City Council considers permitting the sale and use of ‘safe and sane’ fireworks to boost nonprofits

A recommendation was made to the Long Beach city attorney at the Oct. 7 Long Beach City Council meeting to permit the sale of "approved ground-based sparkling devices (a legal form of firework that does not leave the ground, does not explode and meets all state regulations for noise)." The devices would be sold in up to 10 stands across the city, excluding the coastal zone, by 501(c)(3) organizations who would apply for permits. If more than 10 applicants qualify, a lottery process will be utilized to select the 10 nonprofits. A 7% sales fee will fund a community fireworks safety program, and 4% of post-cost sales revenue will go to the Nonprofit Partnership to support grants for community needs.

The recommendation was made by Council Members Cindy Allen, Mary Zendejas and Vice Mayor Roberto Uranga. The recommendation is available here.

Scratch This! is covering the fireworks issue because it's an issue that makes a lot of people, including animal lovers, blow a fuse — pun unavoidable. On the other paw, the beneficiaries, considering that the ordinance is approved after careful study, are community-oriented nonprofits, which everyone loves.

The fireworks will be sold through TNT Fireworks. At the council meeting, the company's vice president, John Kelly, described TNT as a wholesale distributor of fireworks for fundraising. The devices that the stands would be permitted to sell according to fire-safety regulations would not erupt higher or wider than 10 feet in the air or make explosive noises. These devices are known as "safe and sane fireworks" and include such novelties as sparklers, glow sticks, fountains and those little snaky things.

Examples of TNT fireworks labeled safe and sane. They're not silent by any means but don't compare with the loud bangs and booms that startle pets and people with PTSD. Video by Polar's California Fireworks

Kelly offered to make available statistics from the Los Angeles County Fire Department that cover the difference in property damage and personal injuries between safe and sane fireworks and the explosive devices sold illegally.

"Once you get past the moral and ethical discussion that inevitably will take place here, there are a lot of logistics to pull this off correctly," Kelly said. "If it is the council's desire to give this a try for America's 250th anniversary next year, we would be happy to partner with you."

Representatives from the Alpert Jewish Community Center's Senior Community Safety Program, the Jazz Angels in Signal Hill, the Long Beach State Dirtbags, Paws in the Sand cat rescue and the Best Start Central Long Beach Literacy Program spoke in support of fireworks sales. They stressed the need for revenue to keep their programs viable and the community well served. Some of the representatives said that they often reach into their own pockets to keep their organizations going. (Access the links by their names to make donations.)

The Jazz Angels is a program that makes the musical genre accessible to Southern California youth, particularly in underserved areas. Co-founder Barry Cogert said he plans to stress safety practices to anyone purchasing from his nonprofit's stand, should safe and sane fireworks be permitted and the Jazz Angels be approved.

"You can count on Jazz Angels to make sure that everybody who buys a [unintelligible] from our station will be informed about the hazards and safety standards of our fireworks," Cogert said.

But will the buyers attend to the safety protocols? Call me a cranky old lady, which I am, but probably about as much as people follow the "No bikes or skateboards on the sidewalks" signs or laws prohibiting texting while driving. Or no illegal fireworks in Long Beach.

Safe and Sane?

Furthermore, how safe or sane are those fireworks? "Safe" does seem to be a relative term, and "sane" doesn't apply to the devices but to the people using them.

"I don't think they are safe or sane — in fact, the California fire marshal said that they should be used with extreme caution," said resident Bill Nash, who commented that his usually quiet neighborhood is a "war zone" during the scofflaw season. "Every year, this city puts out a lot of money for health and safety, keeping citizens safe, and every year, at New Year's, at the Fourth of July, there's a spike in first responders going out and responding to accidents, fires, all sorts of issues that result from fireworks."

Long Beach Police Chief Wally Heibish said that in his experience, no firework is safe. He expressed his ongoing main concerns about the added workload during fireworks season and navigating the employee vacancy rate to address emergencies and service calls.

A separate statement from the LBPD agreed that its top priority is maintaining personnel capacity for emergency response, as Heibish said.

The LA County Fourth of July Safety Press Conference 2025 said that out of 142 fires that were ignited by fireworks, 121 were caused by illegal fireworks, 19 from undetermined fireworks and two by safe and sane fireworks. Two is too many. One is too many, and 142 is too damn many. So much for safe or sane.

