Reports of illegal fireworks have declined 75% over the past five years — though those numbers are a little deceiving given a massive spike in complaints in 2020 during the pandemic.
The city reported nearly 2,200 reports of illegal fireworks last year, down from a high of 8,800 in 2020, City Manager Tom Modica wrote in a recent memo.
Last year, the most calls came from a neighborhood just south of Pacific Coast Highway and west of Redondo Avenue, according to a map included in the report. Another area with high call volume was on East Ocean Boulevard east of Cherry Avenue, the report stated.
The number of calls last year is comparable to the average in years immediately before the pandemic, with slightly more than 2,200 fireworks-related calls.
City officials said the reduction is the direct result of action by a working group formed in July 2020 after direction by the City Council.
That multi-departmental team aimed to reduce the use of illegal fireworks citywide by targeting the supply chain, increasing fines and penalties for property owners, educating the public about fireworks and coordinating with neighboring cities, according to the memo.
Through targeting illegal firework sellers, Long Beach police arrested 18 people for felony and misdemeanor offenses in 2021 and issued 28 misdemeanor citations, according to the memo.
Last year, LBPD arrested 15 people for felony and misdemeanor offenses involving fireworks, but did not issue any citations, according to the memo.
To aid enforcement efforts, city officials urges residents to email their respective LBPD patrol division with videos, license plates, photos and addresses showing where the fireworks were ignited.
However, enforcement isn’t perfect in a city where the police department had 155 vacancies as of late last year. Last October, a roughly 20-minute fireworks display lit up the city’s Downtown Waterfront.
An errant firework also burst through a resident’s bedroom before Fourth of July last year.
The city enacted tougher penalties to hold party hosts responsible for any illegal fireworks set off during their gathering.
The fine is $1,000 per violation, plus $250 if the fireworks require the Fire Marshal to dispose of them. Under the new ordinance, adopted in June 2021, property owners would also be responsible for 100% of the cost of responding to the incident, which could surpass $20,000 if the fireworks need to be seized and investigated by multiple city departments.
So far, the city has not levied any of those newly adopted penalties, citing challenges in collecting sufficient evidence to hold a property management company or property owner “liable for the activities of their tenants,” according to the report.
Last year, the City Prosecutor’s office sent 188 letters to property owners, tenants and management firms warning them to cease fireworks activity on the property or face potential fines.
Ahead of this year’s holiday, the city issued a reminder that all fireworks are prohibited within Long Beach, even sparklers and those labeled “safe and sane.”