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Fireworks are illegal in most of LA County but they still light up the sky. So, where's the law?
In an aerial view, large illegal fireworks are set off late into the night, long after the professional Independence Day shows have ended in Los Angeles.
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David McNew
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Getty Images
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Television news footage from Thursday night confirmed what many people in the region saw first hand in their own neighborhoods: Lots of fireworks lighting up the night sky — despite them being illegal in many parts of Los Angeles County.
Why so little enforcement?
Officials say bans are hard to enforce due to a combination of limited resources and the availability of fireworks for sale in more permissive areas.
So called "safe and sane" fireworks are widely available in L.A. County where 30 of the 88 cities allow their sale. that means in many areas you might see a fireworks stand doing a brisk business right across the street from a city that bans them.
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The Los Angeles Police Department says it doesn’t have extra patrols out on Independence Day. Instead, they work with the Los Angeles Fire Department and their illegal fireworks campaign to disseminate information on the dangers of using fireworks in the lead up to Fourth of July celebrations.
LAPD Det. Meghan Aguilar also said despite the prevalence of illegal fireworks, the police department only responds to emergency calls on the 4th of July.
Nicholas Prange, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said they respond to emergency requests on July 4 and will sometimes work in collaboration with law enforcement if there are fireworks arrests or seizures.
Patchwork laws make it tough
Lisa Derderian, Pasadena’s public information officer, said it’s sometimes hard to enforce the ban because it’s difficult to track where the fireworks are being launched from.
And with neighboring cities like San Gabriel, where fireworks sales are legal promoted late into the night, people don’t have to go very far to get their fireworks fix.
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She added that officials often see illegal fireworks used outside the annual Rose Bowl Independence Day fireworks show. And given the brushfire dangers to the surrounding foothills, the Pasadena police and fire departments do what they can to patrol the area during the 4th of July holiday.
Still, the availability of fireworks in surrounding areas is outside their control.
“If that's the case, then just use them in your city. Don't bring them out to cities where they are illegal,” Derderian said.
In case you were wondering, yes, all those amateur fireworks shows thrown across Southern California took a toll on our air quality. July 5th was once again the worst air quality day since the last July 5th.
Where "safe and sane" fireworks are legal
Definition: “Safe and sane” fireworks are fireworks that cannot explode, be airborne and are less the 10 inches long. They also cannot contain chemicals like arsenic sulfide, chlorates and magnesium.
They are allowed in these L.A. County cities.
- Alhambra
- Artesia
- Azusa
- Baldwin Park
- Bell
- Bellflower
- Bell Gardens
- Carson
- Commerce
- Compton
- Cudahy
- Downey
- El Monte
- Hawaiian Gardens
- Hawthorne
- Huntington Park
- Industry
- Inglewood
- Irwindale
- La Mirada
- La Puente
- Lakewood
- Lawndale
- Lynwood
- Maywood
- Monterey Park
- Norwalk
- Palmdale
- Paramount
- Pico Rivera.
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