Council approves one-time ground-firecracker demonstration permit with strict conditions

The San Gabriel City Council on Feb. 4 voted 5-0 to approve a permit for a ground-based pyrotechnic demonstration proposed by the San Gabriel Superstore, with conditions the fire chief and city manager laid out to manage wildfire risk and neighborhood notification.

Why it matters: The city maintains a blanket ban on consumer fireworks; the council’s approval was limited to a professionally operated, ground-only display with explicit weather, notification and on-site supervision conditions.

Vice Mayor Menchaca moved to approve the item; Councilmember Chen seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Fire Chief Steve Walz (who introduced himself as the city’s fire chief during the discussion) told the council that the application was for a licensed pyrotechnic provider regulated by the State Fire Marshal and described the event as a ground-only display in the San Gabriel Superstore parking lot at San Gabriel and Valley boulevards. "All fireworks are banned within the City of San Gabriel," Walz said, "We will not issue permits for people to do recreational fireworks… This application was made on behalf of the San Gabriel Superstore, to do a demonstration by a licensed pyrotechnic provider." He said the company, Pyro Spectaculars, has done professional displays in the city before.

Walz described specific conditions: city staff and the fire department will monitor forecasts for the city zip code, and the permit can be revoked if conditions change. He told council members that the fire department will cancel the permit if relative humidity drops below 17 percent or if sustained winds make the display unsafe. "If anything... if the relative humidity drops below 17%... we'll cancel their permit," he said.

City Manager Mark (first name used in the meeting) told council the permit requires public notification and that the applicant is responsible for outreach; the city will spot-check whether door-to-door or other neighborhood notices were distributed and can revoke the permit if the notification condition is unmet. The staff report cited a required public-notification radius and a one-week advance notice by the applicant.

Council members asked operational questions. Councilmember Dean confirmed the permit fee and frequency: staff said the city sees about four similar requests per year and the application fee is $81. Councilmember Ding and others expressed concern about noise and safety; the chief and city manager emphasized that the event is licensed, ground-based only, heavily conditioned and subject to cancellation if weather or compliance concerns develop.

The action: Motion to approve the permit (mover: Vice Mayor Menchaca; second: Councilmember Chen). Vote: Mayor John Wu — yes; Vice Mayor Menchaca — yes; Councilmember Chen — yes; Councilmember Dean — yes; Councilmember Ding — yes. Tally: 5 yes, 0 no.

Ending: Councilmembers said they would monitor compliance and public notification closely and that the fire department would cancel the permit up to the time of the event if safety conditions warrant.