Vehicle for Change Timeline

December 2017

Albuquerque City Councilor Klarissa Pena convened the Cruising Task Force to explore options and make recommendations to promote cruising in the City of Albuquerque.

November 2018

Albuquerque City Council repealed the No-Cruising Ordinance and enacted legislation to create a Special Interest Vehicle Recognition Program to celebrate the local lowrider community.

December 2018

The Albuquerque Police Department started retrofitting one of its decommissioned Crown Victoria police vehicles into a lowrider police vehicle (through in-kind contributions in materials and labor from the local lowrider community and at-risk youth).  The retrofitting of this vehicle began the process of bridging the gap between local lowrider community, business community, law enforcement, and youth.

August 2019

City Councilor Klarissa Pena partnered with the Albuquerque Isotopes and Triple-A Baseball Affiliate, the New Mexico Mariachis, to host “Lowrider Day” at Isotopes Park.  Every year moving forward, the local lowrider community displays their lowriders outside of Isotopes Park before the game.

December 2019

The Albuquerque Police Department and City Councilor Klarissa Pena partner with Nusenda Credit Union to present a $5,000 scholarship to high schooler for winning the APD Lowrider Mural Art Contest.  The high schooler’s art work was then featured on the lowrider police vehicle’s hood.

May 2021

The Albuquerque Police Department, Albuquerque City Council, Mayor’s Office, and Albuquerque lowrider community unveiled lowrider police vehicle and started using it in schools and events.

December 2021

CABQ convened the first National Cruising Community Policing Conference in Albuquerque, bringing together educators, law enforcement officers, lowriders, local officials, and youth from other communities around the country that have also developed lowrider police vehicles and lowrider bike clubs and/or have repealed their local anti-cruising legislation.  This Conference dovetailed the Albuquerque Supershow, attracting lowrider clubs from around the country to display their vehicles and compete at the Albuquerque Convention Center.  These two integrated events would continue to be held on an annual basis.

August 2022

Albuquerque City Council staff visited Olathe, Kansas to learn about their lowrider bike club and model.  This helped City Councilor Klarissa Pena develop her own program to start in Albuquerque.

March 2023

City Councilor Klarissa Pena, the Albuquerque Police Department, the Youth and Family Services Department, and the local lowrider community partnered to launch the Duke City Leadership Lowrider Bike Club at the Westgate Community Center Annex, providing high school students with the opportunity to work with mentors to customize lowrider bikes.  

April 2023

Albuquerque City Council adopted a policy brief developed by the Cruising Task Force that served as a “road map” for other cities to repeal anti-cruising legislation in their communities.

October 2023

City Councilor Klarissa Peña sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom encouraging his support and signature on AB 436, removing the authorization for a local government in California to adopt rules and regulations on cruising.  AB 436 was co-written with the United Lowrider Coalition based out of National City, California, which used the policy brief adopted by the Albuquerque City Council to develop its advocacy strategy for getting AB 436 adopted.

December 2023

Albuquerque City Council staff visits National City, California to celebrate the enactment of AB 436 and to identify strategies to work with other cities to repeal their anti-cruising legislation.