. .
0 "0 w 1No Too1,o\l'.-~
TO:
ATTENTION:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
DATE:
s.taf 13-A eport_d __ _
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
Ryan Smoot, City Manager
Elizabeth C. Oba, Director of Planning and Building Services Carolina Contreras, Executive Assistant II
Rowena Genilo-Concepcion, Planning Manager
Consideration and possible action to read by title only, waive further reading, and introduce Ordinance No. 1455 -An Ordinance amending Chapter 8.16 (Regulating Fireworks) of the Bellflower Municipal Code to extend the time for selling safe and sane fireworks within the City and to allow certain fireworks stands to be located along secondary arterial streets.
April 13, 2026
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Bellflower Municipal Code ("BMC") Chapter 8.16 regulates the use and sale of fireworks in the City. The Ordinance is intended to amend BMC Chapter 8.16 to: (1) allow sale of fireworks a day earlier (June 30) than currently allowed; (2) allow fireworks stands along secondary arterial streets for permittees establishing a fireworks stand on their own property; and (3) remove outdated terms/references and improve readability.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL
1) Read by title only, waive further reading, and introduce Ordinance No. 1455, amending BMC Chapter 8.16; or
2) Alternatively, discuss and take other action related to this item .
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of the Ordinance will have no fiscal impact. The Ordinance addresses interna l legislative procedures and does not create new programs, staffing needs, or operation costs.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Ordinance is exempt from additional review under the California Environmenta l Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et sea., "CEQA") and regulations promulgated thereunder (14 California Code of Regulations§§ 15000, et sea., the "CEQA Guidelines") because under CEQA Guidelines §§ 15061 (b) (3) and 15378(b)(5), the Ordinance establishes internal governmental procedures that have no potential to cause a significant effect on the environment.
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Staff Report-BMC Chapter 8.16 (Regulating Fireworks) Amendment April 13, 2026
DISCUSSION
The City of Bellflower permits the sale of "safe and sane" fireworks by nonprofit or tax exempt patriotic, veteran, civic betterment, religious, welfare, youth or charitable organizations who use the proceeds from the sale of fireworks to support their activities within the City of Bellflower. BMC Chapter 8.16 regulates the use and sale of fi reworks in the City including, without limitation, when fireworks could be sold and where fireworks stands could be located.
The original fireworks provisions were originally established by the City Council in 1958, which were later repealed and replaced with the existing fireworks provisions that were adopted nearly 25 years ago. The most recent amendment to BMC Chapter 8. 16 was completed in 2024, which pertained to addressing violations as liability offenses. Except for the amendments in 2024, all other provisions related to fireworks regulations have remained unchanged since 2002.
Additional Day to Sell Fireworks -On January 14, 2026, the City received a letter from Mr. Rick Poe (Vice President of American Promotional Events, Inc. -West, DBA TNT Fireworks) on behalf of some Bellflower community nonprofit organizations requesting to allow an additional day to sell fireworks. Currently, "safe and sane" fireworks can only be sold from July 1 through July 4; Mr. Poe is requesting that the sale period be all owed as early as June 30 -which would allow a total of five days to sell fireworks. Mr. Poe notes that with the City's recent adoption of ordinances that were tailored to enforce stricter illegal fireworks laws and impose fines, an additional day to sell fireworks shou ld not negate nor hinder the City's fireworks enforcement and fine programs. Mr. Poe suggests that the additional day would extend access to safer, state-approved fireworks and wou ld provide an alternative to illegal fireworks. Additionally, Mr. Poe notes that the primary purpose of the request is to allow for greater revenue for nonprofit organizations serving the community.
Staff conducted a survey of 7 nearby cities and 4 cities where TNT Fireworks operates and found that other cities allowed for longer sales hours and days. If the request for an additional day is approved, the City would be aligned with those cities.
Fireworks Stands Along Secondary Arterial -BMC Subsection 8.16.080.G . states that fireworks stands may be established only in the General Commercia l (C-G) and Light Industrial (M-1) zones, and in no other zone. An exception to the zone req uire ment applies to fireworks stands that are on the permittees' property; however, the property must be along a primary (i.e., major) arterial street and the stand is located no closer than 200 feet from a residential dwelling. In 2025, the City processed 14 fireworks stands permit; 10 of the fireworks stands were located within the General Commercia l ("C-G") and Light Industrial ("M-1 ") zones and 4 were located on the permittees ' property. Whi le processing the 2025 fireworks stands permits, staff found that some of the initially selected locations were problematic because the properties were not along a primary (i.e., major) arterial street.
