Antioch city leaders discuss measures against sideshows

Many Bay Area cities are looking for ways to combat dangerous entertainment, and in Antioch, city leaders met Tuesday to discuss a new entertainment enforcement ordinance.

This was the fourth time the issue had come before council, and the mayor said he was tired of the delays.

In one south Antioch neighborhood, almost every intersection has the telltale circular tire marks of a tourist spectacle.

“All the dogs start barking, people are scared. It feels like something is about to hit your house,” said a man who lives near one of the intersections. He explained that individual cars often arrive at 3 a.m. just to practice for about 5 minutes. But the other day a whole crowd showed up.

“Oh, it was crazy. There were about 200 people around. They blocked all the entrances to that road, so the cops couldn’t get in,” he said. “People can’t cross the road and they’ve complained, they’ve contacted the city in the past, but nothing has happened.”

Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe buried his face in his hands. He said he tried three other times to get his council colleagues to pass an entertainment ordinance, without success. The city is trying, using drones and installing small bumps at some intersections, but right now police have no authority to punish anyone except the drivers themselves. Some believe the law should also hold spectators accountable, and perhaps more importantly, those who organize and advertise mass performances.

“This has been the most effective tool we have as a city to stop the shows,” Hernandez-Thorpe said, “when we are proactive with law enforcement to find those who are organizing them and dismantle. That’s when we were ”

Some Council members thought the previous proposals were too strict, others thought they were not strict enough. As a result, nothing was adopted. At Tuesday’s meeting, the mayor gave them the choice of several orders: hold only organizers accountable or include spectators as well. Either way, he said it was time to make a choice.

“That’s what we’re paid for: to vote. And that’s it. It’s not complicated and it’s not rocket science,” the mayor said. “And so, if they want to play games, we’ll display them full screen. Here are the two ordinances…pick one. But we’ll pick one, and we’ll move forward.”

Hernandez-Thorpe said even if an ordinance were passed immediately, it wouldn’t take effect until September. This would therefore not apply to the remaining summer months, when most show activity takes place. The order aims to hold violators accountable. The mayor thinks this should also apply to lawmakers.