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The show "Sons of Anarchy" takes place in and around Lodi and San Joaquin County. (Courtesy photo)
'Sons of Anarchy' rumble through 'Lodi'
New motorcycle gang TV series depicts Lodi and San Joaquin County in less-than-flattering light
By Marc Lutz
News-Sentinel Staff Writer
Updated: Friday, September 26, 2008 11:17 PM PDTNews-Sentinel Staff Writer
A new outlaw motorcycle club has come rumbling into Lodi, but not via Highways 99, 12 or I-5.
It is showing up on cable TV network FX, with plenty of attitude and no apologies.
"Sons of Anarchy" takes place right here in Lodi and San Joaquin County.
Sort of.
As it appears in the show, Lodi is rough around the edges. Warehouse explosions, mayhem and corruption abound. The Lodi police are depicted as unobservant and easily tricked by the clever Sons.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff and the police chief of Charming, the show's main setting, are in the pocket of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original (SAMCRO chapter.)
There are several meth labs all around neighboring Lodi, and the Sons are constantly warring with land developers and rival motorcycle clubs.
Even though it's fictional, are such negative depictions detrimental to the Lodi and the surrounding area?
"I don't think anyone likes to see their city portrayed necessarily in that way, especially if your goal is to market it as a safe, wonderful place to come," said Nancy Beckman, the president and CEO of Visit Lodi! She added, though, that she thinks the show will have a minimal impact on the tourism efforts of Lodi.
"Sons of Anarchy" is set in the fictional town of Charming. There are regular references to Lodi and Stockton. In fact, the Web site for the show states that Charming is about 30 miles from both Stockton and Lodi. The coordinates listed actually put the fictional town about 1.5 miles northeast of Terminous and about 10.5 miles from Lodi.
And, apparently, the entire county is located in the foothills, making it look more like Amador or Calaveras counties. The Web site also states that it sits at the base of the foothills, where the redwoods meet the Central Valley.
Series creator Kurt Sutter landed his first writing job on FX's gritty cop drama "The Shield." Many critics have compared "Sons" to "The Sopranos," asking why it took so long for someone to come up with the biker epic.
Sutter and other creative staff weren't available for comment on the show.
Though "Sons of Anarchy" doesn't really exist, there are plenty of local motorcycle clubs, such as Stockton Motorcycle Club, Port Stockton Motorcycle Club and Lodi Motorcycle Club (which hosts the races at the Lodi Cycle Bowl). Stewart Barber, past president and board director for the Stockton Motorcycle Club, said he watched "Sons of Anarchy" for about five minutes and turned it off.
"Our club, we (like to ride), but we do racing. We do things for the community and put on shows," Stewart said. "We were established in 1924. We're the good guys." Stewart also stated that the Stockton Motorcycle Club started the Lodi club, which is active in the community.
According to Lodi Police Gang Detective Eric Bradley, there are three-piece patch motorcycle clubs — like the Hell's Angels — that exist throughout the Central Valley. These groups refer to themselves as clubs and not gangs, like the Henchmen, who have chapters in Tracy, Sacramento and Livermore, and The Skeleton Crew, with chapters in Northern California.
"There's not a Hell's Angels chapter in Lodi," Bradley said. He went on to say that due to Lodi's location between I-5 and Highway 99, they see a lot of motorcycle groups coming through on their way to rallies or poker runs.
Local bikers have watched the show and agree about the fiction, taking the plot lines and characters with a grain of salt.
David Poma, of Lodi, has been riding all of his life — these days on a Harley Sportster — and has been enjoying the show purely for entertainment value.
"I like it. I'm not a biker like those guys (in the show) are, so I can't compare what I do with them," Poma said. And as far as similarities to Lodi? "Other than the cop car that said 'Lodi,' on it that's about it."
Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.
