Mailbag: On the front lines with fireworks

I am responding to your Huntington Beach City Council fireworks debate article in last week’s edition of the Independent (“Council ignites fireworks debate,” Dec. 22).

Our family has lived downtown on 14th Street for 11 years, and I am appalled that Mayor Don Hansen wants to legalize fireworks for the Fourth of July. His comments and actions reflect a lack of knowledge of what occurs downtown on the Fourth. The fireworks are already out of control. Connie Boardman’s quote that it is a war zone is correct. I will give you an example of how bad it is:

Several years ago, there was a police shooting on the corner of 14th and Orange Avenue on July 3. My husband was napping in a room in the front of the house and he didn’t realize the shots were from a gun; he thought they were more fireworks! All hours of the day and night, the fireworks go off several days before the holiday and throughout the night. We take extra precautions to water our lawn and rooftops to prevent a fire. There are so many parties with excessive alcohol served in the neighborhood, I don’t know how people can use fireworks responsibly.

Also, there are so many tourists who do not respect the neighborhood that may be setting off fireworks. One year, there was a party on a rooftop on our block and the partyers set off fireworks from the rooftop that set a palm tree on fire. The partyers then left the neighborhood as we helped our neighbors put out the fire!

On many occasions, I leave with my husband and children to enjoy the Fourth somewhere else. Our only concern is that our house will be standing upon our return! On a final note, on July 5 there are so many burnt fireworks on the streets that need to be cleaned up that it truly looks like the aftermath of a war zone.

Shame on the City Council for making an uninformed decision that could endanger the downtown citizens’ homes! They should spend the night downtown on July 4 before they change this law! I agree with the chief of the fire department; he is correct!

Debra Thompson

Huntington Beach

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Council made the right call

Congratulations to Mayor Don Hansen and the City Council on making the correct decision to vote to bring back safe and sane fireworks to our town. Other communities in Orange County have them, so it is good to know a little bit of freedom is being restored here in Huntington Beach.

Mark Cohen

Huntington Beach

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H.B. should rise above neighbors

“Despite strong opposition from both the fire and police chiefs,” five people on the City Council are recommending we ignore our public safety specialists and allow the selling of dangerous and sometimes lethal products throughout our city.

Council members Connie Boardman and Joe Shaw see the obvious negatives in lifting the current ban and allowing such sales; however, Mayor Don Hansen seems to be having a “show me the money” moment. This has to be about money. Hansen is choosing the money, certainly, not the public good. Not the public’s safety. Not personal safety. And as mayor, he is putting on political arrogance in ignoring Chiefs Patrick McIntosh and Ken Small while grossly ignoring the public good of those of us who live within this blessed and wonderful city. He and the others on the council who hope to lift the ban are simply going for the money, not the public good.

That’s a big problem with leadership in our country today: risk a little destruction (older buildings and structures in Huntington Beach and Sunset Beach) and personal safety (children’s eyes and limbs) and tap into any potential revenue (that Costa Mesa and Garden Grove are raking in due to our residents traveling to those cities to buy).

Some of us thought Huntington Beach was different than those municipalities where fireworks stands and shacks go up every June just to make a buck; we felt we had a higher calling, and the fantastic fireworks show following our world-class parade every July 4 is already the best (which Costa Mesa and Garden Grove folks drive over here to see) on the state shoreline.

Hansen thinks otherwise. He thinks we need to go backward. The involved and smart people of Huntington Beach, however, know we’re better than that. We agree with McIntosh and Small. We don’t want to go backward, Mayor. We don’t want to go back to Tin Can Beach.

Jerry Malugeon

Huntington Beach

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Past legalization brought trouble

I would like to know what is wrong with our City Council in Huntington Beach to even think about allowing fireworks to be legal in Huntington Beach.

We have lived in Huntington Beach for more than 30 years and remember when they were legal and how bad it was with the fires. It is bad now even with them not being legal! Wake up, City Council. Do not pass this.

Connie Boardman and Joe Shaw, stick to your opposition to legalizing fireworks. Listen to the police chief and fire chief; they know what they are talking about.

Mayor Hanson, I am not sure where you live that you would want these fireworks all around you. Huntington Beach does enough with our fireworks over the water for the public.

If you are wanting this to raise money for the city, think of a smarter way.

Betty Cox

Huntington Beach