Alameda County’s sideshow ordinance that makes it illegal to watch a street takeover is being challenged in federal court, where lawyers for a local reporter will ask a judge to block its enforcement on the basis that it violates his First Amendment rights.
Jose Fermoso, who covers road safety for The Oaklandside, said he can’t report on sideshows because the ordinance makes it illegal to spectate within 200 feet of one. Violators could be hit with a maximum $1,000 fine, three months in jail or both.
Unlike San Francisco’s recent move to crack down on sideshows, which have raised concerns over noise, disruptions and gun violence that sometimes accompanies them, Alameda County’s ordinance does not carve out exceptions for the press.