Oceanside has approved a schedule of fines for illegal fireworks starting at $1,000 per violation with a limit of $10,000 in a single calendar year.
Read more Remote speakers will return to Oceanside City Council meetings
The penalties would be $2,500 for a second violation and $5,000 for a third within one year, under the ordinance introduced and unanimously approved Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council. If approved again by the City Council at a second review in the next few weeks, the ordinance would take effect in 30 days.
During the first year, fines will be levied at half the rate while more people become aware of the enforcement, officials said. The city will use social media announcements, press releases, fliers, and community education materials to publicize the risks and penalties for at least 30 days before July Fourth each year.
Illegal fireworks are increasing in the area and bring pet-frightening noise, air pollution, and the risk of injury and wildfires, authorities said. The problem is worst around July Fourth and New Year’s Eve, when people celebrate the holidays with a bang.
“It’s a serious issue,” said Mike Tenhover, a resident of the Wanis View Estates neighborhood in northeast Oceanside.
“It gets worse every year in our neighborhood,” Tenhover said. “We have three very active groups that just take over the streets. Last year, one group launched over 100 rockets in an hour.”
The ordinance makes it illegal “to ignite, discharge, or possess illegal or dangerous fireworks or for any host to knowingly allow, permit, or promote the use of illegal fireworks” on property under their control.
Read more Person critically injured in Escondido stabbing
The police and fire departments plan to increase staffing and use aerial drones during “a seven-hour operational window” associated with holiday fireworks, a staff report states.
“Contact teams would respond to identified incidents, attempt to make contact with violators, investigate violations, and confiscate fireworks when feasible,” it states. The staff also requested $32,060 to cover the overtime costs involved.
Councilmember Eric Joyce said recent fireworks injuries in Oceanside and elsewhere show the need for enforcement.
“This is an important one for our community,” Joyce said.
Fireworks are illegal countywide, but enforcement is sporadic at best. Offenders are difficult to locate and often are gone when officers or firefighters arrive.
Carlsbad, Oceanside’s neighbor to the south, approved a similar ordinance earlier this year, also with fines starting at $1,000 per violation.
Read more Murder trial begins in woman’s 1990 Scripps Ranch killing