"As your fire chief, I am against the sale and use of fireworks in the city of Long Beach," Long Beach Fire Chief Dennis Buchanan said. "Legal fireworks still carry a significant risk of personal injury and property damage. It has a significant impact on public safety, specifically to fire danger, serious medical injury that comes from fireworks, air pollution, noise disturbance."

In 2024, Buchanan said, California battled 1,200 fireworks-caused fires that resulted in $35 million in damage. Whether it's a bottle rocket or a sparkler, fireworks are ignition devices and can start a fire or cause a personal injury. Buchanan cited brush fires, public parks that have heavy vegetation and plant growth along waterways as safety issues.

"The U.S. Public Safety Commission reported over 15,000 injuries from fireworks alone, and of those, 1,700 from sparklers," Buchanan said. "And they're full of metals — that's what creates the colors in the fireworks. That's toxic smoke. Then, we know about the noise disturbance, the impact it has on our veterans that are suffering from PTSD. And our pets."

Council Member Duggan thanked Chief Buchanan for his explanation of the dangers of fireworks and expressed her thoughts against the recommendation.

"I could not in good conscience allow people to legally set things on fire in our neighborhoods in the name of improving safety," she said. "I can't advocate for nonprofits raising money based on the sale of something that could be harmful to our public."

Not a blanket approval

Council members who spoke in favor of the recommendation approved of the proposed source of income for community-oriented nonprofits, and they also favored the education component. They also expressed concerns about enforcement and its fiscal impact, areas in which sales should be prohibited such as the downtown business district, the possibility of extending the number of permitted booths to more than 10 and whether data existed regarding the success other municipalities with similar programs.

Council Member Thrash-Ntuk asked how the devices compared with illegal fireworks with respect to noise, how nonprofits would be selected for the lottery and whether representatives from the nonprofits will operate the booths. Council Member Saro voiced several concerns about the selection process and criteria. She also wondered where people would set the devices off.

"Not everyone has a yard, and there's always a lot of trash," she said. "People don't always pick up after themselves. I understand the need for nonprofits to generate revenue, and I really think it's a great idea for nonprofits to benefit, but the thing is, I want to stress how many nonprofits we have in the city. If we can only have 10 slots, how is it equity when it becomes a lottery? And how will we choose the criteria of who will be fit? I don't want us to come off as a city that selected some nonprofits and not others when we obviously believe that all nonprofits are doing great work."

After the discussion, the recommendation passed 6-2, with Council Members Zendejas, Allen, Kerr, Saro, Uranga and Thrash-Ntuk in favor and Duggan and Supernaw opposed. Council Member Joni Ricks-Oddie was not present for the vote.

City Manager Tom Modica said that his office will make every effort to research all concerns and information in the 60 days allotted for the purpose.

"There are more questions than answers at this point — very valid questions," Mayor Rex Richardson said in a separate interview. "The next step is, a report will come out for the city council and the public to really take a deeper look into this discussion before any decisions at city council are made."

Some of the council members in favor of the issue said that they thought that if safe and sane fireworks were made legal in Long Beach, people would buy them instead of the illegal ones. That's like trusting that your kid will ignore the Flamin' Hot Cheetos and go for the lima beans or turn off the gaming console and pick up an algebra book. Maybe they'll do both.

What a sad state we're in that times are so tough for nonprofits that they have to sell fireworks to get funded and survive. It's too bad that the Girl Scouts have cornered the market on cookies.

Yours drooly

"As you know, animal shelters experience spikes of incoming dogs during the Fourth of July holiday season," reads a statement about fireworks and dogs from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, of which LBACS is a bureau. "Loud noises, flashing lights and strong smells that come with fireworks make many pets incredibly anxious and often startle and frighten them, leading them to break through windows or door screens, jump over fences and get lost in the process. Because of this, each year the city advocates, through its Celebrate Safely campaign, for alternative ways that residents can celebrate safely and provide a more comforting and calming environment for all, including pets. LBACS will continue to advocate for our Long Beach and area pets and provide tips on how to keep them safe, secure and calm during the Fourth of July holiday season."

Sparky and the Gang Animal Rescue, among 25 or 30 other things they do and have done, provides a port in the storm of abandoned, neglected, abused and otherwise unwanted doggies at Long Beach Animal Care Services (LBACS). LBACS' dog kennels are so overcrowded that some are sent out for boarding. This is exacerbated during the days before and after the Fourth of July, when dogs frightened by fireworks tear off in terror. Resident dogs have to be temporarily boarded while shelter staff looks for the families. The really lucky shelter dogs wind up with the indefatigable Sherri Stankewitz, who runs the rescue and co-owns Fix Long Beach, where the dogs stay, and a bunch of volunteers who help clean and walk and foster and a staff of veterinarians and vet techs.

