The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on Tuesday to pass a move to stricter civil penalties against those who take part in and watch illegal street takeovers.
Doubled the misdemeanor fine, county officials said the proposal is essentially a way to stop street acquisitions before they begin as they become more common and in some cases fatal in LA and nearby counties.
Just Sunday night, more than 150 vehicles took part in what police called a “reckless driving takeover” at a shopping centre in Santa Ana.
In September, three cars collided with a metro bus around Vermont Vista, trying to begin a street acquisition.
These are just some examples of what Supervisor Holly Mitchell said is often happening weekly, especially in some of the county’s uninclusive areas.
“From seniors and young families, “Supervisor, Mitchell, every weekend, every Friday, every Saturday night, we hear it, we hear it, we hear it, we come closer to our home,” Mitchell told KTLA’s Rachel Menithov.
Mitchell is leading the fees to double the $1,000 misdemeanor fine for those who organize, promote these types of events and attend.
Her proposal bans acquisitions across public highways and includes off-street parking.
They also chase promoters, including those who announce acquisitions on social media, stream action live, and gain big supporters by collecting pay in return.
The proposal will promote “demoting profiles and demo profiles that promote illegal sideshows on major social media platforms.”
When asked if Mitchell thought the proposal would really stop the appeal of street takeover, she replied. “I want it. I want it. I know there is no one singular solution, but I really want you to make our public education efforts along with our public education efforts for those who understand the true dangers that create their own family, friends, neighbors, and communities.”
Over 150 cars take over Orange County Shopping Centre with reckless driving
According to statistics from Safe (Streets is for everyone) , the last quarter of 2024 saw a 64% increase in street acquisitions, with several events seen in some regions on the same night.
“Another aspect of the public health crisis is that attendees are not just people living in the community, but also people who attend as well. In many cases, we see deaths occur because the cars are out of control.” “This cannot continue to happen. We cannot continue to see these victims, these injuries, these individuals continuing to wreak havoc.”
Tuesday’s vote means that the Board of Supervisors supports the amendment, but you will need to vote to adopt the amendment once written.
There will be another vote in the future to approve the revised language.
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