A license plate celebrating lowrider culture could soon grace California cars

• A new specialized license plate celebrating lowrider culture and heritage could hit the streets in California due to a bill that recently cleared the Legislature.
• Like all specialty license plates, the new plate still requires 7,500 signatures of support to become reality, lobbyist and lowrider owner Steve Cruz said.
• If created, California drivers — no matter what car they drive — will be able to request the plate for a fee as part of their registration renewal paperwork. 

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Parked a block from the California State Capitol, Steve Cruz’s silver lowrider sports glossy tailfins and distinctive cat-eye taillights. 

Usually, the 1959 Chevrolet Impala sits on a lowrider’s traditional 13-inch wheels, but lately Cruz has swapped them for taller wheels adorned — like much of the car — with chrome. 

Even drivers of less exquisite vehicles may be able to share a piece of lowrider heritage after the California Legislature’s passage last week of a bill aiming to create a specialty license plate celebrating the iconic lowrider subculture. 

Authored by Assembly Member Mark Gonzalez of Los Angeles, the bill would have the California Arts Council coordinate the design and implementation of the license plate, which Californians could then request from the DMV. 

“I represent an area that is the heart of Boyle Heights (Los Angeles) … that is notorious for community gatherings that want to uplift … folks who take pride in making their cars beautifully,” Gonzalez said. 

Local Assembly Members Maggy Krell of Sacramento and Stephanie Nguyen of Elk Grove were among the lawmakers who co-authored the bill. It now awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. 

History of lowriders

The proposal is a recent example of California policies aimed at reducing the stigma and harassment that the largely Latino creators and drivers of lowriders historically faced, starting in the post-World War II era when the car subculture was born. 

Drivers were often profiled by police, and some California cities banned cruising.  

But in 2023, California adopted a law that blocked cities and towns from banning cruising and lifted restrictions on how low a vehicle could ride.

Earlier this year, Carlos Molina — lead organizer of the lowrider volunteer group Cruising for Community — and representatives of the Latino youth empowerment organization Brown Issues worked with Cruz to bring the license plate idea to the Capitol, said Cruz, who owns the lobbying firm Cruz Strategies.

Gonzalez then agreed to sponsor a bill, Cruz said. 

If signed, the bill will direct the Arts Council to sponsor the license plate, a process which would include doing community outreach and publicity about the effort. 

Not a done deal

The license plate’s supporters will also have to gather 7,500 signatures backing the idea, a process which all specialty license plate proposals follow, according to Cruz. The signatures would then be sent to the DMV.  

What the license plate art would look like remains to be seen. The bill would require it to “reflect lowrider culture and heritage,” according to an official summary of the proposal, and directs the Arts Council to consult with a nonprofit to create it.  

If the plate becomes a reality, drivers will have the option of paying a roughly $50 fee already in place for specialty license plates to get the lowrider plate, according to Cruz and Gonzalez. 

Drivers will have a chance to make the selection as part of the usual registration renewal paperwork they already fill out, Gonzalez said. 

Proceeds would go toward “projects that include, among others, supporting lowrider arts and cultural preservation efforts,” the bill summary states. 

Sacramento lowrider culture

For Cruz, the bill and his participation in lowrider culture carries personal weight, he said.  

Born in South Sacramento, Steve grew up around lowriders but never owned one of the coveted cars in his youth. 

Later, as a student at Sacramento State, Cruz became interested in politics while taking a class taught by Joe Serna Jr., Sacramento’s first Latino mayor.  

Cruz went on to work for California officials, including former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown. 

That launched his career in politics, Cruz said, and he ultimately opened his own firm.  

For the lobbyist, owning a lowrider in part represents a peaceful hobby. “I try to get out every Sunday just to go for a ride, have the top down, play the music. … Given the work that I do, (it is) a huge stress reliever.” 

Cruz hopes the lowrider license plate will help reduce the negative associations historically directed at lowriders.  

“I think we did it to sort of help remove the stigma,” he said. “And what I’ve seen is, like, an appreciation for the car and the culture that I haven’t seen before.” 

If California ultimately creates the lowrider license plate, Cruz hopes it will express the sense of community inherent in the car subculture.  

To Cruz, his lowrider represents “a connection to the people that share it.”