Salinas council moves to ban ‘safe and sane’ fireworks

The Salinas City Council late Tuesday voted to introduce an ordinance which will ban the use of so called “safe and sane” fireworks in the city.

The panel voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance which will repeal the existing city law adopted in 2009.

The move by the body came after a string of Independence Day celebrations — including this most recent holiday — where the city was reduced to a chaotic ‘war zone’ because of the flagrant use of illegal fireworks whose use in many cases was intentionally masked by the use of the ‘safe and sane’ variety.

By banning the use of all kinds of fireworks in Salinas Police Chief Kelly McMillin and Fire Chief Ed Rodriguez said the city’s public safety forces stand a better chance of catching and citing those using the far more dangerous illegal variety.

The council listened to more than an hour of testimony from public speakers pleading with the panel to adopt the ban, saying that the explosive cacophonous mix of the two kinds of fireworks has combined to scare children, frighten animals and unnecessarily disturb military veterans suffering from battlefield post-traumatic stress disorder.

“On July 4 Salinas turns into a lawless place where anarchy rules the day. We cannot allow this to go on any longer,” said Councilwoman Jyl Lutes.

Councilwoman Gloria De La Rosa supported her colleague.

“No more ‘safe and sane’ and no more illegal — no more fireworks period. We’re done. We cannot continue to put our children, our animals and our properties at risk,” she said.

Council members supporting the ban included Lutes, De La Rosa, Mayor Joe Gunter and council members Steve McShane and Kimbley Craig.

Longtime Salinas resident Tony Royal agreed with both council members.

“Please, for heaven’s sake, pass this ordinance. Eliminate all fireworks in the city and do it tonight!” said Royal.

Casting the lone dissenting votes were council members Jose Castañeda and Tony Barrera who each had trouble articulating exactly why they stood opposed to the effort. Castañeda said that before taking the action to ban the ‘safe and sane’ variety that a larger community forum on the issue should first be held.

The council is scheduled on Aug. 18 to conduct a second and final reading and vote of the ordinance.

The council also generally agreed that the city should produce some kind of municipal Independence Day fireworks show and festival at the Salinas Sports Complex. Details on that event were not immediately available.

Reach Senior Writer and Columnist Jeff Mitchell at jemitchell@thecalifornian.com.