During the Pico Rivera City Council meeting held after the Independence Day holiday, City Officials announced that 54 local residents were being issued citations in the amount of $1,000 each, for discharging illegal fireworks during the Independence Day holiday.
The City of Pico Rivera, like many Southern California Cities, has been dealing with the discharging of illegal fireworks as the Independence Day holiday approaches. Many of the illegal fireworks are discharged in the late evenings when many residents are sleeping, prompting calls to the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station. The Sheriff’s Station has been overwhelmed with these calls in previous years. Sheriff’s deputies respond to as many calls for service as they can, however, in most instances, there was very little deputies could do within the limits of the law because the offender had either left the residence or offenders were not caught in the act of lighting illegal fireworks.
This year, Sheriff’s deputies used unmarked vehicles and video technology to record individuals using illegal fireworks, emphasizing that such activities are not tolerated in the City. A City Ordinance, adopted in 2019, enforces administrative fines on anyone possessing, using, storing, selling, aiding, allowing, or displaying illegal fireworks. Property owners may also be held liable for damages or injuries caused by illegal fireworks. Repeat offenders may face fines of up to $1,500 for each offense.
“This is an issue we have complaints about each year, and unfortunately, we are only able to enforce what we can what is allowable by law,” said City Manager Steve Carmona. “This year, we got creative while working with our Sheriff’s Station, and we were able to cite as many as we could to send a message that we will not tolerate this any further.”
Each year, the City runs a “You Light It, We’ll Cite It” campaign to discourage the discharge of illegal fireworks. This year’s $54,000 in fines that the City will collect as part of the campaign are a victory for the residents, as offenders will now think twice about using illegal fireworks. This serves as a reminder, that illegal fireworks can result in fines, cause severe injuries, fire risks, and property damage, and can strain emergency services, including fire departments, sheriff’s departments, and medical responders, diverting resources from other critical areas. Like many in the state, the City of Pico Rivera allows the sale and discharge of fireworks that are labeled with the ‘Safe and Sane’ seal, as authorized by the state Fire Marshal.
