La Verne, Temple City Seek to Ban Fireworks

Moves to snuff out so-called “safe-and-sane” fireworks are under way in La Verne and Temple City, furthering fire officials’ hopes that all San Gabriel Valley cities may eventually ban recreational pyrotechnics.

The La Verne City Council tentatively approved a fireworks ban Monday, which will take effect in mid-September if adopted in a final vote Aug. 15. The Temple City Council approved a ballot measure Tuesday that will allow voters in November to decide the fate of fireworks.

Half of the area’s communities now prohibit all fireworks, including those deemed “safe and sane” by the state fire marshal. Arcadia was the 14th city to adopt a ban as of this year’s Fourth of July celebration.

Azusa will have an advisory vote in November, and West Covina officials on Monday will discuss an ordinance that would ban fireworks. Fireworks are banned in all unincorporated areas of the San Gabriel Valley.

Firecrackers, skyrockets and other more potent pyrotechnics are prohibited statewide. But items such as sparklers and cones, considered safe and sane by the state, are regulated at the local level.

An advisory vote in La Verne two years ago favored keeping fireworks by a slim margin.

But La Verne Mayor Jon Blickenstaff said sentiment for a ban has been building since then. Two brush fires that blackened nearly 90 acres near the city before July 4 may have been started by fireworks.

“The fires were certainly a catalyst,” Blickenstaff said. “I feel community sentiment has changed significantly in the past couple of years.”

Residents at a public hearing in July overwhelmingly favored a ban, as have most of those calling City Hall, he said.

In Temple City, a majority of the council members on Tuesday approved a ballot measure that would ban fireworks if passed by voters in November. Mayor Mary Lou Swain and Councilmen Patrick Froehle and Kenneth Gillanders favor the vote as the best way to gauge public opinion.

Swain said it appears that the public is about evenly divided and that both sides feel strongly.

The ban is opposed by Councilmen Thomas Breazeal and Tom Atkins, who argue that ceremonial fireworks have not caused serious damage or law enforcement problems for the city.

Swain said the votes in Temple City and Azusa and the ban in La Verne represent a change in public attitude.

“There is a growing feeling that fireworks are dangerous and something we can live without,” he said.

Fireworks bans have traditionally been fought by fireworks manufacturers and service organizations, which raise revenue from their sale.

Blickenstaff said anticipated profits from the city’s proposed curb-side recycling program, which may go into effect this year, could be given to service groups to make up for lost revenues.

The program is anticipated to provide about $55,000, roughly the same amount of money derived from fireworks sales in the city this year.

Blickenstaff, who belongs to three organizations that have benefited from fireworks, said the service organizations should be able to do without the money.

“I feel there’s absolutely no redeeming value to fireworks,” he said. “There’s no way you can say anything positive about them given the risks.”