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Residents urge Kern County to tighten illegal fireworks enforcement; supervisors cite staffing limits
Summary
Residents described large numbers of illegal-fireworks incidents and urged code changes and more enforcement. Supervisor Flores and staff said enforcement is constrained by limited arson investigators and resource limits; the county has issued citations but debt-collection limits exist.
Multiple residents at the June 3 Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting urged the board to address illegal fireworks use and enforcement following reports of numerous calls for service and property threats.
Resident testimony: Lisa Smith, representing Supervisor Flores’ District 3 area of Metro Bakersfield, presented figures she said illustrated the problem: she reported 132 offenses identified in 2023 without citations; nearly 3,000 calls and 147 fires on July 4, 2023; and cited an account number (22188) for fireworks violations that she said had no changes since 2022. Smith asked the board to “fix your code” and proposed creating a joint staff-and-citizen committee to rewrite enforcement language tailored to each district.
Supervisor response and enforcement limits: Supervisor Flores acknowledged the seriousness of fireworks enforcement and described staffing constraints: he said the county has only six arson investigators available on the night in question and that fire response resources are concurrently responding to incidents. Flores said the county issued 24 citations last year but noted the practical limit that unpaid citations may be referred to collections and, if uncollectible, discharged. He welcomed new ideas and technology to strengthen enforcement.
Community context: Other public commenters described neighborhood safety impacts, including PTSD and medical impacts for veterans, and urged neighbor-to-neighbor accountability. The board did not take immediate policy action in the morning session; the subject was raised during public presentations and board member comments.
Next steps: Speakers asked for a joint committee including staff and residents to rewrite local code, and members of the board expressed openness to further discussion and enforcement ideas. No formal ordinance changes or new budget allocations were made on the record during the morning session.
