Two months after two men died in connection to sideshows, Sacramento council cracks down
Two months after two men were killed in shootings connected to local sideshows, the Sacramento City Council Tuesday cracked down on the street takeovers.
The council voted Tuesday to increase penalties for people who watch, participate or promote sideshows on social media, as well as added language to declare the act a public nuisance. In addition, police will also be able to use drones to enforce the code.
The vote was unanimous, with Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela abstaining.
Violating the code will still be a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail, as it already was. But the penalty will double, from $500 to $1,000, according to a city staff report. For each day the violation continues, the person can face fines up to $25,000 per day.
Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed new laws, going into effect Jan. 1, to make it easier for cities to impound vehicles used in a sideshow without first obtaining a warrant.
Councilwoman Lisa Kaplan, who led the charge to adopt the ordinance, called the events “criminal street parties.”
“Sideshows are no longer what we think about from the ‘60s and ‘70s, what we see in old movies,” said Kaplan, adding she comes from a car racing family. “But they are more like criminal street parties organized on social media around vehicle stunt shows that involve dangerous maneuvers, ghost riding and as we’ve seen in Sacramento, lead to the death of several individuals.”
On Sept. 22, two men in their 20s were killed in North Sacramento in shootings police said were connected to sideshows.
Last year, Sacramento police received 277 calls related to sideshows but were only able to cite 51 people and tow 31 vehicles, Kaplan said.
Several residents attended the council meeting to urge the council to approve the ordinance, sharing stories of being awoken in the middle of the night or being blocked from walking or driving down certain streets, especially near the former Arco Arena in Kaplan’s North Natomas district.
It costs the city up to $100,000 to clean up after each sideshow, according to the city staff report. During a recent sideshow incident at the intersection of Kelton Way and Main Avenue in North Sacramento, city costs for traffic control, re-striping all markings affected, and associated administrative costs was about $40,000.
Valenzuela abstained because she said she wanted a more in-depth discussion.
“I think this notion that simply making punishment harsher will deter crime has been proven wrong again and again,” Valenzuela said. “I think we should understand the root cause of what’s happening.”
Councilwoman Mai Vang asked if the ordinance will mean people could be fined who are there showing off cars, but not participating in the speeding or racing. Kaplan said no.
Mayor Darrell Steinberg said the legitimate car clubs and lowriders, who are mostly people of color, should not be stigmatized by the ordinance, and are different from “people acting stupid.”
Kaplan said the majority of the ordinance will soon go into effect Jan. 1, when the state law also goes into effect. District Attorney Thien Ho supports the ordinance and is prepared to prosecute, she said.
The vote occurred just three weeks prior to a new mayor and two new council people being sworn in Dec. 10.