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OTH wrote on Oct 4, 2008 2:15 PM:
Timothy wrote on Sep 29, 2008 4:43 PM:
Glad to hear you are well. "
OTH wrote on Sep 29, 2008 3:30 PM:
Was the MC you refer to the same one who murdered the bartender at the old Silver Dollar Club on Kettleman? That was before they put the underpass in and widened the road.
I haven't watched the show but I think it's hysterical people are getting wound up about the show. Lodi wasn't always the wonderful little town it is now.
PJ I just reread the article. I am talking about a different time frame back in the late 50's early 60's. A number of Lodi PD then had their own hobbies to worry about. "
PJ wrote on Sep 29, 2008 9:01 AM:
Edumacation: You are absolutely right. In the late 80's to mid 90's there were two outlaw MCs that ran meth from the foothills into town. I remember watching these guys come into town riding down Kettleman Lane every Friday afternoon and leave on Sunday. It always seemed like they were "escorting" a trucker, too. We always knew stuff was coming in and couldn't believe the cops had no clue. At the time, the cops were too busy trying to bust the local teenagers who were trying to buy illegal alcohol. "
SSG Jeremy wrote on Sep 29, 2008 8:31 AM:
Im still here in the states. Getting ready for some training rotations, and deployment in the near future. Nice to know someone from home remembers me, lol.
And Timothy Lodi is a tourist destination, even if for only a day. Lodi has a lot to offer to the right person. I am proud to be from Lodi/Lockeford and I tell people that everyday. "
WY wrote on Sep 28, 2008 10:23 PM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 28, 2008 8:47 PM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 28, 2008 8:44 PM:
dyan wrote on Sep 28, 2008 6:47 PM:
Mrs. S. wrote on Sep 28, 2008 6:17 PM:
I've grown up with a few kids who were from well-to-do families who wound up not making much of their adult lives due to meth and other drugs. Some of them drive nice cars, and even live in nice homes their parents bought, but they really haven't amounted to much themselves. "
Robb wrote on Sep 28, 2008 4:27 PM:
Decent show, maybe it will take off! "
edumacation wrote on Sep 28, 2008 12:46 PM:
I thnk the main reason the gangs are not as obvious is that the younger criminals got bored and moved on to other areas. Locally, there are a lot of "bikers for Jesus" types under many affiliations. I think there is a court case in Stockton about a wrongful death involving one of these groups? They can call themselves any name they want, but they are really basically the same people. The older ones who have lived to tell about it, feel guilty about the "old" days. "
Timothy wrote on Sep 28, 2008 11:45 AM:
Cogito, I agree. A series called "Lodi Latino Gangs" would not be considered fiction. I would consider it more of a documentary.
And someone please enlighten me, what makes Lodi a tourist destination? "
Cogito wrote on Sep 27, 2008 11:52 PM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 27, 2008 11:50 PM:
Cogito wrote on Sep 27, 2008 11:47 PM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 27, 2008 6:04 PM:
I will never forget the time I was meeting with an executive in Mumbai and we started talking about our backgrounds. He told me about the village he grew up in and I told him that I came from a little town he had probably never heard of called Lodi.
He looked at me and he said Lodi? That's kind of a dump, isn't it?
I sent him a bottle of wine when I got home (he was a Sikh). "
SSG Jeremy wrote on Sep 27, 2008 4:26 PM:
Giovanina wrote on Sep 27, 2008 2:21 PM:
tesla_rocks wrote on Sep 27, 2008 2:06 PM:
effa56 wrote on Sep 27, 2008 10:38 AM:
nativelodian wrote on Sep 27, 2008 10:32 AM:
gafloyd wrote on Sep 27, 2008 9:14 AM:
WOWerzz wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:42 AM:
gafloyd wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:37 AM:
educator wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:23 AM:
edumacation wrote on Sep 27, 2008 8:18 AM:
Leonard wrote on Sep 27, 2008 7:53 AM:
I AM SHOCKED!!!!
Its not like the area has one of the highest murder rates in the country or anything! "
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