Without exception, fireworks are illegal in the city of Long Beach. Despite related inquiries last January Long Beach district 8 councilmember Al Austin, the City Ordinance that bans the use of all fireworks in the city remained in place for this year.
With Independence Day coming up Friday, several entities have provided information about various opportunities for legally viewing fireworks in Long Beach.
Austin posted Wednesday on his Facebook page reminding Long Beach residents that violators will be penalized with up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both.
The Communications Deputy for Austin’s office Heather Morrison said Austin’s interest in re-opening the conversation for legalizing some fireworks in the city was primarily to allow for a possibility for local non-profit organizations to fundraise.
Morrison said “Safe and Sane fireworks are fairly easy to distinguish” from fireworks that would remain illegal in the city.
“Obviously the conversation of safety concerns came up,” Morrison said of the discussion that took place last January and February among the city council. “Ultimately, the conclusion was reached that the city does not have the resources for policing the use of fireworks, and nothing more was done to move the issue forward.”
When Austin raised the question back in January, he aimed to put a measure on the April 8 ballot, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram. The City Council delayed action on this inquiry, after a presentation from Fire Chief Mike DuRee, which showed a comparison of a lit match burns at 600 degrees Farenheit, while a sparkler burns from 1,600 to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The truth is no fireworks or any other incendiary device is safe or sane,” DuRee said to the Press Telegram.
Morrison said that part of Austin’s argument in defense of legalizing fireworks was that so many of the neighboring cities, like Carson, Compton, Bellflower, Paramount, Lakewood and Hawaiian Gardens, sell “safe and sane” fireworks, and that it wouldn’t hurt the city to capitalize on the sales.
For the past several years, firework lovers from the city have made their way to the top levels of the Cal State Long Beach parking structures to view the city’s firework shows.
University Police will be patrolling the university grounds all day and all night, as part of its regular 24/7 campus patrol. Campus Police said that no major firework related issues have been reported on campus in previous years around this time. No major issues are anticipated to occur this year.