New Lodi fireworks restrictions approved
The Lodi City Council voted 4-1 to approve changes to the fireworks ordinance after the second reading of the ordinance on Tuesday morning. Councilman Bob Johnson was opposed.
Changes to the ordinance included a sunset order which would limit the discharge of safe and sane fireworks between 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July and the addition of a third-party procedure which will allow officers to issue a citation based on the affidavit of a private citizen who observes a violation of fireworks regulations. The sunset order will be effective immediately.
Three people from the public spoke out against the changes.
Dennis Revell of Revell Communications, the public relations firm representing TNT Fireworks, applauded the council’s efforts to address the concerns of its constituents, but questioned if the sunset order would be effective in eliminating or reducing the discharge of illegal fireworks in Lodi.
“There are no simple solutions to the illegal fireworks problem but this is no more the answer than telling people they can’t use legal over-the-counter medications for six days because it will make it easier to enforce the laws against dangerous opioids or cocaine,” he said. “I would strongly urge council to reconsider this portion of the ordinance and to work with the community organizations, the industry and your public safety agencies to find a better solution to this problem.”
Councilman Mark Chandler agreed that the illegal fireworks were the fundamental problem but added that the council was simply responding to the concerns of local residents.
“It’s not fair to our citizens to allow the nonprofits to make their money on the backs of their peace of mind, and so the message I have to the nonprofits is to find another way to make money,” he said.
John Hoskins with Phantom Fireworks addressed concerns from council on how the discharge of fireworks affect those with PTSD and pets.
“What I found was PTSD sufferers tend to exasperate the problem more so with a car backfiring than with fireworks, and I had our staff set off our fireworks and I didn’t hear any of them sound like a gun shot,” he said. “I looked into the animal situation because I’m a dog lover and the SPCA had all kinds of ways to overcome the fireworks during the Fourth of July.”
Hoskins explained how the sunset order would affect nonprofits that are selected to sell fireworks through a lottery process.
“My estimation was that $54,000 a year is raised by the nonprofits that goes back into your community every year. I know a lot of nonprofits struggle every year to even raise $10,000 and so to not really want to help those nonprofits is of concern to me,” he said. “I think they do valuable work in the community and I don’t think they should be overlooked.”
Hoskins asked the council to reconsider the sunset order.
Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce said that council would probably agree to sit in a dunk tank all day long to make for the nonprofits’ loss of revenue due to the sunset order. Mounce told Hoskins that her concerns about the fireworks affecting PTSD sufferers arose after speaking with a friend who is a psychologist specializing in PTSD.
Hoskins said that the discharge of illegal fireworks, not safe and sane fireworks, causes negative effects for PTSD sufferers.
Gina Valadez, who runs the nonprofit Bread of Life, an organization that provides grocery assistance to those in need, also asked the council to reconsider its decision.
“We pour a million dollars of product into San Joaquin County every year,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do that if we didn’t have resources to help provide for all of our expenses. Not everybody has the opportunity to sell fireworks because it is a lottery but if we are picked in that lottery it’s a benefit for us and it’s a benefit for your community. I agree that there is a problem with illegal fireworks and I wish the community had the resources to stop the illegal fireworks, but I think that is the problem, not the safe and sane fireworks.