Norwalk officials detail new enforcement steps, state law changes to curb late-night street takeovers

Norwalk officials told residents at the Jan. 21 City Council meeting they are increasing enforcement and engineering measures and leaning on recent state laws to address a recent rise in late-night street takeovers and related dangerous activity.

The update came as Deputy City Manager Ozzie Ramos and City Manager Jesus Gomez described a spike in organized driving events that block roadways for burnouts and doughnuts and said the city will pursue new legal tools and community-driven reporting to deter the behavior. Ramos said the city will “hold you accountable” for activities that jeopardize safety and outlined a mix of enforcement, education and engineering responses.

City leaders said the issue has grown more frequent and, in at least one incident on Jan. 11, included an arson set at the Rosecrans and Pioneer intersection. Ramos said that activity is “not acceptable in the city of Norwalk,” and described steps…