkey drives, toy drives and backpack giveaways; those that are going to be a great representation of lowriders across the state,” Molina said.
Compared to most other lowriders, Lara-Millán is a newcomer. He joined Low Creations, a San Francisco-based car club, five years ago. Low Creations has a dozen other members, and celebrated its 50th anniversary last October. For Lara-Millán, Low Creations provides a space to learn about history as much as mechanics.
“It had car club members who could teach me the tradition of lowriding, how to master the art and persevere through the difficulties of owning a 50-year-old car,” Lara-Millán said.
One of those experienced members is Don Alonzo, whose bright-red lowrider was on display at the celebration. He bought the car nine years ago for his 50th birthday and has given it a fresh paint job, leather interior and chrome undercarriage.
Alonzo grew up admiring lowriders in the Mission District of San Francisco. When he was 10, he decided he would build one of his own. But in Alonzo’s youth, lowriders were often penalized. Alonzo recalled police issuing tickets for little wheels, hydraulics and other modifications typical of the car.
“Its enough for the individual to say, ‘Screw this,’ and that’s when it declined in the 80s,” Alonzo said.
Since then, legislative changes have paved the way for lowriding to be celebrated. In 2022, Sacramento repealed its ban on lowriding, and the next year, Gov. Newsom legalized lowriding cruising in California.
Mayor Kevin McCarty told attendees on Sunday that he was proud of Sacramento’s leading effort to legalize lowriding. As part of the celebration, he roamed Capitol Mall and selected his 10 favorite cars. The winners received a certificate to commemorate the mayor’s choice.
While the cars may be the main attraction for visitors, Alonzo does not think they define lowrider culture.
“It’s not even about having a car,” he said. “When you understand the hardships the movement took to get here, that’s what makes you a lowrider.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2025 at 5:18 PM.
