Illegal fireworks use can cost up to $20K in Long Beach, $80K in Signal Hill
As Fourth of July draws near, it’s important to remember that all fireworks are illegal in Long Beach and Signal Hill, and carry a hefty penalty. These include “safe and sane” fireworks as well.
Though Long Beach will host two fireworks shows, residents are discouraged from lighting, distributing, selling or participating in fireworks outside of the scheduled events.
Long Beach and Signal Hill fireworks penalties can cost tens of thousands
Long Beach passed a series of ordinances last year less than a month before the Independence Day holiday, widening the scope of liability and penalties for the use of illegal fireworks.
Penalties for fireworks for first-time offenders in the city of Long Beach may include:
- $1,000 administrative penalty, six months jail time, or both.
- $250 disposal fee if fireworks are found and need to be disposed of by the fire marshal.
- City response costs up to $20,000 if sufficient evidence is provided and multiple city departments have to be dispatched to a location for a response.
The city can hold accountable any “host” who is in charge of the property in which the illegal activity happened, including landlords, tenants, property managers or owners who organize, supervise or are “otherwise in charge of” the property.
Signal Hill adopted similar ordinances in March of last year, as well as a sliding scale to penalize violators—based on how many times a person has violated the fireworks laws and how many fireworks the person is in possession of. The scale is based on the same one used by the State Fire Marshal.
A second-time offense in Signal Hill will cost $2,000 plus a $500 disposal fee if the fireworks are under 100 pounds, but up to $70,000 for more than 5,000 pounds. A third-time offense will cost a violator a minimum of $4,000 and a maximum of $80,000.
Residents encouraged to report illegal fireworks on GoLongBeach app, evidence needed to prosecute
Despite the bolstered fireworks laws, residents like Dolores Ramos who lives in East Long Beach, continued to hear loud booms for hours throughout the month of June “until two or three in the morning—and it’s every night.”
Ramos has lived in Long Beach since the ‘70s, and claims fireworks remain an issue from late April through the Fourth of July weekend, often causing animals to escape their homes in a frenzy.
“One particular lady, [her] animals have been running out two or three times or four times around the neighborhood,” Ramos said. “We need some kind of a deterrent for [setting off fireworks]. You know this thing about, ‘I’ll come out if you can take a video,’ it doesn’t work because these things happen and then these kids run away.”
Ramos said her emails to the city, as well as phone calls to the LBPD have been unsuccessful in catching those responsible.
In 2021, more than 270 complaints were made through the city’s online portal, with nine of them providing enough evidence to prompt an investigation, according to Fourth of July weekend safety statistics released by the City. 2020 saw 460 complaints from residents, though only three of them contained enough evidence to prosecute.
On June 18, the Long Beach Fire Department responded to a call about a building ablaze on the 3900 block of Allin Street. The firefighters found a pile of fireworks on the second floor, which exploded and ended up injuring four firefighters.
The firefighters were sent to the hospital for burn injuries and hearing-related issues.
Residents are encouraged to file a report with the city’s GoLongBeach app if they see someone setting off, selling or distributing fireworks. Reports require a time, date, description, video or picture evidence as well as a location in order to prompt an investigation.
Previously, residents were encouraged to use the City Prosecutor’s Fireworks Complaint Public Portal which has been decommissioned this year in favor of the GoLongBeach app, City Prosecutor Doug Haubert explained. The goal of the app is to help the LBPD create a heat map identifying areas of high firework activity as well as to gather enough evidence on a person to send to the prosecutor’s office.
“So far [this year] we haven’t received any information that can lead to the criminal filing of complaints,” Haubert said. “We haven’t received any complaints from the app that can lead to prosecution. We’re using this year to monitor whether the app is effective in a way that police and prosecutors can apprehend and hold accountable those firing illegal fireworks.”
Haubert strongly encouraged residents to use the app to file a report. However, he said they are welcome to email prosecutor@longbeach.gov if they believe they have sufficient evidence to prosecute the person responsible.
“In the past three years we’ve seen what appears to be an increase in illegal firework activity,” Haubert said. He explained this year’s dry climate may also result in an increase of fires due to fireworks, and urged people to stay clear of lighting fireworks “so we can prevent the loss of life and property.”
Residents can also email the Long Beach Police Department at one of their four divisions, provided they have some information about who set off the fireworks. People should not dial 9-1-1 to report fireworks activity unless there has been an injury or fire.
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