Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fireworks Buyback topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Police outline fireworks buyback locations and logistics; council members question cost-effectiveness
Summary
LAPD presented a plan identifying possible buyback sites and safety criteria; council members asked whether the program’s small yields justify staff resources, and the committee approved the report.
Los Angeles Police Department staff presented possible locations and safety criteria for fireworks buyback events and described past yields; committee members asked for cost and staffing data and approved the police report.
Commander Yusela Espinoza introduced the LAPD report on potential buyback locations, saying the department had identified multiple locations across bureaus and outlined minimum safety distances from hospitals and schools. Captain Mario Moda (LAPD) explained site-selection criteria, including minimum clearances: one thousand feet from hospitals or medical facilities during school times, preferred separation of three hundred feet from structures for evacuation, and minimum two hundred fifty feet from buildings in general.
Captain Morgan gave the committee specific collection totals from recent years and staffing used at prior events: "we collected two hundred fifty-four pounds" (most recently) and noted that a recovery event previously used about eight people (a supervisor and four technicians plus supporting officers and volunteers) with no overtime because the work was pre-scheduled. Morgan said earlier campaigns recovered approximately 382 pounds in 2023 and 254 pounds in 2024.
Council members pressed staff on whether a single-location buyback once per year is sufficient and asked about cost and storage logistics; staff said the city has struggled to find secure storage and has coordinated with CalFire for final disposal in an off-site desert location. A council member told staff they were concerned the program's staff time may not be the best use of limited resources, noting that confiscations at division-level enforcement events can yield larger quantities.
The committee approved the report and its recommendations to identify buyback sites and coordinate logistics; roll-call voting on the item recorded Member Lee — yes; Member Price — yes; Member Macosker — yes; Member Soto Martínez — no; Member Park — yes. The motion passed with a 4-1 vote.
Staff were directed to include estimated costs and storage options in the report back to the committee so members can weigh the program's benefits against resource requirements.
