Hold your “safe-and-sane” fireworks – they are not allowed in most of Monterey County, including all unincorporated areas. They are permitted only in the cities of Marina, Seaside, Salinas, Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield and King City.
On the Monterey Peninsula, particularly in Seaside, the police department will be taking a more hands-on approach to shutting down illegal fireworks activity. This year, setting off illegal fireworks in Seaside can land you with a fine of $1,000, or even a trip to jail. In Salinas, getting caught with illegal fireworks can cost you a minimum of $1,500. (Salinas is sticking to administrative citations only this year.)
“There’s a split in our community. We have a large portion of people that love [illegal fireworks] and you have the other sector that are traumatized by it,” Seaside Police Chief Nick Borges says. “Some people leave for weeks because they cannot stand to be in the area. It can get uncontrollable.”
Borges says the department has tried to move away from criminal citations in previous years, and officers will still hand out administrative citations, but activity has only been getting worse. This year, on the days before, during, and after the Fourth of July, the department will partner with the fire department and have a command post dedicated solely to illegal firework activity. They will deploy drones in known problem areas, have undercover officers sussing out fireworks activity, and there will be a reward system for those who call in with information that leads to an arrest.
“Of course there are other things our resources could be better spent on,” Borges says, noting that there will still be extra officers on duty to handle the uptick in DUIs, violent crime or large parties that happen with any holiday.
“I don’t want to mislead anyone – there will be fireworks this year – but we’re tapping into all our resources to see a reduction in the future,” Borges adds. “It’s not going to happen overnight.”
(2) comments
Amen! These fireworks laws need to be STRICTLY enforced. Besides saving lives, pets are terrorized by these constant explosions. - If the police we have can't 'keep the peace,' we need to find new ones that can.
If you want to know why there coninues to be an illegal firework problem with more and more Seaside residents furious or leaving town, all you have to do is listen to city officials. Including Chief Borges, who should be applauded for his dept's work in other areas. When a municipal govt either does not want to, or doesn't believe they can, address a problem they will say exactly what has been quoted here. They will spend a half hour telling you that they have tried while going over what has failed, in other words, making excuses. Eventually the city begins to turn their contempt on people who complain and tell the truth, rather than on those who continue to engage in Illegal and anti-social behaviour. This is exactly what has happened in Seaside. The city has failed and continues to fail to enforce existing law to the extent that this purposeful assault on community peace and order goes on, night after night. While those in Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove get a healthy and peaceful night's sleep.
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