San Francisco officials announced additional measures to curb dangerous, unauthorized stunt-driving sideshows at a press conference at the Embarcadero on Friday morning. New state legislation will make actions that result in injuries during sideshows eligible for felony prosecution, add motorcycles to the list of vehicles subject to penalties, and increase consequences for participants by ramping up vehicle impoundment penalties.
Mayor Daniel Lurie, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, Supervisor Danny Sauter, and Police Chief Derrick Lew all spoke at the mid-morning presser, held at the intersection of The Embarcadero and Washington St., where a particularly notorious sideshow occurred in the summer of 2024, attracting stunt performances from around 200 vehicles, fireworks, and a car left burning in the middle of the intersection.
Chief Lew emphasized the need for stronger state legislation, describing sideshows as a highly mobile, regional problem.
“We’ve introduced a spot bill, so we’re still working on the exact language,” Stefani told reporters. “AB 1588 gives law enforcement the tools they need, establishes meaningful consequences, and creates real deterrence so this dangerous behavior is no longer tolerated.”
During the press conference, Stefani spoke further about the impact and dangers of street takeovers.
“You see it on Instagram, you see it on whatever social media you watch, you see news stories on TV. But for people who live close by to these incidents, it feels very different. They’re waking up in the middle of the night to explosions, screeching brakes, intersections overrun by hundreds of cars, fireworks going off, and cars spinning inches from crowds gathered to watch fires in the middle of the street,” she told reporters. ”And what I care deeply about increasingly is the presence of guns at these sideshows. People openly carrying firearms in these dense crowds. It’s a fear that someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed, like what happened to a 16-year-old in Crockett last year.”
Lurie and Sauter also outlined previous efforts to control sideshows at the local level, including the imposition of steeper fines for participants convicted of misdemeanor charges, passed on Dec. 17, and more proactive enforcement.
“Over the past year, we’ve taken a new approach,” Lurie told reporters. “Our citywide plainclothes team, uniformed officers, and most importantly, the Real-Time Investigation Center have gone to work using drones and license plate readers. Officers now have the tools to help them respond faster and more effectively.”
“In dense neighborhoods like Chinatown and North Beach, sideshows don’t just block streets; they also put residents, small businesses, and first responders at risk. We’re now seeing more conversations from residents showing concerns around sideshows and dangerous stunt bike driving,” Sauter told reporters. “So with that in mind, early in my term, I came to the mayor and said, ‘This is something we have to get serious about.’ And to his credit, he was on this right away. We knew we needed to go further, but it would take state-level legislation to do so. AB 1588 helps close enforcement gaps and gives the city stronger tools to hold repeat offenders accountable and protect our communities.”
Chief Lew emphasized the need for stronger state legislation, describing sideshows as a highly mobile, regional problem.
“It’s important to understand that to take on these challenges, we must act on the state level,” he told reporters. “Sideshows are a regional problem. Perpetrators come from near and far to wreak havoc in cities, around the Bay Area, including San Francisco. These groups do not stay in one area. The SFPD works closely with our Bay Area law enforcement Partners to address illegal sideshows, and we use technology like drones and license plate readers to disrupt and hold participants accountable. We regularly communicate with our partners to track where these groups are located and where they may be heading.”
Street takeovers by young people with performance-tuned vehicles have proven to be a persistent safety issue in San Francisco. On Jan. 18, police responded to a sideshow taking place near Clement St. and 32nd Ave. in the Richmond, arresting two out-of-town offenders with outstanding warrants and confiscating an assault rifle. Another sideshow erupted in the twilight hours of Dec. 27 on Kirkham St. near the Great Highway in the Outer Sunset, leaving behind damaged parked vehicles, including a burning U-Haul truck, and angering residents.
All of the officials encouraged residents to be more proactive in reporting sideshow activity to police, and Sauter thanked Stefani for introducing the new legislation.
“Assemblymember Stefani, we have your back on this. We’re going to work hard to make sure this gets passed,” he said.
This story has been updated.