Salinas officials discuss the future of legalizing cruising within city limits.

Once banned as an annoyance, in recent years cities across California have removed cruising ordinances. Although cruising – groups of drivers lapping city streets at a slow pace to see and be seen – was a widespread, nationwide phenomenon, many consider the bans racially motivated, mainly targeting Latinos for expressing their culture.

Salinas City Councilmember Orlando Osornio says residents reached out to him asking for a review of the local ordinance. “They would like to see cruising come back,” Osornio says.

Through the pandemic, cruising and related meetups increased since people couldn’t meet indoors. “The pandemic brought it back to life,” says Frank Calderon, president of the Oldies Car Club.

Current city code prohibits cruising on streets and highways. The city held a community meeting on Tuesday, April 25 (after the Weekly’s deadline) to discuss a cruising pilot program.

Osornio is one of several local leaders who support revising the current ordinance, along with City Councilmember Tony Barrera and County Supervisor Luis Alejo. “There’s a really big movement to not criminalize cruising,” Osornio says.

The Salinas City Center Improvement Association said in a statement that cruising would be an asset if it is properly regulated.

At the state level, a resolution to recognize cruising and its cultural significance was unanimously approved by the legislature with bipartisan support in 2022. A bill pending in the State Assembly that would remove cruising/lowriding bans across California has passed unanimously in three committees and has been referred to the consent calendar.