Title
First Reading of an Ordinance to Add Chapter 4-44 "Sideshows, Street Races and Reckless Driving Exhibitions" to Title 4 "Public Welfare" of the San Leandro Municipal Code to Prohibit Spectators at Sideshows, Street Races, and Reckless Driving Exhibitions
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
* Public Safety
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Approval of this ordinance will make it unlawful to knowingly be a spectator at a sideshow event, or at the location in preparations for a sideshow event. Violation of this ordinance is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six months, or by both. Staff recommends adding Chapter 4-44 "Sideshows, Street Races and Reckless Driving Exhibitions" to Title 4 "Public Welfare" of the San Leandro Municipal Code to Prohibit Spectators at Sideshows, Street Races, and Reckless Driving Exhibitions.
BACKGROUND
Sideshows and related reckless driving behaviors are a significant quality of life concern for San Leandro residents. These events are problematic not only in San Leandro, but in the region. They create unsafe environments, with some events causing or resulting in violent crimes occurring.
Reported sideshow events in the City of San Leandro are as follows: 2021 there were 76, 2022 there were 55, and in 2023 (through October) there were 43.
In 2023, the San Leandro Police Department, in cooperation with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and Hayward Police Department formed a Regional Sideshow Enforcement Team (ReSET). ReSET's mission focuses on the reduction of dangerous and unlawful gatherings known as "sideshows," reckless driving, and associated violent crime through targeted bi-weekly pro-active enforcement within Hayward, San Leandro, and unincorporated Alameda County.
This collaborative effort resulted in the following:
* Arrests:
o Misdemeanor - 134
o Felony - 66
* Traffic Stops
o 1,429
* Guns Seized
o 27
* Known Sid...
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