Honoring Lowrider Cultura: California Becomes the First State in the Nation to Offer a Lowrider Specialty License Plate Bill

LOS ANGELES, CA - Today, Assemblymember Mark González's AB 2541, which will create a specialty license plate honoring lowrider heritage, was signed into law by Governor Newsom. Funds generated from the program will be reinvested into lowrider programming and non-profits statewide.

"Lowriding is more than a car; it is cultura, it is art, it's family, and it is a powerful expression of Chicano and Latino pride," said Assemblymember Mark González. "For generations, our communities have used lowriders to tell our stories, celebrate our heritage, and create something beautiful out of the streets we call home. Yet too often, lowriders were treated as a problem to be policed instead of a culture to be celebrated. AB 2541 helps change that narrative. It says that Chicano history is California history, that our cultura belongs on California's roads, and that we should invest in the artists, organizations, and youth programs carrying this legacy forward for the next generation. I want to thank Governor Newsom for his leadership in signing AB 2541 and for helping us honor Lowrider heritage in the State of California."

"For generations, our culture was criminalized rather than celebrated. The Lowrider License Plate hits the switch by honoring our cultura and contributions to the Golden State," said Kimberly Guidino, Executive Director of Brown Issues. "But, we didn't stop at recognition; we designed this bill to fund the future. By securing a dedicated revenue stream for local cultural arts and the preservation of lowrider culture, we are investing directly back into our youth so it's easier for them to carry the torch. As the sponsor of AB 2541, Brown Issues is proud to have played a role in permanently reclaiming our narrative and helping to build a solid foundation alongside Lowriders, Assemblymember Gonzalez and the California Latino Legislative Caucus. Big thanks to Governor Newsom for putting pen to paper and formally standing with us!"

What is Lowriding
A lowrider is more than a customized car - it's a canvas. Riding low and slow on hydraulics, hand-painted, and detailed down to the upholstery, these vehicles are built to be looked at. The build itself is a craft passed between generations: welding, airbrushing, engraving, and upholstery skills have been taught in driveways and backyards since the 1940's. To roll low and slow is to make a statement; it is to say that patience, artistry, and community are worth putting on display in public, on the very streets that once tried to push that culture out of sight.

From Suppression to Celebration
This display of cultural pride came at a cost. For decades, California law and local ordinances singled out lowriders for punishment through vehicle height restrictions written to target modified cars, and anti-cruising ordinances that treated the act of cruising itself as a public nuisance. The impact fell overwhelmingly on Latino and Chicano communities, for whom lowriding has always been inseparable from identity.

Despite these restrictions, lowriding survived through the resistance, bravery, and pride born in the barrios of Southern California, carrying forward Mexican American and Chicano heritage through car clubs, family builds, and cruises that doubled as community gatherings. To ban the lowrider was, in practice, to police Latinx cultural expression itself.

What AB 2541 Will Do

AB 2541 establishes the Lowrider License Plate Program, directing the Department of Motor Vehicles to work with the California Arts Council to sponsor and issue a specialty "Lowrider" plate. Specifically, the bill would establish the Lowrider License Plate Program once DMV receives at least 7,500 paid applications by January 1, 2032. Revenue will be deposited into the newly created Lowrider Arts and Culture Fund to be used by the California Arts Council to fund lowrider arts, cultural preservation, and youth programming efforts statewide.

Assemblymember Mark González is the Assembly Majority Whip. He serves on the Committees on Appropriations, Health, Public Safety, Rules, and Utilities & Energy. He represents the 54th District, composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello, and Vernon.

CONTACT: Kyle Johnson; [email protected]; (925) 549-2030
Nina Suh-Toma; [email protected]