Penalties for Fireworks May Be Hiked in Riverside County

With the Fourth of July fast approaching, Riverside County officials voted Tuesday to consider increasing fines for people who violate the county’s ban on fireworks, which have continued to be a serious hazard across the region.

The proposed ordinance, scheduled for a hearing June 6, clarifies the prohibition against the use, possession or sale of all fireworks in unincorporated areas, except in approved public displays. Violators could face fines of up to $1,000 or jail time, compared with current penalties of $50 to $135.

Residents often don’t comply with the current, vaguer ordinances, said Battalion Chief Joel Semple of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in Riverside County.

“There’s a very serious fireworks problem in the county due to the size and the population,” said Semple, who said the Fourth of July, Cinco de Mayo and New Year’s Eve are the most popular days for fireworks.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to 2,007 fireworks calls last year and confiscated 1,352 pounds of explosives -- more than three times the amount seized in 2000.

“This only scratches the surface of what’s out there,” said Deputy Jeff Lundgren, a bomb technician with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department during a presentation to supervisors.

Large quantities of fireworks, and in some cases explosives, are imported illegally from Nevada and Mexico, Lundgren said.

Fireworks, even the “safe and sane” variety approved by the state fire marshal, are illegal everywhere in Riverside County except for Blythe, Cathedral City, Coachella and Indio.

Nearly 80 fires were ignited by fireworks in Riverside County last year, up 25% from 2003. In Orange County, 50 fires were sparked by pyrotechnics last year, said Capt. Stephen Miller of the county Fire Authority.

All but seven cities in San Bernardino County -- Adelanto, Chino, Rialto, Grand Terrace and parts of Colton, San Bernardino and Fontana -- prohibit fireworks. County fire officials receive about 500 fireworks-related calls in the month around the Fourth of July, resulting in hundreds of pounds of seized explosives and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage, said Tracey Martinez, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

Although only five cities in Orange County allow state-permitted fireworks, three dozen Los Angeles County cities, including Alhambra, Inglewood and Palmdale -- but not Los Angeles -- permit fireworks.

Riverside County will launch two pilot programs in Jurupa and Perris to boost fireworks-prevention and education during the Fourth of July weekend.

Supervisor John Tavaglione, whose district includes Jurupa, said growing numbers of immigrants in Riverside County might not be familiar with local restrictions governing fireworks.

“It’s not their fault; they just don’t know the laws,” Tavaglione said.