"Our group and others are doing their best to help with the incredible number of strays being impounded," Sparky volunteer Louise said.

Let's help make room at Fix Long Beach and Sparky and the Gang now! Each of these good dogs has a story, and you can provide the happy ending — to this chapter, anyway. Find all the adoptables here — there's even a cat — and apply to adopt here! They're all fixed, vaccinated and microchipped.

A big thanks to the Fix Long Beach Parvo ICU (and Sherri, of course) for saving these puppies, their siblings and so many others! Meet BJ, a black springer spaniel, and Omni, a white one. They're two of a litter of seven that the Parvo ICU saved from death from the virus. They're available to adopt.

Oh, those eyes! Tarantino is one of the pups who was taken in by Sparky and the Gang as a boarder from LBACS. Tarantino is now neutered and being socialized in a foster home. He loves the beach and walks, and he's super with other animals. He's smart, too, and is learning basic commands. To meet Tarantino, either give Sparky a call at 562-897-5282 or fill out the online application at the link above.

Yes, another purebred English bulldog. The market must be saturated because so many of them are turned over to rescue as though they're commodities. But they're not — they're living creatures who need to be loved. Marla is one of them. She's about 2, with a loving personality and full body energy for toys and Frisbee chases. She loves to play in the water, too. She would do fine with other dogs or cats. She's definitely ready to hit the road or go to the dog park with you!

Tail-waggin' and nose-boopin' events

Interfaith Blessing of the Animals

What's October, autumn or anything animal and Beach without Justin Rudd? This month, the 23rd annual Interfaith Blessing of the Animals will take place in a new location: in front of the Chase Bank on E. Second St. So far, eight religious leaders will be present to bless a pet who's still with you or has passed on. Bring your well-behaved pet in a carrier or on a leash (tortoises could likely be in a wagon), or carry a photo of a departed buddy. This will be the second pet blessing in Long Beach this year. Animals may be blessed already, but we need all the blessing we can get now.

The 23rd Interfaith Blessing of the Animals will take place at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in front of the Chase Bank, 5200 E. Second St., Belmont Shore in Long Beach. Free event.

Haute Dogs Howl'oween Parade

Then, of course, the best parade in the world follows! For 23 years, the Haute Dogs Howl'oween Parade has been entertaining everyone whether they have a dog or do not. Over 350 dogs and their humans entered last year, with 2,000 "dogless spectators," as Justin put it. Entry is $10 in advance online, $20 the day of the event and $35 VIP to skip the line and be first out the gate! Free to spectate, but you can rent a chair for $5. Vendors will be selling goodies for your pets, and in case you don't have one, great rescues will be there as well. Dress up your dog and yourself if you like — no stereotypical cultural costumes such as Native American chiefs and Mexican sombreros will be permitted. If you're unsure about the appropriateness of a costume, don't wear it or dress your dog in it. Last year's Howl'oween parade helped raise about $1,000 for the nonprofit 501(c)(3) Community Action Team (CAT), of which Haute Dogs is a part.

The Haute Dogs Howl'oween Parade and vendor fair will take place at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, at the beachfront grassy park and path in front of the former Belmont Pool, 4000 E. Olympic Plaza, Long Beach, just west of Rosie's Dog Beach. The parade is on the concrete path through the park. Access this link for information about registration, seat purchases, judges and costume categories. Registration will begin early this month.

Enter contest for two free tickets to Helen Sanders CatPAWS Le Chic Chat Soirée

You have until Oct. 22 to submit your guess as to how many cats and kittens Helen Sanders CatPAWS has fixed since they began operating their community clinics in 2023. (Hint: it's over 2,000!) The closest two winners will each receive two tickets to Le Chic Chat Soirée on Nov. 1. Email your guesses to me at Kate@lbwatchdog.com. And if you want to purchase tickets, please do! Proceeds from ticket sales and the silent auction help fund those very clinics and all the other lifesaving and life-changing programs, like rescuing at-risk cats and kittens and providing education and resources, such as the DIY Kitten Kits given out free at Long Beach Animal Care Services to people who want to bottle-feed orphaned newborn kittens. Read all about the event here.

The Soirée will take place from 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Navy Golf Course, 5660 Orangewood Ave., Cypress. Tickets are $150 and include appetizers, cocktails, dinner, dessert and champagne toast. Ticket sales and information are available here.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.