Los Angeles police and city prosecutors may soon offer a comprehensive look at the city’s efforts to combat illegal street racing and offer fresh suggestions in tackling the decades-old scourge after a motion was approved Wednesday by a City Council committee.

The motion – which was spurred by concerns of illegal “street takeovers” in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere – passed unanimously in the Public Safety Committee. It now heads to the entire City Council for review.

Such takeovers involve a number of motorists who unlawfully block a street or an intersection so their peers can illegally street race or perform risky vehicle stunts such as doughnuts and burnouts. They often box in other hapless drivers.

“(The) bottom line is it’s juvenile behavior that is risking lives and it’s got to stop,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander, who chairs the Public Safety Committee that heard the motion he introduced.

“We have to have a zero-tolerance policy. Period. We cannot allow this kind of activity on our streets and our public rights of way.”

RELATED STORY: Dangerous ‘street takeovers’ for car stunts have San Fernando Valley residents worried.

The motion directs the Los Angeles Police Department – with help from the L.A. City Attorney’s office – to report on all the city’s current ordinances, laws and fines related to street racing as well as its anti-street racing programs.

Police and local prosecutors would also make any suggestions to increase penalties, fines and other efforts “in order to successfully combat illegal street racing” citywide.

Illegal street racing has not only been a problem in the San Fernando Valley but also in San Pedro, Venice and Boyle Heights, among other communities, Englander said.

In at least some cases, motorists are coming from outside the area to engage in such activities and put people in harm’s way, he said.

“We really need to step up efforts in terms of fines, and penalties, even looking at the ability to seize the vehicles,” he said.

RELATED STORY: Another ‘street takeover’ in Chatsworth as drivers do ‘dangerous’ doughnuts and burnouts in intersection

While the city has employed a range of resources from street racing task forces to rumble strips to social media and on-site surveillance, Englander said it “doesn’t seem to stop these folks.”

That indicates to him, he said, that the city should increase the cost of getting caught and make penalties more punitive.

In recent months, Chatsworth residents have told the Daily News that motorists have repeatedly blocked off the intersection of Mason Avenue and Plummer Street with cones or vehicles. This is to allow their associates to do stunts for up to 30 minutes at a time on weekend nights.

Sgt. Joseph McDowell of LAPD’s Devonshire Division has previously said that catching illegal racing events are often a challenge, particularly in the sprawling San Fernando Valley.

In the Devisonshire division, “we have a 48-square mile area to cover and we have limited resources to do that,” McDowell said.

Neighbors say another dangerous 'street takeover' happened last night at about 8 p.m. at Mason Ave. and Plummer St. in #Chatsworth. This is the 3rd weekend in a row that it's happened. Video from last night. https://t.co/sFDBWGYkwH pic.twitter.com/jZDPqDLYcl — Brenda Gazzar (@bgazzar) May 6, 2018

Here's another video from the same #Chatsworth intersection last night. In this chaotic scene, you see spectators in the street, cars blocked, as well as smoke and sparks/fire. Video courtesy of a local resident. #streettakeover pic.twitter.com/e1bT1C2yg6 — Brenda Gazzar (@bgazzar) May 6, 2018

LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division had a street racing task force that was created in late 2014, but it was disbanded a few years ago due to a lack of resources.

“Until they’re willing to put more resources in the form of uniforms up there, more LAPD, everything they do right now is just chatter.” — Deborah Goodale, of Shadow Hills

According to Englander, the Valley task force was spending significant resources without much result. When police began monitoring social media to try to thwart such activities, participants would close their online groups, he said. The events also became more spontaneous with add-on locations, making them harder to detect in advance.

“Certainly, we have a lot of crimes and issues in terms of public safety where we have to deploy our resources,” Englander said. “That’s why stiffer penalties, fines and fees and enhancements will go a long way in curtailing this.”

RELATED STORY: LA racing ministry pits illegal street racers against cops. The prize? Saving lives.

Shadow Hills resident Deborah Goodale said she and her husband were traveling southbound on Wentworth Street past Wheatland Avenue late one night earlier this year when traffic came to a standstill. They soon realized there were illegal street races happening in the northbound lane with two cars racing every three to four minutes with at least 70 spectator cars, she said.

“I thought it was incredibly dangerous; that’s why we didn’t move,” Goodale said in an interview Wednesday. “We couldn’t turn around because of racers.”

At least 10 minutes later, a lone police car arrived with lights flashing, disbursing the crowd, she said.

But Goodale said she was skeptical that stiffer penalties would make a difference if there aren’t enough police officers to enforce the law in areas in the north San Fernando Valley.

“Until they’re willing to put more resources in the form of uniforms up there, more LAPD, everything they do right now is just chatter,” she said.