Hayward City Council votes to make it unlawful to attend sideshows as a spectator in the City

HAYWARD, Calif., Dec. 14, 2023—The Hayward City Council voted Tuesday to give final approval to an ordinance making it unlawful to be a spectator at motor vehicle sideshows in the City. 

The legislation, which takes effect Jan. 11, 2024, extends to spectators of sideshows a 2009 prohibition that already covered spectators attending unsanctioned drag races and other motor vehicle contests or displays of speed. 

The goal of the expanded Spectator Ordinance, requested by the Hayward Police Department, is to provide the City with a variety of options to address safety concerns associated with sideshows and to deter would-be participants and spectators. 

The ordinance provides for administrative or criminal enforcement, with violators subject to citation or arrest, and potential penalties ranging from fines of $500, $750 or $1,000 per violation and a maximum of six months in jail. 

Under the amendment as well as state law, sideshows are defined as events at which two or more persons block or impede traffic for the purpose of performing motor vehicle stunts, motor vehicle speed contests, motor vehicle exhibitions of speed or reckless driving, for spectators. 

To learn more about the amended Spectator Ordinance, read the staff report to the City Council available here on the City of Hayward’s legislative website.