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Staff Report -BMC Chapter 8.16 (Regulating Fireworks) Amendment April 13, 2026
DISCUSSION -Continued
Per the City's Circulation Element, only the entirety of Alondra Boulevard, Artesia Boulevard, Rosecrans Avenue, and Lakewood Boulevard are considered maj or arterial streets; and only small portions of Bellflower Boulevard and Woodruff Avenue (south of Ramona Street) are considered major arterial streets. Amending BMC Subsection 8 .1 6.080.G . to include secondary arterial streets would allow fireworks stands to be located on permittee's property that faces along the majority of Bellflower Bou levard, Clark Avenue, the majority of Woodruff Avenue, Somerset Boulevard, and Flower Street.
The proposed amendment would help more of the local nonprofit organizations to be able to place their fireworks stands on their own property rather than having to lease and pay for a location within the C-G and M-1 zones.
Remove Outdated Terms/References and Improve Readability-Other amendments are proposed throughout BMC Chapter 8.16 to remove outdated terms/references and to simplify and improve its readability. Exhibit A of Ordinance No . 1455 contains the redlined version of the existing fireworks provisions to reflect the proposed amendments to BMC Chapter 8.16.
ATTACHMENTS
A Ordinance No . 1455 with Exhibit A ............................................................................ .4 B . Letter from American Promotional Events, Inc. -West, OBA TNT Fireworks .......... 13 -3-
CITY OF BELLFLOWER
ORDINANCE NO. 1455
AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 8.16 (REGULATING
FIREWORKS) OF THE BELLFLOWER MUNICIPAL CODE TO
EXTEND THE TIME FOR SELLING SAFE AND SANE
FIREWORKS WITHIN THE CITY AND TO ALLOW CERTAIN
FIREWORKS STANDS TO BE LOCATED ALONG SECONDARY
ARTERIAL STREETS
THE CITY COUNCIL DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Findings. The City Council finds and declares as follows:
A. Pursuant to state law allowing cities to authorize the sale and discharge of "safe and sane" fireworks, as defined by state law.
B. In 1958, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 29, which, among other things, established regulations and a procedure requiring a permit to sell "safe and sane" fireworks.
C. The original fireworks provisions were repealed and replaced with the existing fireworks provisions that were adopted in 2002, nearly 25 years ago.
D. An additional day to sell fireworks would extend access to safer, state- approved fireworks, would provide an alternative to illegal fireworks, and would allow for greater revenue for nonprofit organizations serving the community.
E. Amending BMC §8 .16.080 to include secondary arterial streets would allow fireworks stands to be located on permittee's property that faces along the majority of Bellflower Boulevard, Clark Avenue, the majority of Woodruff Avenue, Somerset Boulevard, and Flower Street. The proposed amendment would help more of the local nonprofit organizations to be able to p lace their fireworks stands on their own property rather than having to lease and pay for a location within the C-G and M-1 zones.
F. Other amendments throughout BMC Chapter 8.16 would remove outdated terms/references and would simplify and improve its readability.
SECTION 2. Action. Based on the above findings, the City Counci l approves the amendments to BMC Chapter 8.16 (Regulating Fireworks), as set forth in the attached "Exhibit A," which is incorporated by reference .
SECTION 3. Construction. This Ordinance must be broadly construed in order to achieve the purposes stated in this Ordinance . It is the City Council's intent that the provisions of this Ordinance be interpreted or implemented by the City and others in a manner that facilitates the purposes set forth in this Ordinance.
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City of Bellflower
Ordinance No. 1455
SECTION 4. Enforceability. Repeal of any provision of the BMC does not affect any penalty, forfeiture, or liability incurred before, or preclude prosecution and imposition of penalties for any violation occurring before this Ordinance's effective date. Any such repealed part will remain in full force and effect for sustaining action or prosecuting violations occurring before the effective date of this Ordinance.
SECTION 5. Validity of Previous Code Sections. If this entire Ordinance or its application is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, any repeal or amendment of the BMC or other city ordinance by this Ordinance will be rendered void and cause such previous BMC provision or other city ordinance to remain in full force and effect for all purposes .
SECTION 6. Reliance on Record. Each and every one of the findings and determinations in this Ordinance are based on the competent and substantial evidence, both oral and written, contained in the entire record relating to the project. The findings and determinations constitute the independent findings and determinations of the City Council in all respects and are fully and completely supported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole.
SECTION 7. Limitations. The City Council's analysis and evaluation of the project is based on the best information currently available. It is inevitab le that in evaluating a project that absolute and perfect knowledge of all possible aspects of the project will not exist. One of the major limitations on analysis of the project is the City Council's lack of knowledge of future events. In all instances, best efforts have been made to form accurate assumptions. Somewhat related to this are limitations on the City's ability to solve what are in effect regional, state, and national problems and issues. The City must work within the political framework within which it exists and with the limitations inherent in that framework.
