California Residents Are Lining Up To Complain About This Long-Running Car Show

There's nothing like an outdoor community event to bring people together and enjoy not only the weather, but fun activities as well. But one such event in San Clemente, California, is receiving some negative reactions. In fact, the noisy Cars and Coffee show, which could feature some of the longest classic cars to ever hit the streets, is getting complaints over a number of different issues.

Cars and Coffee is a car show that happens every Saturday morning at the San Clemente Outlets, an open-air shopping center. Thousands of people come out for the weekly event, which showcases an array of classic cars. The combination of loud, revving car engines, and drivers speeding away from the event, are at the root of the problem. But there's also the issue of kids standing on dangerous curbs, lining up on bridges, or even going onto freeway on-ramps, to watch the cars as they pass through. The problems have increased to the point that local law enforcement have written tickets, made arrests, and even impounded vehicles as well.

In response to community complaints, city officials may conduct a public hearing. Such a hearing would be used to closely review the car show's conditional use permit, with the goal of possibly enforcing stricter rules on how the event operates overall. Though Cars and Coffee is indeed popular with many in the area, members of the San Clemente City Council seem focused on keeping everyone safe at the event.

The overall importance of Cars and Coffee has been emphasized by organizers and local companies in San Clemente alike. The event brings in thousands of people each week, and has become central for business owners, whose weekend operations are positively impacted by the extra sales. Cars and Coffee also boasts a social media reach of over 4 million per month, providing opportunities for participants to increase their own businesses too.

Cars and Coffee began in the early 2000s in Southern California, with the first informal event taking place in Crystal Cove, near Newport Beach. It was open to all types of vehicles, including classic cars that may not be practical to use as daily drivers. The event gave car enthusiasts a chance to enjoy a morning drive with a hot cup of coffee. The event was a hit and quickly grew in popularity, until noise complaints shut it down in 2006.

The event then moved to an office parking lot in Irvine, California. Officially taking the name Cars and Coffee, the weekly event drew around 1,000 cars at its peak. But the space being used just wasn't enough to accommodate the crowds. Plus, once again, complaints of loud noise, which may be due to a banned classic car feature, also began coming in. The Irvine show came to an end in 2014. The San Clemente show is still going however, as Cars and Coffee has gained traction throughout the U.S. and internationally as well.