Column: Why California's anti-chromers can't see the forest for the trees
LOS ANGELES — As far back as he can remember, Luis "Speedy" Rodriguez has been all about chrome.
Growing up in his native Mexico City, he confessed, "I wouldn't get on buses if they weren't arreglados" — tricked out.
After migrating to the United States as a teenager, Rodriguez so wanted to work at a chroming facility that he started by cleaning bathrooms and delivering parts. For free.
All these decades later, Rodriguez, now 50, is a chroming legend. His filigreed handiwork decorates hundreds of lowriders across Southern California. His cars have appeared in Audi commercials, Travis Scott music videos and promotions for Hollywood films.
Rodriguez's "retirement" is a collection of Chevrolet Impalas from 1958 to 1964 — the best years of — stored in a garage. They're plated with enough shiny material — chrome, yes, but also copper, rose gold, stainless steel, even 24-karat gold — to make diamonds seem as bright as a cardboard tube.
