Council weighs moving holiday-fireworks street closures to help retailers but safety concerns persist

City traffic and public-safety staff presented options and trade-offs on Nov. 6 for changing the timing of downtown street closures for the city—s annual holiday fireworks on Dec. 8, after a request from downtown business interests.

Lieutenant Matt Sposski of the traffic division outlined the practical limits: the pyrotechnic and staging setup requires early morning access (6 a.m. closures in the 100 block of Manhattan Beach Boulevard), and staff said the requested shift from a 1 p.m. closure to 2 p.m. is "feasible" but would likely push permitted seating availability on Manhattan Beach Boulevard from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and could delay vendor and activity setups on Manhattan Avenue.

"The request to move the street closures from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. I believe is feasible," Sposski said, while noting that changes introduce logistical uncertainty and that the 6 a.m. pier-lot closures cannot be adjusted because they facilitate pyro setup.

Downtown Business and Professional Association executive Jill Lamkin said businesses lose a multi-hour shopping window when streets are closed early and urged council to consider an hour—s change: "An hour makes a huge difference in terms of foot traffic," she said.

Several council members pushed back on operational and safety grounds. One council member who volunteers with the fireworks association said the event draws tens of thousands and described concerns about traffic, crowding and law-enforcement requirements; another urged deference to the police department—s professional assessment of crowd and safety needs.

Council did not adopt a schedule change at the meeting. Staff were asked to continue evaluating options, including potential shuttle service and parking strategies discussed later in the agenda, and to return with any operational recommendations and risk assessments before finalizing event plans.