SECTION 8. Electronic Signatures. This Ordinance may be executed with electronic signatures in accordance with Government Code §16.5. Such e lectronic signatures will be treated in all respects as having the same effect as an original signature.
SECTION 9. Severability. If any part of this Ordinance or its application is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the City Council intends that such invalidity win not affect the effectiveness of the remaining provisions or applications and, to this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are severable.
SECTION 10. Summaries of Information. All summaries of information in the findings, which precede this section, are based on the substantial evidence in the record.
The absence of any particular fact from any such summary is not an indication that a particular finding is not based in part on that fact.
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City of Bellflower
Ordinance No. 1455
SECTION 11. Environmental Assessment. The Council finds that adoption of this Ordinance is exempt from additional review under the California Environmental Quality Act (Public Resources Code §§ 21000, et seq., "CEQA") and the regulations promulgated thereunder (14 California Code of Regulations §§ 15000, et., seq., the "CEQA Guidelines") because, under CEQA Guidelines§§ 15061(b)(3) and 15378(b)(5) the Ordinance establishes internal governmental procedures that have no potential to cause a significant effect on the environment.
SECTION 12. Recordation and Publication. The City Clerk, or her duly appointed deputy, is directed to certify the passage and adoption of this Ordinance; cause it to be entered into the City of Bellflower's book of original ordinances; make a note of the passage and adoption in the records of this meeting; and, within fifteen (15) days after the passage and adoption of this Ordinance, cause it to be published or posted in accordance with California law.
SECTION 13. Effective Date. This Ordinance will take effect on the 30 th day following its final passage and adoption.
ORDINANCE NO. 1455 HAD ITS FIRST READING ON APRIL 13, 2026, ITS SECOND READING ON _____ , AND WAS DULY PASSED, APPROVED, AND
ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BELLFLOWER AT ITS REGULAR MEETING OF ___ _
ATTEST:
Mayra Ochiqui, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Karl H. Berger, City Attorney
ATTACHMENT:
Sonny R. Santa Ines, Mayor
Exhibit A: Amendments to BMC Sections 8.16.040, 8.16.060, 8.16.080, and 8.16.090 -6-
EXHIBIT A
Amendments to BMC Sections 8.16.040, 8.16.060, 8.16.080, and 8.16.090 § 8.16.040 Fireworks.
A. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Code or the Fire Code to the contrary, safe and sane fireworks may be sold within the City of Bellflower between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the days of June 30 , July 1, July 2, and July 3, and between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on July 4, provided a permit has been first obtained pursuant to this chapter to do so and further provided that the terms and provisions of this Code and the State Fireworks Law are complied with at all times.
B. It is unlawful for any person to fire, set off, discharge or use any fireworks except that safe and sane fireworks may be fired, set off, discharged, or used during the period between 10:00 a.m . and 11:00 p.m. on the days of July 1, Ju ly 2, July 3, and July 5, and between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 midnight on Ju ly 4.
C. It is unlawful for any person to have in his/her possession any fireworks at any time of the year except from 8:00 a.m. on June 30Jwy-4 through 12:00 midnight on July 5, except that the storage within an enclosed structure of safe and sane fireworks for personal use which have been sold as a single retail package or portion thereof doesSHa-U not constitute possession for purposes of this chapter. The provisions of this chapter are not applicable to public agencies or manufacturers or suppliers of fireworks for public display or storage. Organizations to which permits have been issued may accept delivery of fireworks for stocking purposes no more than 24 hours prior to the time allotted for fireworks sales.
D. Except as provided in Section 8.16.100 of this Code, no person maySfl-8-U possess, transport, buy, offer to buy, sell, offer to sell, give, receive, fire, set off, discharge or use any fireworks not classified as "safe and sane" by the State Fire Marshal.
E. It is unlawful for any child under the age of 16 years to possess, transport, buy, offer to buy, sell, offer to sell, give, receive, fire, set off, discharge, o r use any fireworks classified as "safe and sane" by the State Fire Marshal, except in the presence of that child's parent, guardian or other adult person acting in loco parentis .
F. No person maySf½a-U possess, transport, buy, offer to buy, se ll , offe r to sell, give, receive, fire, set off, discharge, or use any safe and sane fireworks in a manner likely to cause injury to life or property.
G . No person acting as the parent, guardian or other adult person acti ng in loco parentis for a child under the age of 16 years may&Ratl permit that child to possess , -7-
transport, buy, offer to buy, sell, offer to sell, give, receive, fire, set off, discharge, or use any safe and sane fireworks in a manner likely to cause injury to life or property.
