Illegal ‘Cruisers’ Elusive at Angelo’s : Police Enforce New Law but Still Haven’t Issued a Ticket

Slim carhops in short shorts roller-skated through the crowd at Angelo’s Hamburgers in Anaheim, weaving around car enthusiasts, the curious, the hungry--and the Anaheim police.

It was Friday night, the first Friday of the month. And, as tradition has dictated since 1981, that meant “cruise night,” when throngs show off their hot rods and cruise the drive-through restaurant at 511 S. State College Blvd.

But the tradition has pitted Angelo’s against its neighbors and city officials, who five months ago outlawed cruising, specifically citing Angelo’s.

Police, however, have found that the new law isn’t easy to enforce, not even with the assistance of a new computer that helps them keep track of cruisers’ license plate numbers and the trips they take up and down the boulevard. So far, police have not written a single ticket for cruising at Angelo’s.

On Friday night, 16 officers made a parking lot at State College and Santa Ana Street their command post; they patrolled the area on motorcycles, in squad cars and afoot, writing tickets for various Vehicle Code violations, such as broken lights.

Last month, on cruise night, police issued about 250 citations and handed out 25 to 30 warnings for cruising, Sgt. Ronald W. Lovejoy said. But so far, police have not found anyone who broke the new law by trekking through the area three times within two hours.

To many of the drivers, the police crackdown means more congestion, as police force cars to slow down through a checkpoint where officers enter license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions into their computer.

“They’re the problem,” said Anaheim Hills resident Ron DeRose, 40, sitting in a friend’s impeccable 1956 red-and-white Chevrolet Nomad. “I did this when I was 17 years old. They’re jealous because we’ve worked hard to buy these toys.”

Lovejoy acknowledged that use of the computer slowed traffic but said the crackdown appeared to have reduced the size of the crowd. Angelo’s co-owner, Dennis Williams, disputed Lovejoy’s assessment and said he saw no decrease in the hundreds of cars and thousands of people who visit Angelo’s on the first Friday of each month.

Still, police say the computer eliminated cruising at another popular spot in the city earlier this year, Camelot Golfland amusement park.

But at Angelo’s, where the decor, the music and the cars jolt one back to another era, the crowds are part of the fun both for regulars and those who see it for the first time.

Tom Maier, 41, and his wife Laura, 38, heard about Angelo’s from their friends. So Friday night they drove from their home in San Bernardino.

Upon arriving, Tom Maier agreed, “It’s worth the trip.”

“It’s terrific,” Laura Maier said.”Absolutely. This is from our era; this is our teen-agehood.”

The couple said they met in 1964 at a popular hangout in San Bernardino: the original McDonald’s restaurant.

“We chatted, went cruising and made a date for the next night. We got together and cruised together regularly,” she said. His 1953 Chevy led them to the altar.

Sympathetic Neighbor

Dave Hamilton, who lives barely a block from Angelo’s, is sympathetic to those who arrive from throughout Southern California for a little fun at Angelo’s.

“They want to see hot cars and nice-looking women and chase both. It’s the American dream,” Hamilton said. But the dream, he said, doesn’t include “the drunk 13-year-olds hiding in bushes and urinating on my walls.”

In response to complaints about traffic, litter and strangers in the neighborhood, the city now bans parking on certain streets around Angelo’s on the first Friday of the month. Lovejoy said a small, rowdy crowd has given the larger number a bad reputation.

“We have absolutely no problem with what these people are doing. We want them to have a good time,” Lovejoy said. “But you have to draw the line when it comes to other people’s right to privacy.”

Beer and Wine Permits

Meanwhile, although police continue to target one Angelo’s restaurant, its owners plan to ask the city Planning Commission on Monday for permits to sell beer and wine at another Angelo’s, also a drive-in, drive-through operation, at 211 N. Beach Blvd. They also are seeking permission to open an outdoor eating area there.

The catch is that although the Beach Boulevard restaurant has operated for 10 years, the Angelo’s owners never applied for new permits when they bought it and reopened it under their ownership two months ago. And city officials say they must apply.

“We plan to make an application,” said Angelo’s co-owner Williams. “We’re not thumbing our nose at the city. But we’re a little confused. It’s been existing for the last 10 years. And we find it’s unusual that four owners later, (when Angelo’s purchased the restaurant,) they decide it’s illegal.”