Anaheim : Council Refuses to Place Fireworks Issue on Ballot

“Safe and sane” fireworks will continue to be available in Anaheim during Fourth of July celebrations as the City Council voted 3 to 2 Tuesday not to place a measure on the June, 1986, ballot to ban their sales.

Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood proposed the ban, noting that fireworks have caused numerous injuries and fires. She said a 1984 survey conducted by Councilman Ben Bay revealed that 70% of the residents who responded favored putting the issue to a citizens’ vote. Kaywood has tried three times since 1974 to push through a ban. Bay was her only council supporter. Mayor Don Roth and Councilmen Lew Overholt and Irv Pickler voted against the proposal.

Overholt said he believes fireworks only pose a danger when altered after their sale, and he added a motion directing the Fire Department to single out specific types of “safe and sane” fireworks that should be banned. He argued that the fireworks aren’t as dangerous as many household items such as safety matches or gas stoves.

Kaywood stressed that Fourth of July damage figures in cities with bans have been drastically lowered. She said she wasn’t sure if she would try again for a ballot measure, adding that she considers the rejection “a clarion call” for residents to begin a petition drive to get the issue on the ballot.