Lowrider cruising is about to become legal again in Fresno, and that’s a good thing | Opinion

Lowrider cruising — the slow driving of lowered American cars and trucks tricked out with fancy hydraulics and paint jobs — has been banned on Fresno streets for more than 30 years.

But that is about to change.

Assuming the Fresno City Council gives a second approval to a measure it backed in December, the prohibition on cruising enacted nearly 34 years ago will end. That means lowriders like Efren Gallardo of Reedley will once again be able to enjoy a favored pastime without fear of violating the law.

“Cruising is like therapy, it just brings joy,” Gallardo said. Now 47, he said he’s been cruising since he was 17.

He admits that lowriding “has always been associated with gang members and drug dealers.” But nothing could be further from the truth. Today, “it is totally the opposite. When we get together, it is one toy and one jacket to help the less fortunate.”

The council ordinance, sponsored by southeast Fresno City Councilmember Luis Chavez, would repeal the section of the Fresno Municipal Code that outlaws cruising.

Chavez’s bill notes that such a repeal would make the city consistent with a state law passed last year and signed by Gov. Newsom that allows cruising to resume in cities across the state and forbids municipalities from keeping or enacting such bans.

Given cruising’s significance in the Latino culture, doing away with the prohibition in Fresno, a majority-Hispanic city, is the right thing to do.

Lowrider stigma

Chavez said one reason he authored the measure was to remove the negative stigma attached to the lowrider community.

“This is something very important to the Latino community,” he said in a text message. “For many years, people had the impression that lowrider car clubs were criminal gang members, drug dealers or bad people.

“With this removal (of the cruising ban) and lowrider cars being allowed to cruise, that stigma will hopefully be removed and people can cruise with peace of mind.”

Presuming final passage of the ordinance, Chavez said he hopes to soon remove signs along Kings Canyon Boulevard that say cruising is not allowed.

It was on that roadway that Gallardo first met his wife Valerie. It happened on a cruise night.

Today she is as active in cruising as her husband — his wife drives a bright red 1961 Chevrolet Impala, while Gallardo drives a blue 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood.

Gallardo noted that car “sideshows” are the real problem. Those are impromptu demonstrations of cars performing screeching “doughnut” circles in intersections while hundreds of people look on, a la the “Fast and Furious” movie series.

“All it takes is for one person to lose control and kill a kid,” Gallardo said.

He is absolutely right. The authorities have cracked down on illegal sideshows in recent years because they endanger the public. Lowrider cruising is nothing like that.

In another sign of the local importance of cruising, the Fresno Grizzlies honored the city’s Hispanic culture in 2019 with two lowrider weekends, and the team name changed from the Grizzlies to the Lowriders. Special logos adorned the players uniforms. A car show was part of those events at the ballpark.

Soon Fresno residents will be able to see lowrider cars on local streets. Chavez hopes a cruising event can be held in February.

Honoring a part of the city’s Latino culture is the right step for Fresno to take. The council should adopt Chavez’s measure when it meets on Thursday. The new law will take effect a month later.

Correction: The year of Valerie Gallardo’s Impala has been corrected from the initial posting.

This story was originally published January 10, 2024 at 5:30 AM.