6 DTLA DOING THE MOST: CHRIS CALDERON by Dan DEVON
VOL 14 NO 8 - DECEMBER3RD - december 9th / DTLAWEEKLY.COM
DRIVen INTO CHANGE
In 2015, at the tender age of eighteen,
CAR CLUB FOUNDER CHRIS CALDERON TALKS CHANGing the NARRATIVE and how HE FORMED ORIGIN KAZOKU
Chris Calderon,
decided that he was fed up with the donuts, erratic crowds, and disorder in the Southern California car scene. Chris wanted to see a change in the car community. However, to do that, he would have to take matters into his own hands and start his own parking show. He did.
the BLOC ROOFTOp in DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELS
Chris, the founder of the car collective Origin Kazoku, isn’t just a car enthusiast. He’s also a concerned citizen.
“We basically give the address an hour or two before. So no one in all Orange County, San Diego, LA, Inland Empire, or Bakersfield knows the location of the event. Everybody just has to be close to a certain area and when we post the address everyone just shows up.” said Chris. “We’re trying to “I started alone in the change the perOriginally the events beginning and throughout the spective in a lot of featured standard years it started growing and people’s minds that imports such as Hondas, I needed help. Because at the they don’t have to do Subarus, Nissan, and same time, you always have crazy stuff to have a Mitsubishi. But as Origin those bad apples that like to good time. You don’t Kazoku’s brand grew so ple do the crazy stuff. Peo have to take over an did the size of the attendthat like to do burnouts or intersection or be in ee’s wallet. Now Origin t. h-revs and things like tha hig the middle of the freeKazoku events largely And it was getting hard for me way doing donuts. consist of high-end vehito control it by myself so litYou can park your cles such as Lamborghg win tle by little I started gro car and actually inis, Ferraris, and even my team to help me out with communicate with one the occasional Bugatti the bigger crowds.” another.” Chris told or McClaren. Chris DTLA Weekly. says the shift in vehicle quality is a positive sign Growth and Expansion that the car community is becoming more In three years, Origin Kazoku ballooned of a safe place. As car owners don’t have to from over a dozen cars to thousands. worry about their vehicle being damaged. After only five years it’s one of the largest Nevertheless, Chris has made some adpop-up gatherings in the nation. Before justments over the years due to an inthe pandemic, the weekly events were crease in Origin Kazoku’s popularity. a unique blend of multi-ethnic pulsing CONTINUED ON PAGe 14 crowds, expensive cars, contests, and entertainment.
