Lowriding has been an expression of cultural identity in the United States for decades, born in the Mexican-American experience in southwestern states, including in California.Pachuco culture of the 1930s and 1940s grew in popularity among Chicanos and Mexican American youth in the U.S. It was associated with zoot suit fashion and jazz music popular at the time among people in the counterculture movement.Lowriding started as a culture of repurposing, specifically in the 1940s, when there were plenty of inexpensive cars from the 1930s available after World War II. Watch our documentary 'Lowrider Legacy' on the Very Local streaming appPachucos started lowering cars in the back, sometimes using cement blocks, cement bags, or parking blocks, to weigh down the trunk of the car, giving it a more provocative look. It was a form of rebellion against the status quo of Americana culture at the time.Lowriders were driven low and slow. Over the decades, hydraulics and more extravagant car builds came into play. Hydraulics became more prominent in lowrider car clubs as a way for drivers to modify their cars, lifting them higher or lower, depending on law enforcement or traffic laws on city streets.In the 1970s, lowriding was a large part of Cinco de Mayo celebrations and other expressions of the Chicano Rights Movement, which was a subset of the civil rights movement happening at the same time. Car club culture offered drivers and car enthusiasts in the lowrider culture the opportunity of community, culture, history, and intergenerational traditions. | VIDEO BELOW | How cruising, lowriding became an expression of Chicano culture in CaliforniaLowriders are often recognized by their unique stance, wheels, tires, paint jobs, murals, and other artistic touches. Lowrider Magazine was created in the 1970s as a media source for lowrider enthusiasts around the world. It was heavily influential in exposing people to what was happening in different barrios, or Mexican-American neighborhoods, throughout the southwestern part of the United States.Timeline of the push to lift the cruising banBy the 1980s, lowriding was becoming more popular across the U.S., but some were opposed to the concept.In California, a law prohibiting lowriding and cruising was put into place in 1988 after lawmakers signed a bill that allowed local governments to pass anti-cruising ordinances and vehicle codes.2022During the 2021-2022 legislative session, California lawmakers unanimously approved a resolution to recognize cruising and its cultural significance. Assembly Member Luz Rivas sponsored the resolution. In Sacramento, the lowrider community said the city broke a 1983 promise about having a designated space to cruise. This conversation came about after Sacramento in 2022 used the location — Miller Park — as a new safe ground site for homeless individuals. In many ways, this helped spur a push to lift an anti-cruising ordinance in Sacramento that same year.The vote came in May and in July, crews removed the last "no cruising" sign in Sacramento, which brought about much joy to lowriders. 2023A proposal to appeal a ban on lowrider cruising in California was introduced at the state Capitol in February. Assembly Bill 436, also known by many as "Cruising is not a Crime," would lift the ban on cruising in lowriders, making the cultural activity legal in cities across the state. Assembly members David Alvarez and Rivas co-sponsored the bill.AB 436 aimed to repeal sections of the California Vehicle Code to make cruising possible, prohibiting local authorities from stopping drivers from cruising and driving cars that had been modified to be a certain height.Modesto, the city that the film "American Graffiti" was based on, also chose to lift its cruising ban on July 2023.Many cities across the state would also go on to lift their bans.The law made its way through the legislative process, going through different committees, before being passed on Sept. 14.Lawmakers approved the bill that allowed local governments to pass anti-cruising ordinances and sent the proposal to Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 21. Newsom signed it into law on Oct. 13.| RELATED READ | California Museum exhibit shows off lowrider culture2024 Lowriding and cruising became legal across the state of California.ACR 218, as introduced by Rivas on June 17, 2024, is a measure that would celebrate the history and culture of lowriding and cruising, encouraging local officials and law enforcement to work with local car clubs to conduct safe cruising events, and declare the first Sunday of summer to be observed as California Lowrider Day.On June 24, the California State Assembly passed ACR 218 to celebrate and recognize California Lowrider Day.While lowriding is largely popular in Chicano, Hispanic, and Latino communities, people of all backgrounds have joined in on the lowriding and cruising lifestyle. It is now international, with lowriding car clubs in countries around the world, including Japan, Denmark and Australia.KCRA 3 followed the years-long efforts of Californians fighting for acceptance on a larger scale. See the history of lowriders from the perspective of the people who drive, build, and maintain these mobile works of art in our documentary "Lowrider Legacy," done in partnership with Very Local. The documentary is now streaming on Very Local. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter