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Ridgecrest adopts ordinance to curb illegal fireworks, adds host-liability provision
Summary
The Ridgecrest City Council adopted an ordinance intended to give police and fire officials another tool to enforce illegal fireworks, including a social-host-style liability provision for property owners. The measure passed on a 4-0 roll-call vote with one member absent.
Ridgecrest — The City Council voted 4-0 on Wednesday to adopt an ordinance aimed at strengthening enforcement against illegal fireworks, including a provision that can hold property owners or hosts responsible for prohibited firework use on their property. The vote took place after public comment and a lengthy discussion of definitions and enforcement mechanics.
Council members said the ordinance is intended to be an enforcement tool rather than an automatic-penalty mechanism. Tom Wignick, a Ridgecrest resident who requested removal of the item from the consent calendar for separate discussion, urged clearer definitions and protections for property owners and tenants. "There's a rebuttable presumption that the record owner of private property as shown on the county's latest equalized property tax assessment roles and a lessee of the property have notice of any violation," Wignick said, and he asked how that would affect deployed service members or short-term renters.
The city attorney, Martin, said the ordinance will be written to exclude ‘‘safe and sane’’ fireworks by citing the California Health and Safety Code provision the ordinance follows. "Safe and Sane fireworks has defined the California health and safety code section 12559," Martin said, and he added the new local code language will make that explicit at the start of the ordinance. Captain (Ridgecrest Police Department) told the council the goal is compliance, not to maximize citations: "We just want the compliance so it keeps the community, you know, safe," he said, noting that the fire department and police repeatedly see fireworks and occasional brush fires around the Fourth of July period.
Council members and callers debated enforceability and fairness. Critics questioned whether additional local rules would be enforceable if incidents are reported after offenders leave the scene; others said the city needs stronger local tools because response from county or fire agencies has been limited. The ordinance includes civil penalties; speakers noted that a portion of fines would be sent to the state under existing law and asked the council to clarify local revenue distribution.
The council conducted a roll-call vote. Councilmembers Blades, Rajaratnam, Heyman and Gorman voted yes; one member was absent. The mayor stated enforcement will be discretionary and that the ordinance should provide the police department a clear path to address recurring illegal firework activity.
The ordinance text and staff report include a definition of ‘‘safe and sane’’ fireworks referencing the applicable California Health and Safety Code section and describe the social-host provision and penalty structure; the city attorney said those definitions will be placed at the ordinance’s opening section. Enforcement practices and any statistics on prior citations were discussed but not produced at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with available citation history if requested.
The council approved the ordinance after the discussion and directed staff to finalize the code amendment language.
