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Recommendation to request the following recommendations of the Illegal Explosives and Fireworks Action Plan to address the illegal use of fireworks and explosives in Long Beach:
1) Request City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would include a
person who owns, rents, leases or otherwise has possession of
a premises as a responsible party for the illegal use, discharge,
possession, storage or sale of fireworks on the premises;
2) Request City Attorney and City Manager to report back to the City
Council with options for increasing the penalties for anyone cited or
arrested for fireworks violations;
3) Request City Attorney and City Manager to report back to the City
Council on the feasibility of including an administrative citation
process for illegal fireworks use, to allow for additional enforcement
capability in Long Beach;
4) Request City Manager to assess the feasibility of establishing an
online portal or GoLongBeach app feature for residents to submit
video evidence of fireworks violations for referral to the City
Prosecutor;
5) Request City Manager to assess the feasibility of utilizing OpenData
or crowdsourcing to create a publicly accessible heat map of
incidents of illegal fireworks and explosives in Long Beach;
6) Request City Manager to assess the feasibility of establishing a
fireworks hotline for residents to report illegal fireworks and
explosives; and
7) Request City Manager to provide an update on public education
efforts this year that all fireworks are illegal in Long Beach.
DISCUSSION
While all fireworks are illegal in Long Beach, neighborhoods throughout the City are experiencing a noticeable and significant increase this year in the use of fireworks and illegal explosives. By almost all accounts, the explosions have started earlier, with more frequency, and with greater noise and disruption than in previous years.
The illegal fireworks and explosions negatively impact the quality of li...
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