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Bill would tighten fireworks licenses and inspections after deadly warehouse blast
Summary
SB 828 would require fireworks licensees to disclose storage locations, verify local permits, permit annual inspections by local fire agencies and give law enforcement authority to seize illegal fireworks; sponsors said the measures respond to the Esparza warehouse explosion and strengthen local oversight.
On the one-year anniversary of a warehouse explosion that killed seven people, the author presented SB 828 as a prevention-focused package to close regulatory gaps in fireworks licensing and storage. The senator said the bill "requires fireworks licensees to disclose where they are storing fireworks, prove that they have the local permits, and…empowers local fire agencies to inspect storage facilities at least once a year."
Steve Aubert of the California Fire Chiefs Association and the Fire Districts Association of California testified in support, saying existing gaps can leave firefighters and communities unaware of dangerous storage. Aubert said the bill ensures verification of local land-use and permitting approvals as a condition of state licensure and would strengthen local review of storage safety.
Witnesses from firefighters, fire districts and local governments urged the committee to pass the measure to reduce public-safety risk; a licensed pyrotechnician opposed unless amended, arguing enforcement provisions could penalize licensees where local permit processes do not exist. The committee adopted amendments and voted to pass the bill to the Appropriations Committee.
