Worst-Case Scenario: Pacifica's Unending Debate on Fireworks

Surviving yet another fireworks season in Pacifica, most peace-loving citizens say to themselves (because it is seen as uncivilized to say it out loud) that it would take a fatality or major injury to get fireworks outlawed here. So once again next July Fourth (and several weeks before and after), the big explosions will rock the casbah, and we will hope nobody gets blown up. But it's kind of like hoping that global warming will just go away.

John Maybury, Editor and Publisher

Comments

[Dan Underhill]

"The phrase 'lower than pond scum' comes to mind."

That wasn't exactly the phrase that came to my mind, but it does kind of capture the sentiment. How come we aren't all calling ourselves by our actual names?

[Peter Loeb]

Big Banker, you know nothing. And you're making several false assumptions. You don't know who is on this "list." I support several nonprofits in this town. I write many checks and I attend many fundraising events. And I'm willing to use my name. You, on the other hand, have made an unsupported attack on everybody who is on this "list" (whatever that is) and you have done it anonymously. The phrase "lower than pond scum" comes to mind.

[Big Banker]

I highly doubt any of the nonprofits in town will see any money from any of the big spenders on this list.

OPM=other people's money. Something you all seem to be very generous with!

[Steve Sinai]

How about designating council members' front yards as Pacifica's official Fireworks Explosion Zones?

[Dan Underhill]

"I'm more than convinced we would do much better to simply pay off the not-for-profits that get a piece of the fireworks sales rather than pay for the extra police staffing."

I'm with Todd on this. Other municipalities find ways to celebrate independence without encouraging every drunken fool to play with fire on that day.

[ian butler]

Although I am firmly in favor of banning fireworks altogether, the city remains divided on the issue. A commonsense step that everyone can agree on is banning fireworks on our beaches, which is supported by the Pacifica Beach Coalition. Sue Pemberton convincingly made the case on Wavelength last month:

http://vimeo.com/45759941

[todd bray]

My point is to pay the nonprofits their $2,500 each because it's cheaper than paying for the added police staffing, even with the pittance garnered for fireworks sales to offset that extra staffing cost.

[Lionel Emde]

I was on the committee that advised the council on the fireworks ordinance that was enacted and is currently the law.

One of the things that struck me was how little local nonprofits make in this trade. The attorney working for the fireworks manufacturers was a part of the committee. At first, there were some confrontations with this fellow, but I must say he was an asset near the end of the process, as he actually tried answering questions that citizens had.

One of these questions was: "How much do local nonprofit groups make?" To get this info from the city, this attorney had to file a PRA request! This was a council-appointed committee tasked with coming up with a better idea, in terms of a fireworks ordinance.
A PRA request from the committee? Wow.

After the one-page reply arrived, we learned that 13 nonprofits were netting (and splitting) less than $100,000 total.That was in a year before the economic collapse really made itself felt.

I don't know what the answer is, but the police department's performance this past July 4th seemed inadequate, to say the least.

[Chris Fogel]

I'll restate here what I said before City Council on July 23:

July 4 in Pacifica is not a city coming together to celebrate a holiday but rather is a destructive event characterized by absolute, unmitigated chaos. I do not believe that any one of our councilmembers could have stood there with me in front of my house and tell me that what was unfolding before me in the Linda Mar valley was in any way, shape, or form, acceptable behavior. And this happens year after year after year.

"I feel it is safe to say we dodged a large bullet this year and once again I encourage both the city council and the non-profits to get together and find an alternate way to generate funds."
-- Chief Saunders, Police Department's Review of July 4, 2007

"I once again recommend that the city council consider banning all fireworks in the city of Pacifica for the safety of the community. As I have said, I firmly believe that we lucked out again."
-- Chief Saunders, Police Department's Review of July 4, 2007

Proponents of fireworks who speak before council overwhelmingly couch their support in terms of fundraising. One such individual got up and spoke on behalf of the American Legion.

The American Legion happened be one of the 15 organizations granted a license to sell fireworks in Pacifica during the year the Fireworks Task Force reported to the city on fireworks sales and related finances.

How much did the American Legion net from fireworks sales that year? A little over $2,500.

If you're a civic group looking to sell fireworks in Pacifica, I hope you'll think long and hard about the mayhem you're fostering in our community and the resultant misery and anxiety for small children and their parents, not to mention pets and their owners.

There's no way all this is worth $2,500.

Unfortunately, yes, it looks like it will take a serous injury, fire, or death to finally get the city to act on fireworks. And the city will be sued up the wazoo because it has received warnings year after year from its fire captains and police chiefs, who have pleaded with council to ban so-called "safe and sane" fireworks because they contribute to dangerous, out-of-control conditions and behaviors.

[John K]

Or a major fire? Why do we have to serve as the fireworks zone for San Francisco and the Peninsula?

And what about "zero tolerance" enforcement on illegal fireworks? Seems like a good argument (among others!) for transferring police authority to the county sheriff.

[todd bray]

Not well known but true nonetheless, there is an added-on fee to the fireworks sales that goes to offsetting the costs of extra police staffing the city pays for during the 4th of July festivities. I've asked Chief Tasa for a simple dollar amount for the cost of that exra staffing, but instead of just sending me that figure, Chief Tasa decided to hide behind Ann Ritzma and steered me to her for an answer.

I'm more than convinced we would do much better to simply pay off the not-for-profits that get a piece of the fireworks sales rather than pay for the extra police staffing.

The argument to continue to allow this craziness doesn't hold up anymore.