GREUEL PUTS FOOT ON PEDAL TO BRING STREET RACING TO A HALT.Byline: Ryan Oliver Staff Writer Citing the increasing popularity of illegal street racing in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. wants to put more teeth in an ordinance meant to discourage racers and their spectators. Greuel said she plans to introduce a proposal before the Los Angeles City Council  The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles, California, United States. today that would increase the cost of getting a car used in a race out of an impound impound v. 1) to collect funds, in addition to installment payments, from a person who owes a debt secured by property, and place them in a special account to pay property taxes and insurance when due. lot. The proposal would also criminalize crim·i·nal·ize tr.v. crim·i·nal·ized, crim·i·nal·iz·ing, crim·i·nal·iz·es 1. To impose a criminal penalty on or for; outlaw. 2. To treat as a criminal. the act of watching a street race. ``We need to send a very strong message to individuals and their parents that we're not going to tolerate street racing,'' she said. ``We also need to give more tools to our law enforcement officers to eradicate this problem.'' Greuel said she was moved into action after hearing complaints from residents and spending Friday night with an anti-street racing sting operation Noun 1. sting operation - a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care (especially an operation implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals) in the Valley. The task force was made up of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. police, the California Highway Patrol and other agencies to make 66 arrests before the night was over. The councilwoman said she was struck at the sight of people fleeing from a racing meet as Los Angeles police cruisers and motorcycles descended into the area. Greuel said she wants to increase the impound fee for a car involved in an illegal street race from $123 to $300. Those watching a race would also be charged with a misdemeanor under the proposed rule change. Currently, spectators are only given a non-criminal citation. She said she believes that many of the younger people often associated with street racing might think twice about participating if they have to pay more money to get their car, or their parents' car in some cases, out of the impound yard. Greuel said in the future, she plans to push for a state law that would have the cars of repeat offenders seized. Los Angeles police said they're encountering a growing street-racing problem, with much of it in Northridge and northeast sections of the Valley. ``Street racing has greatly increased,'' said Sgt. Bob Kirk with the Los Angeles Police Department's Foothill Division Crime Prevention Unit. ``Any day of the week we could have 200 to 300 individuals out there as spectators and 50 cars that are there to race.'' |
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