San Jose Lawmakers Approve Plan To Punish Sideshow Promoters
SAN JOSE (KPIX) - A plan to stop illegal sideshows before they get started just got a green light in San Jose.
The San Jose City Council voted unanimously, Tuesday night, to move forward with a proposal to create harsher punishments for people who promote and post about sideshows on social media.
The Council will direct the City Attorney to draft an ordinance.
Councilwoman Maya Esparza and Councilwoman Dev Davis authored the proposal.
The plan also includes the creation of a county-wide task force made up of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, the California Highway Patrol and city law enforcement agencies who would respond to sideshows no matter where they take place in the county.
"We really need to have a regional response," Councilwoman Esparza told KPIX. "I think we've been really lucky that no one has been killed or seriously injured so far in the past year, especially, as we've seen them grow in size and become more dangerous."
Tuesday's vote comes after a weekend of illegal sideshows that kept Bay Area law enforcement busy.
On Saturday, four bystanders were struck during a sideshow in San Francisco's Mission District. On Sunday, another San Francisco sideshow under the Highway 101 overpass caused major traffic delays.