Monterey Park : Fireworks Vote Rejected
Citing an expected loss in revenue to service clubs that sell fireworks, the City Council on Monday rejected a proposal to place a fireworks ban on the November ballot.
A ban on the sale and use of state-approved “safe and sane” fireworks--those that don’t explode or shoot in the air--was urged by Fire Chief Allen E. McComb and other department officials, who said fires from July 4 fireworks caused an estimated $98,500 in property damage and injured one firefighter.
Mayor Judy Chu and Councilman Samuel Kiang favored placing the measure on the ballot, but council members Fred Balderrama, Betty Couch and Marie Purvis were against it. However, residents could force a popular vote on the matter if about 4,400 registered voters, the equivalent of 20% of the city’s approximately 22,000 voters, sign a petition.
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