Over the Independence Day holiday, authorities across the county received at least 242 calls about illegal fireworks and issued at least 23 citations related to their use, according to figures provided by officials. However, some agencies have yet to release firework-related offense figures.
As of July 23, three people are facing prosecution for fireworks-related activity from the period of July 3-7, according to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office. The three criminal referrals are currently under review.
Fireworks are illegal in the cities of Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley and in the county’s unincorporated areas, and are prohibited year-round at state beaches.
The use of state Fire Marshal-approved “safe and sane” fireworks are legal only within the city limits of Capitola on private property, and in Watsonville, their sale and use is only permitted from July 1-4.
The County Sheriff’s Office received a total of 167 fireworks-related calls over America’s birthday weekend; of those, on the fourth, 136 calls came in, and the office issued 4 citations, said Ashley Keehn, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office public information officer.
The office also “seized approximately 50 pounds of illegal fireworks, and made a total of nine arrests” over the holiday weekend, said Keehn.
Firework activity in the county was largely concentrated in the Live Oak, Pleasure Point and Aptos areas, said Keehn.
Scotts Valley Police Department, responded to approximately 20 calls for service across all incident types, just two of which were related to fireworks, only one resulted in a misdemeanor citation for possession of illegal fireworks, said Department Capt. Scott Garner. The SVPD also arrested one person for public intoxication.
Watsonville Police Department spokesperson Erika Vazquez said the department received 102 calls and issued 12 citations for firework violations.
At parks throughout the county, State Parks peace officers issued more than 50 citations for alcohol, fireworks and other illegal activity from July 3 to July 5, said California State Parks spokesperson Tyler Hersko. Of these, approximately 10 were directly related to fireworks, and six were issued on the Fourth.
While the State Parks received multiple calls, said Hersko, they do not locally tally dispatch data.
There were a total of six enforcement calls to Cal Fire, two of which specifically mention fireworks, on July 4, said Michael Horn, the spokesperson for Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz CZU Unit, the unit issued no citations.
According to University of California Santa Cruz Police, there were zero calls and zero citations issued by campus police on Independence Day.
Katie Lee, the Santa Cruz Police department spokesperson, said on Fourth of July, they issued nine citations—primarily for fireworks violations, alcohol-related offenses and traffic issues—and responded to a total of 244 calls for service. In addition, the department arrested seven suspects for a variety of offenses, including public intoxication, DUI, assault or outstanding warrants.
However, when asked how many of these were specifically for fireworks, Good Times was directed to complete a Public Records Act request to access this data.
Officials from Capitola Police Department were unable to provide any data by press time.
According to Assistant District Attorney Bryan Pearson, law enforcement at times will choose not to issue a ticket depending on the situation.
It is similar to getting out of a speeding ticket with just a warning, Pearson explained. “The District Attorney’s office and the courts would never hear about it, because the officer decided to just take the fireworks and let them off with a warning,” Pearson said.
While the police have to have probable cause to arrest, added Pearson, and sometimes we don’t file cases, because to convict the District Attorney’s office has to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
If a criminal citation is issued, according to Keehn, the case is forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office to review the evidence and determine whether to file the charges. If filed, the case is heard, and penalties are determined in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
The enforcement of fireworks can often be difficult, said Keehn. Issuing a citation typically requires deputies to witness someone actively possessing or igniting illegal fireworks, she said, adding that by the time a call about fireworks is received and deputies arrive, those responsible have often already left the area.
Just because they might seem like fun, fireworks can still be extremely dangerous, no matter the kind, said Horn.
“Even things as easy as, like, a sparkler or a little snap caps that get thrown at the ground—those can start a fire, and it’s just really one spark that can start a fire,” he said.
People like to celebrate the Fourth of July, and despite knowing the rules they will set off fireworks anyway, said Jason Hoppin, the public information officer for Santa Cruz County.
“I think the idea that people are going to stop setting off fireworks on the Fourth of July is hopeful at best—but we do our best to try to get the numbers down as much as we can,” Hoppin added.
