SR-304-003-03 (10)
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Councll Meetlng: 2/12/26
3tJt.f --003-03
Santa Monica, California
To:
Mayor and City council
From:
City staff
Subject:
July 4th Fireworks Displays
INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes the events of July 4th, 1986 in order to
reassess the magnitude and severity of problems associated with
beach fireworks displays. Following a discussion of this year's
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experience, a comparison between 4th of July activities and the
problems encountered on other major beach season holidays is
presented to
demonstrate the
unique seriousness
of the
fireworks-related disruptions. Recommendations which aim at the
alleviation of negative impacts tied to July 4th fireworks are
presented for consideration.
BACKGROUND
The number of spectators drawn to this year's 4th of July
fireworks displays was similar to last year (approximately
500,000), which attests to the continued popularity of one of
the few remaining fireworks shows sponsored by a beach city in
Southern California.
The adverse fireworks~related problems
which were detailed in the May 27, 1986 staff report (traffic
gridlock, increased crime activity, heightened fire danger,
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etc.) were still in clear evidence. The unabated magnitude of
these adverse problems once again seriously affected the
delivery of emergency services to residents and visitors.
DISCUSSION
The major categories of problems tied to the fireworks displays
continue to entail: traffic; impaired emergency services; crowd
control; and, to a lesser extent this year, fireworks-related
fires. Each of tnese categories is discussed below with
statistics and examples drawn from the 1986 experience.
Traffic
~raffic congestion was as heavy this year as last year, with a
major portion of the Police Department's uniformed personnel
assigned to traffic control from 7:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. A
serious traffic gridlock affected Pacific Coast Highway from
before 9:00 p.m. until about 1:00 a.m. As was the case in years
past, many drivers abandoned their vehicles on PCH, thus turning
the traffic lanes into virtual parking lots during the period of
the fireworks display. Almost all of the beachwarea and downtown
streets were severely congested during most of the evening
hours. Pedestrians again clogged the streets and sidewalks as
they walked to and from the fireworks viewing areas, and
numerous vehicles were left blocking private driveways and
alleys.
The closing
conversion of
of Ocean Avenue to vehicular traffic
some major arteries such as Colorado
and the
Boulevard
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into one-way-on1y-eastbound, however, did appear to facilitate a
smoother egress form the beach areas after the fireworks than
was the case last year. For the most part, heavy traffic had
been successfully cleared from major city surface streets by
11:00 p.m.
Impaired Emerqency Services
The beach areas were again essentially inaccessible to fire
companies and pOlice units during the evening hours of the
holiday. Despite the best efforts of the Police Department, only
priority calls could be handled during this period, and the
motorcycle units were the only ones which were able to move
through the traffic west of Fourth street to handle these
emergency calls. A related problem was the insufficient number
of units available to transport prisoners, injured individuals
or lost children. This transportation problem became so critical
that by 9:30 p.m. some officers on beach detail had to be
reassigned to assist in the transportion of prisoners to the
jail. During the peak evening hours, many less serious problems
which normally receive a Police response, such as fights,
burglaries, misdemeanor hit and run, and illegally parked
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Avenue respectively. Also fortunate was the fact that the
timing and location of the actual emergencies were such that the
paramedic units were not seriously hampered in their response by
the traffic gridlock which was prevalent on some streets.
Crowd Control
Based on the types and severity of incidents which occurred on
the Fourth, it is evident that crowd-related problems were more
severe this year than last year. The number of felony arrests
for the period starting at 6:00 p.m., July 4, and ending at 7:00
a.m., July 5, increased from nine to twelve and encompassed ten
assaults with various deadly weapons, one armed robbery and one
stolen vehicle. The ten assaults involved ten different victims
and included two shooting incidents, one of which resulted in
the death of a sixteen year-old male. This shooting death was
apparently linked to a rivalry between two gangs from south-east
Los Angeles.
There were twenty-nine misdemeanor arrests during the same
period, one less than last year's thirty, as well as numerous
misdemeanor citations issued for offenses which did not require
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with bottles, fireworks and other debris being thrown from the
bluffs above. One officer was injured (not seriously) when an
assailant threw a bottle at her head, and two officers in a
crowd on the Pier had persons attempt to remove their service
revolvers from the holsters.
Even though the volume of incidents detailed above is great, one
must bear in mind that neither the arrest statistics, crime
reports nor Police logs accurately reflect the full extent of
violations which occurred since the overall level of criminal
activity was beyond what the finite complement of Police
personnel could handle or record.
Fireworks-Related Fires
The City was fortunate in that the Fire Department was required
to respond to only one fire incident on the Fourth, which was a
trash fire. Although the fire experience this year was very
favorable, concerns regarding the potential difficulties that
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holidays (Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day) is presented in
the chart below to illustrate the potential decrease in illegal
activities which might be achieved if the fireworks were
abolished.
Holiday Arrest statistics
(6pm to 7am next day)
July 4
1985
July 4
1986
Memorial
Day, 1986
Labor Day
1985
Misde-
\Tleanor
Felony
30
29
23
20
9
12
2
1
Total
39
41
25
21
As is evident from the above chart, the total number of
violations is higher on the July 4th holidays and the number of
serious (felony) violations is substantiallY hiqher. This data
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illegal use of fireworks); 3) beach parking lots could be
cleared of vehicles in accordance with existing prohibitions
against parking from sunset to sunrise; 4) the tremendous
traffic problems associated with the influx and exodus of
vehicles in the beach and downtown areas before and during the
fireworks show would be eliminated.
Conclusion
The undesireable consequences of the beach fireworks displays
have escalated to the point where the safety and welfare of many
citizens is jeopardized. While the pre-planning and
coordination efforts by City officials resulted in a lessening
of the impact which the 4th of July holiday has on esential city
services, the experience of the past two years demonstrates that
these efforts are no longer a sufficient response to the
dangerous problems associated with the fireworks displays. It
therefore continues to be the recommendation of staff that all
fireworks displays in the beach areas of Santa Monica be
prohibited.
As an
alternative to this prohibition
against fireworks
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Recommendations
Based on the data presented in this report, it is the conclusion
of staff that the recommendations submitted in the previous 4th
of July staff report are still sound. It is therefore requested
that the city council approve the recommendations of the report
presented for consideration on May 27, 1986. A copy of this
prior report is atfached for your reference.
~repared by:
craig Perkins
Senlor Management Analyst
Attachment