California has a new law aiming to toughen penalties for those participating in illegal sideshows. The legislation is the result of a partnership between San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and State Assemblymember Catherine Stefani.

Ernesto Cabello, a vendor who has been part of San Francisco’s Mission District for nearly 30 years, says he remembers when the intersection of 16th and Mission streets used to be a hotspot for dangerous illegal sideshows. But he notes that things have improved.

In fact, the last major illegal street show the San Francisco Police Department had to respond to was back in May on the Bay Bridge.

Now, authorities say that with a combination of stricter laws and new efforts — like drones and speed bumps — the streets are getting safer again.

City officials expect the situation to improve even more now that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed the new sideshow accountability measure. The law was authored by Stefani and supported by Lurie.

According to the mayor’s office, the new law will add motorbikes and dirt bikes to the sideshow framework, closing a legal loophole.

It also makes serious bodily injury caused by a driver in a sideshow felony-eligible and will allow authorities to impound vehicles when someone is convicted of a sideshow-related offense.

“What we were hearing from a lot of our law enforcement agencies was that they didn’t have the tools to deal with the way sideshows were continuing to proliferate throughout the Bay Area, and it updates the law as to how sideshows operate today,” Stefani said.

Last year, Lurie also signed a bill increasing fines for misdemeanor sideshow offenses from $500 to $1,000.

“It is focused on people who repeatedly engage in the most dangerous conduct,” Stefani said.