Teams laud fireworks sales

Many Costa Mesa youth sports, academic and extracurricular organizations make a majority of their money selling fireworks, and amid recent talk of scaling back or banning fireworks in the city and state, some are worried they will no longer be able to get by.

The city has increased the amount of police and fire officers patrolling the streets to enforce fireworks ordinances, but the city will allow fireworks sales as usual this year, and 32 groups opened up shop Tuesday morning to begin selling them.

Booth coordinators estimate the majority of the organizations get more than 50% of their funding for the year from three days of sales.

“The school district provides very little,” said Gary McClahan as he prepared to open his stand to benefit the basketball teams at Estancia High School. “We get under a thousand dollars from the district, so you buy basketballs and that’s spent.”

If the city decides to pass a moratorium on fireworks in the future, McClahan says the basketball teams would probably try to hold more tournaments, but they can often run into municipal red tape when trying to schedule more events at city-owned venues.

Still, he thinks the teams will have to work seriously on planning these types of fundraisers soon.

“I get the feeling that the days of selling fireworks in Costa Mesa are numbered,” McClahan said.

Other organizations don’t think they would be able to exist without fireworks. A Costa Mesa AYSO girls traveling soccer team says it makes $15,000 to $20,000 each year selling fireworks, and it supplements the rest of its budget with money through snack bars and tournaments.

These methods are far less efficient, though, said team booster Bill Lindburg.

“It would take two to three years to raise what you raise in two to three days with fireworks,” Lindburg said.

The girls team plans to play soccer in Costa Rica with the money it raises from this year’s fireworks booth.

Girls who go will not have to pay anything for airfare, lodging or food because of the fundraiser.

“If the fireworks stands went away, it would probably be the end of the travel team,” Lindburg said.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.