Freedom From Fireworks Meets with Sheriff Department
October 1, 2015
Meeting Attendance
We were the first group to use the new meeting room of the new Sheriff Service Center and we are grateful that the Department arranged this meeting place for us. Our meeting lasted an hour and a half. After the meeting, there were many people who stayed and talked further with the deputies and with one another. So they devoted a full two hours of their time to our group and we thank them!
There were 34 residents from many different neighborhoods, from the mountains (Boulder Creek) to the sea and everywhere in between. The other four in attendance were: Lt. Greg Lansdowne, Sgt. Joe Clarke, Allyson Violante of Supervisor Zach Friend's office (District 4), and surprisingly - the area manager of TNT Fireworks, Inc. who had driven all the way from Sacramento to attend this meeting.
Most Important Things We Learned
We learned that Sheriff's deputies do not fully know the history or the intricacies of the fireworks law. We learned that prior to meeting with us, they did not fully understand the extent of the year round problems caused by fireworks in our neighborhoods.
Right now, Lt. Lansdowne is the key fireworks deputy. He and his decisions for enforcement make a big difference. Four problems exist in this regard:
1. Coming into the meeting Lt. Lansdowne focused only on July 2 - 6.
2. On July 4th, Lansdowne and Clarke de-emphasize the possession of so-called "safe and sane" fireworks as a basis for citations, preferring to issue warnings to "that family that is visiting and doesn't know the law." They did say that they confiscate the safe and sane fireworks when they issue said warnings. Since "safe and sane" fireworks, although illegal, are way down on a list of crime priorities, there is apparently no understanding of the absolute connection of "safe and sane" to the bigger stuff that plagues us not only on the 4th but throughout the year.
3. Fireworks in general are not currently much of a priority for the Sheriff Department. It is our job to see that fireworks are elevated in their list of priorities, since for neighborhoods they are a health & safety issue.
4. It appeared that they did not know the law currently allows fines of up to $1,000 and up to 1 year in jail for violation of the County Ordinance year round. Violation of the fireworks law is a misdemeanor.
And Now the Good News
When we started this campaign, we thought our job would be to develop creative, practical and workable recommendations for presentation to the Board of Supervisors (BOS), who would make policy changes to enhance enforcement of the ordinance. We have now learned that half of our work must be directly with law enforcement, for the policy is already set. It is the way the Sheriff interprets and implements the policy that needs a lot of work! We still plan to go to the BOS with recommendations, but now know we can get a lot done by working directly with the Sheriff. During the meeting, Lt. Lansdowne took notes on suggestions made by several residents on some specific ideas to implement the ordinance.
A Countywide Fireworks Task Force meets as early as February (Sheriff, SC Police, Fire Depts., Cal Fire, CHP) to plan for July 4th. FFF intends to somehow be a part of that meeting.
What We Learned From TNT
Although initially concerned that the TNT representative (Milton Broussard) showed up uninvited, his presence actually helped us learn a few things that we would otherwise not have known. Also, his presence shows that we are a force...to get the fireworks manufacturers concerned!
One of our greatest frustrations is if only "safe and sane" fireworks are legally allowed in the State of California, how and why do the regular fireworks (illegal in CA) find their way into our neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County? Milton said they come through the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Oakland. He did not go into detail about how they are disbursed from those ports, but he did say that 65% of fireworks that are illegal to possess in CA come from sales in Pahrump (Nye County), Nevada. Interesting, because...get this...the use of all fireworks, including safe and sane, is prohibited in Nye County. They can be sold there but not used there. One must sign a waiver at the time of purchase declaring that the purchased fireworks will not be used in Nye County.
We have also learned, independent of TNT's Milton, that shipping of fireworks to California (and 12 other states) is prohibited by interstate law. Whether there are ways to get around that we can only speculate. All in all, our meeting with the Sheriff was quite productive, for us and we hope for them.
Our next meeting will be with the Santa Cruz City Police Department.
We were the first group to use the new meeting room of the new Sheriff Service Center and we are grateful that the Department arranged this meeting place for us. Our meeting lasted an hour and a half. After the meeting, there were many people who stayed and talked further with the deputies and with one another. So they devoted a full two hours of their time to our group and we thank them!
There were 34 residents from many different neighborhoods, from the mountains (Boulder Creek) to the sea and everywhere in between. The other four in attendance were: Lt. Greg Lansdowne, Sgt. Joe Clarke, Allyson Violante of Supervisor Zach Friend's office (District 4), and surprisingly - the area manager of TNT Fireworks, Inc. who had driven all the way from Sacramento to attend this meeting.
Most Important Things We Learned
We learned that Sheriff's deputies do not fully know the history or the intricacies of the fireworks law. We learned that prior to meeting with us, they did not fully understand the extent of the year round problems caused by fireworks in our neighborhoods.
Right now, Lt. Lansdowne is the key fireworks deputy. He and his decisions for enforcement make a big difference. Four problems exist in this regard:
1. Coming into the meeting Lt. Lansdowne focused only on July 2 - 6.
2. On July 4th, Lansdowne and Clarke de-emphasize the possession of so-called "safe and sane" fireworks as a basis for citations, preferring to issue warnings to "that family that is visiting and doesn't know the law." They did say that they confiscate the safe and sane fireworks when they issue said warnings. Since "safe and sane" fireworks, although illegal, are way down on a list of crime priorities, there is apparently no understanding of the absolute connection of "safe and sane" to the bigger stuff that plagues us not only on the 4th but throughout the year.
3. Fireworks in general are not currently much of a priority for the Sheriff Department. It is our job to see that fireworks are elevated in their list of priorities, since for neighborhoods they are a health & safety issue.
