Sacramento County is in the process of creating harsher penalties for illegal fireworks, but in neighboring jurisdictions some large fees are going unpaid.
The county approved amending their current ordinance March 24 to increase the starting fine from $1,000 per incident to $1,000 per firework, which increases to $2,500 and then $5,000 per firework for subsequent violations. Illegal fireworks set off near sensitive areas– schools, parks and the American River Parkway– will see a fine of $10,000 per firework.
County spokesperson Kim Nava said that the changes come after public disregard for their current fee structure, and difficulties with enforcement in hotspot areas like Antelope and Orangevale.
“Enforcement is increasing, fines are substantial, and illegal fireworks put lives, homes, and public safety at risk and so the goal of all of this is just for safer and enjoyable celebrations on July 4,” she said.
Last year, the county received about 3,800 calls for service during the holiday and had trouble with crowd control, including fireworks being used against first responders.
The policy is more in line with fines with neighboring jurisdictions within the county such as the cities of Sacramento and Elk Grove.
The city of Sacramento increased their illegal firework penalties to the same fee structure last year, but Sacramento Fire spokesperson Justin Sylvia said they have had difficulty getting people to actually pay the fines.
“We have some pretty outstanding fines that are still out,” he said. “Years before we were in the tens of thousands of dollars in fines and last year we’re in the millions of dollars of fines.”
He told CapRadio there is still an outstanding $480,000 fine from an incident in North Natomas last year, where an individual lit 48 fireworks near a park.
“We have seen some fines being paid, but definitely not what we want to see,” Sylvia said. “We want to see that revenue coming in so we can start using that for more enforcement.”
Still, Sylvia said that the harsher fines are the way to go.
“I think we’re definitely going to see a decrease,” he said. “It’s definitely going to change people’s minds because when you start taking money out of their pocketbooks, that’s where it starts hitting people.”
The illegal fireworks problem is citywide. In Sacramento’s Oak Park, the neighborhood association’s President Loyal Terry sees the fines as the wrong approach, and believes that making legal fireworks accessible should be the priority.
“If we’re truly invested in making sure that people are using safe and sane fireworks and they’re not creating disturbances for their neighbors, there needs to be more predictability in the market,” he said. “I would love to see our country representatives come at it that way instead of trying to be more punitive.”
According to the fire department, unpaid fines for illegal fireworks in the city go to the city attorney’s office and then are turned over to collections.
Sacramento County said that if people don’t pay their fines after repeated mail notices, the county will take the debtor to small claims court. If the fine is over $5,000, it will go to the superior court as directed by county counsel.
The supervisors will vote on final amendments to the new fines on April 7, and Nava said fees will likely go into effect in May.
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