California Contract Cities Association Calls for State Action Amid Deadly Rise in Street Racing and Takeovers

Elected officials from the cities of Artesia, Bellflower, Bell Gardens, Downey, El Monte, Lakewood, Norwalk, Paramount, Pico Rivera, San Fernando, Santa Fe Springs, and West Hollywood gathered at a California Contract Cities Association meeting to discuss statewide strategies aimed at curbing illegal street racing and street takeovers.

January 8, 2026

By Brian Hews

Sacramento, CA — The California Contract Cities Association called on state leaders to advance preventative, technology-based solutions to address the surge in illegal street racing and street takeovers, activities that have led to hundreds of crashes, severe injuries, and dozens of deaths across Southern California.

Over recent years, Los Angeles County law enforcement agencies documented more than 1,000 street takeover events within an approximately 18-month period, highlighting the scope and persistence of the problem. Statewide data linked street racing and takeover activity to at least 264 crashes, 124 serious injuries, and 30 fatalities.

“These were not isolated incidents or quality-of-life complaints—they were predictable, preventable tragedies,” said Marcel Rodarte, Executive Director of the California Contract Cities Association. He described the situation as a countywide public safety emergency, noting that cities were being asked to confront a fast-moving, regional threat using enforcement tools designed for a different era.

Recent incidents across Los Angeles County illustrated the severity of the issue. In Compton and Willowbrook, street takeovers escalated into fatal crashes and violence near crowded intersections. In Pomona, an illegal street race resulted in the death of a pedestrian. In West Compton, a high-speed racing crash killed vehicle occupants and injured firefighters responding to an emergency.

Cities also reported extensive secondary impacts, including damaged road infrastructure, vandalized business corridors, repeated street closures, increased public safety costs, and long-term economic harm to neighborhoods frequently targeted for takeovers.

“At the local level, this issue arrived after tragedy—after the crash, after the sirens, after families were permanently changed,” said Brenda Olmos, President of the association and Vice Mayor of Paramount. She said residents deserved preventative laws and tools rather than responses limited to cleanup and enforcement after incidents occurred.

Association leaders emphasized that enforcement alone had not been sufficient. Street racing and takeovers were often coordinated through social media, moved rapidly across jurisdictional boundaries, and created safety risks that limited traditional enforcement responses.

Victims’ advocates echoed the call for prevention-focused approaches. Lili Trujillo-Puckett, founder of Street Racing Kills, said the deaths associated with illegal racing were foreseeable and therefore unacceptable, adding that families were seeking accountability and prevention rather than condolences after lives were lost.

The association urged the Legislature and Governor to pursue a comprehensive statewide framework that included stronger accountability for repeat offenders and organizers, technology-enabled tools to identify and disrupt dangerous behavior before crashes occur, and targeted state investment in prevention infrastructure such as intersection hardening, traffic-calming measures, rapid repair funding, and data-driven hotspot mitigation.

“This problem crossed city lines in minutes and demanded a statewide solution,” said Gustavo Camacho, Legislative Chair of the association and Mayor of Pico Rivera. He said cities were prepared to act but needed modern tools from state leaders to better protect lives.

The association said it would continue working with state officials, public safety partners, and community advocates to advance solutions focused on prevention, accountability, and public safety on California’s streets.