Redondo Beach forced to cancel King Harbor fireworks
Company pulls out over new L.A. County water quality rules
Redondo Beach won't have a Fourth of July fireworks show over King Harbor this year, a consequence of new rules Los Angeles County's waterquality watchdog implemented last month.
City officials last week canceled the nearly 70-year fireworks tradition for 2023 after the contractor, Pyro Spectaculars Inc., declined to produce the show because of new permitting rules from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Jim Souza, the CEO for Pyro Spectaculars, said the company was deeply disappointed about not being able to produce the Redondo Beach show, as well as others over the water, because of the regulations.
The Redondo Beach City Council and municipal staffers expressed dismay at the lastminute change and said there was no time to organize a show at a land-based location.
On May 25, the water board implemented a new safety permit for fireworks either launched from barges on the water or where the safety zone extended over the water.
The fireworks for Redondo Beach's show had been set off from a barge pulled by a tug boat.
“This Order prohibits discharge of plastic trash associated with firework displays into surface waters, and requires implementation of best management practices (BMPs) in lieu of traditional effluent limitations,”
“Despite all of our intentions and hopes, there's no ability for us to provide an over-the-water fireworks, barge-based show as we have intended this fiscal year.” — Redondo Beach City Manager Mike Witzansky
said the fact sheet for the waterquality board's new regulations, “to ensure the discharges of residual firework pollutants do not cause pollution or nuisance conditions in surface waters within the Los Angeles Region.”
The short notice frustrated Redondo Beach councilmembers last week. The council could only receive and file the withdrawal letter from the contractor and scramble for alternatives.
“Despite all of our intentions and hopes, there's no ability for us to provide an over-the-water fireworks, barge-based show as we have intended this fiscal year,” City Manager Mike Witzansky said at the Tuesday council meeting.
Witzansky said he met with the city attorney and lawyers for Pyro Spectaculars to pave the way for the permitting process but to no avail.
“They remain uncomfortable and have withdrawn,” Witzansky said.
The new water board permitting process puts restrictions on overwater fireworks, such as requiring the launch area to be enclosed with three walls and performing underwater surveys. Those restrictions also mean there will be no fireworks in Riviera Village near Avenue I this year. How widespread such cancellations will be remains unclear.
But the Redondo Beach council grappled last week with how to provide a Fourth of July celebration for residents. With only two weeks before the holiday, the task proved nearly impossible.
It's too late to move the fireworks to Dominguez Park or to Redondo Union High's campus, as the logistics for putting on an overwater show and a landbased show are completely different, said Councilmember Nils Nehrenheim.
Nehrenheim is an expert of sorts in fireworks. He works as a contractor for Pyro and other such companies. He recused himself from this week's council discussions because of potential conflict of interest.
Canceling the fireworks was the prudent and safe thing to do, Nehrenheim said in a Thursday interview.
“It's all about planning and resource availability,” Nehrenheim said about putting together a pyrotechnic show. “And when you change things this dramatically on such short notice,
it's really hard to react.”
The council nixed the idea of hosting fireworks on a date other than July 4, as residents complained about doing that in previous years. A July 1 fireworks display in 2018, for example, caused confusion and complaints that the celebration wasn't on Independence Day itself.
Officials were instead left with brainstorming ideas for a community celebration that involved food trucks, a DJ and, perhaps, a bounce-house for children. Still, lack of time and the reluctance of vendors to come out for an event without fireworks was problematic, they said.
Redondo Beach will instead consider allocating some of the $75,000 from the tidelands fund that would normally be used for the fireworks to enhancing activities at Seaside Lagoon on JulyFourth, said Cameron Harding, director of community services.
The city will likely spend about $10,000 to $20,000 of that money on Seaside Lagoon festivities, Harding said. The beefed-up events at the lagoon, though, are no panacea for the dismay residents will feel at the loss of fireworks, he said.
“To pull the trigger on this when we're only four to five weeks out and there are no other fireworks vendors available,” Harding said, “is just frustrating, heartbreaking and disappointing.”
The Seaside Lagoon event will include a variety of family-friendly activities, such as a photo booth and a DJ, Harding said. The city is also trying to entice food trucks to come to the lagoon as well, he said.
Seaside Lagoon, 200 Portofino Way, will be open on July Fourth from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is $8 for adults, $6 for children and free for children 2 and under. Snow cones and activities will be provided free of charge.