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1863 - Gen. Edward F. Beale loans money to A.A. Hudson and Oliver P. Robbins to erect toll house in Newhall Pass [story]
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| Thursday, Aug 9, 2018
Street Racing CastaicPhoto credit Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office

Southern California long has been the epicenter for street racing. Romanticized in movies like “Grease” and “The Fast and the Furious” franchise, the reality is not so glamorous.

Roughly 170 people have died in Los Angeles County since 2000 in car collisions where street racing was suspected.

Alisanne Scolnik, deputy-in-charge of the District Attorney’s Santa Clarita Area Office, said traffic safety issues such as reckless driving, speeding and driving under the influence are among the main community concerns addressed by her office’s six prosecutors.

While law enforcement personnel have worked to stop street racers, Scolnik took a novel step recently to show spectators the dangers these races pose.

As part of an undercover operation by the California Highway Patrol, more than 100 people were arrested at a racing event at a Castaic industrial park last year. Seven were booked on felonies linked to racing and performing stunts.

Approximately 80 adults, mostly ages 18 to 21, were cited on the misdemeanor charge of being a spectator at the street-racing event.

Scolnik reviewed each case and decided driver safety education may be the best way to resolve these matters.

She met with CHP officials and they developed an educational program to address street racing, impaired driving and distracted driving. Those cited, and who met specific criteria, went to the Santa Clarita courthouse in December for one of two 90-minute sessions.

Participants avoided criminal charges under the office’s Pre-Filing Diversion Program, which is intended to keep low-level, nonviolent offenders out of the criminal justice system.

“I felt this was a great way for the District Attorney’s Office to address street racing and provide for the safety of the community,” Scolnik said. “We charged the offenders in court who were actively involved in this illegal activity, and we educated those who were passively involved.”


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4 Comments

  1. travis levy says:

    Pruis drivers cause accidents and kill more people than street racing . Its California this is the mecca for racing . If we didn’t have racing then the beach boys and all of those other wonderful 50’s and 60’s bands wouldn’t exist.

  2. travis levy says:

    Since the year 2000 our state has gone from 33 million to 39.5 people living in CA. Since 2000 1215 people have died from DUI accidents.20% of those 1215 who lost their life were caused by an illegal behind the wheel drunk. Sticking to the facts I would prefer our CHP focus more of their efforts on illegals killing American than them focusing on street racing.In 2016, there were 2,012 opioid-related overdose deaths­­­ in California—a rate of 4.9 deaths per 100,000. I don’t mean to sound cold hearted but we have bigger problems then 170 killed in the last 18 years due to street racing .

  3. jaymoney says:

    Donuts FTW lmao

  4. Racing and stunt driving belong on private property courses set up for such events – NOT on public streets or in industrial parks open to the public.

    James C. Walker, National Motorists Association

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