By Sen. Leo Jaramillo
New Mexico Dist. 5
Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Sandoval & Santa Fe

As a proud native son of the Española Valley and a member of the New Mexico State Senate, I was deeply disappointed to see the veto of $500,000 that would have funded Phase 2 of the feasibility study for a Lowrider Museum in Española. This follows last year’s veto of legislation recognizing our community as the “Lowrider Capital of the World”.

That license plate bill received bipartisan support, and when I rose to defend it on the Senate floor, my colleagues responded with a standing ovation. Lawmakers from across New Mexico understood what lowrider culture represents.

Lowriders are not a novelty in New Mexico; they are art, craftsmanship, family tradition, and community pride passed down for generations.

A museum in Española would celebrate that heritage while creating tourism and economic opportunity for our region.

I will bring the license plate bill back and continue working to secure state support for a Lowrider Museum.

Española didn’t just adopt lowrider culture … we helped create it!