4. It appeared that they did not know the law currently allows fines of up to $1,000 and up to 1 year in jail for violation of the County Ordinance year round. Violation of the fireworks law is a misdemeanor.
And Now the Good News
When we started this campaign, we thought our job would be to develop creative, practical and workable recommendations for presentation to the Board of Supervisors (BOS), who would make policy changes to enhance enforcement of the ordinance. We have now learned that half of our work must be directly with law enforcement, for the policy is already set. It is the way the Sheriff interprets and implements the policy that needs a lot of work! We still plan to go to the BOS with recommendations, but now know we can get a lot done by working directly with the Sheriff. During the meeting, Lt. Lansdowne took notes on suggestions made by several residents on some specific ideas to implement the ordinance.
A Countywide Fireworks Task Force meets as early as February (Sheriff, SC Police, Fire Depts., Cal Fire, CHP) to plan for July 4th. FFF intends to somehow be a part of that meeting.
What We Learned From TNT
Although initially concerned that the TNT representative (Milton Broussard) showed up uninvited, his presence actually helped us learn a few things that we would otherwise not have known. Also, his presence shows that we are a force...to get the fireworks manufacturers concerned!
One of our greatest frustrations is if only "safe and sane" fireworks are legally allowed in the State of California, how and why do the regular fireworks (illegal in CA) find their way into our neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County? Milton said they come through the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Oakland. He did not go into detail about how they are disbursed from those ports, but he did say that 65% of fireworks that are illegal to possess in CA come from sales in Pahrump (Nye County), Nevada. Interesting, because...get this...the use of all fireworks, including safe and sane, is prohibited in Nye County. They can be sold there but not used there. One must sign a waiver at the time of purchase declaring that the purchased fireworks will not be used in Nye County.
We have also learned, independent of TNT's Milton, that shipping of fireworks to California (and 12 other states) is prohibited by interstate law. Whether there are ways to get around that we can only speculate. All in all, our meeting with the Sheriff was quite productive, for us and we hope for them.
Our next meeting will be with the Santa Cruz City Police Department.
Statement to Board of Supervisors
August 18, 2015
On June 19 a message - with the subject line Fireworks Season - was posted to a Next Door forum under the category Crime and Safety.
You are no doubt already aware of the popular online Next Door forums. Even the SC County Sheriff's Office has a Next Door account!
The interest from that initial Next Door post was swift and astonishing -- eventually over 325 messages from a dozen neighborhoods with the same complaints, frustrations, and calls for someone to do something. People are truly fed up with the annual ballistics as well as the year round fireworks explosions that disturb their peace, disturb their sleep, cause agitation and stress to pets, make the air difficult to breathe, and startle wildlife not only at the shoreline but everywhere inland.
We are a new grassroots campaign, appropriately called Freedom From Fireworks -- a campaign to stop the fireworks madness, to turn feelings of being victimized into productive action. We are seeking solutions to the problems caused by fireworks, not only on July 4th but throughout the year -- fireworks that harm people, pets, property and wildlife.
We are here today to introduce our campaign to you. We know that it is this Board that will ultimately be responsible for crafting new policies to help end the invasion of our homes, to restore our sense of safety and peace.
People have a right to quiet enjoyment in their homes. They should not have to live in fear of the next blast that sends their defenseless pets under beds shaking, that disturbs their peace, that causes stress for people with PTSD and children with autism. This is a health and safety policy issue first and foremost!
We have reviewed state and local laws for the regulation, possession and use of fireworks. We are studying what other communities are doing to get control of the out-of-control abuse of fireworks. We will be meeting with law enforcement, veterans, the Animal Shelter, Native Animal Rescue, City and County Fire Chiefs, Cal Fire, and NOAA officials, to name a few.
We ask that you acknowledge this campaign, encourage us in our work, and be prepared to discuss and act upon the reports and creative suggestions that will be submitted to you in the coming months. We are also ready to meet with any County staff this Board may appoint to help us meet our goals. We're in this for the long haul. We expect to see a measurable improvement in our lives by next July 4th.
You are no doubt already aware of the popular online Next Door forums. Even the SC County Sheriff's Office has a Next Door account!
The interest from that initial Next Door post was swift and astonishing -- eventually over 325 messages from a dozen neighborhoods with the same complaints, frustrations, and calls for someone to do something. People are truly fed up with the annual ballistics as well as the year round fireworks explosions that disturb their peace, disturb their sleep, cause agitation and stress to pets, make the air difficult to breathe, and startle wildlife not only at the shoreline but everywhere inland.
We are a new grassroots campaign, appropriately called Freedom From Fireworks -- a campaign to stop the fireworks madness, to turn feelings of being victimized into productive action. We are seeking solutions to the problems caused by fireworks, not only on July 4th but throughout the year -- fireworks that harm people, pets, property and wildlife.
We are here today to introduce our campaign to you. We know that it is this Board that will ultimately be responsible for crafting new policies to help end the invasion of our homes, to restore our sense of safety and peace.
People have a right to quiet enjoyment in their homes. They should not have to live in fear of the next blast that sends their defenseless pets under beds shaking, that disturbs their peace, that causes stress for people with PTSD and children with autism. This is a health and safety policy issue first and foremost!
We have reviewed state and local laws for the regulation, possession and use of fireworks. We are studying what other communities are doing to get control of the out-of-control abuse of fireworks. We will be meeting with law enforcement, veterans, the Animal Shelter, Native Animal Rescue, City and County Fire Chiefs, Cal Fire, and NOAA officials, to name a few.
We ask that you acknowledge this campaign, encourage us in our work, and be prepared to discuss and act upon the reports and creative suggestions that will be submitted to you in the coming months. We are also ready to meet with any County staff this Board may appoint to help us meet our goals. We're in this for the long haul. We expect to see a measurable improvement in our lives by next July 4th.