H. No person maySHa-U sell, offer to sell, give, or otherwise transfer any safe and sane fireworks to any child under the age of 16 years, except for a child accompanied by the parent, guardian or other adult person acting in loco parentis of that child.
I. Responsible Person Liability.
1. A responsible person is strictly liable for any violation of this chapter that occurs during a gathering on property that the responsible person owns, possesses, or controls, or in the public right-of-way immediately adjacent to property that the responsible person owns, possesses, or controls, when the responsible person is present at, or has knowledge of, the gathering.
2. A responsible person is subject to administrative citation for any violat ion under this chapter, regardless of personal intent or awareness of the violations.
3. It is a rebuttable presumption that any prohibited act under this chapter conducted in the public right-of-way or any public property by any person is attributable to the responsible person where such violation is conducted immediately adjacent to the responsible person's private property.
4. A responsible person is not liable for the acts of others who violate this chapter if the responsible person is the first to report such violations to law enforcement or fire officials for immediate assistance and before the violations are witnessed by law enforcement or fire officials.
§ 8.16.060 Prerequisites to Issuance of Permits.
Commencing in 2003, a permit to sell safe and sane fireworks may be issued or denied in the discretion of the City Council and subject to such other reasonable cond itio ns as the City Council determines necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare.
The City Council does hereby declare its intention to issue only a lim ited number of permits in order to prevent an unsightly or undue or unsafe concentration of fireworks stands. The following qualifications must be met in addition to the other requirements set forth in this chapter or in the State Fireworks Law, before a permit may be issued :
A. Upon receipt of the report of the Fire MarshalDepartment, the City Counci l may issue permits to those persons or organizations determined by it to be responsible, and organized and existing as nonprofit or tax exempt associations as recogn ized by the State of California or the Internal Revenue Code primarily for patriotic, veteran, civic betterment, religious, welfare, youth or charitable purposes. No permit s-1:!a-l+-w ill be issued to other than adult persons.
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B. The applicant must be an organization which meets all of the following criteria: 1) it has its principal and permanent meeting place in the City; 2) it must have been organized and established in the City for a minimum of one year continually preceding the filing of the application for the permit; and 3) such organization must have a bona fide membership of at least 20 members who either reside in the City, are employed in the City, or are owners or operators of a business or other establishment located in t he City.
C. There cannot SRal-l--be Rat-m ore than one stand per permittee. Only one permit ~ will be issued for any parent, principal, or master group or organization unless the City Council finds in a given case, because of the circumstances of the stand locat ion or other factors, the intent of this chapter will not be defeated by issuing more than one permit. The intent of this requirement is to limit applicants, who otherwise qualify, to one permit as to each such parent or principal group or organization and to e li minate any one principal or parent group or association from having permits issued to associate, derivative, ancillary, subsidiary or support groups or enti t ies. No t hi ng in t his chapter Sflal.1-prohibit.§ more than one group or organization meeting all qualifications specified in this chapter from jointly applying for a fireworks permit. In such case, however, only a single perm it will be issued, and no organization not previous ly havi ng obtained a permit in its own right will~ derive any independent right to a separate permit or to its partner organization's rights in the even t a partner organization SRaU cease .§ operating a stand.
D. The maximum number of permits that may be issued pursuant to this chapter during any one calendar year cansl¾Hl-not exceed 17 in 2002 and 14 commencing in 2003.
Applications fo r a permit must~ be heard and considered by t he City Counci l.
Except for grandfathered permits pursuant to Subsection E of th is secti on , if the Ci ty Council should determine that there are more than 17 applications in 2002 and 14 applications commencing in 2003 wh ich are qua lified for permits , the vaca ncy w ill be filled by the next qualified applicant in the order received on the wa it in g li st mainta ined by the Director of Planning and Building Services .
E. Those organ izations which obtained a perm it in the year 2002 may, notwithsta nd ing the provisions of Subsection D of this section, in the discretion of the City Counc il , be issued a permit until such time that said organization does not received a pe rm it in a given year, or had such a permit revoked per Section 8.16.090(1) of th is Code, pro v ided that the organization is qual ified and is in substantia l compl iance u nde r all oth e r sections of th is chapter to hold a permit for a fireworks stand. -9-
F. The Director of Planning and Building Services wills-MU establish and maintain a waiting list, in the order received, of those organizations that have expressed an interest in obtaining a permit for the sale of safe and sane fireworks when a permit becomes available.
§ 8.16.080 Temporary Fireworks Stands.
All retail sales of safe and sane fireworks shall beare permitted only from within a temporary fireworks stand, and the sale from any other building or structure is hereby prohibited. Temporary stands shall beare subject to the following provisions:
A. No fireworks stand willsl=la-U be located within 25 feet of any other bui lding, or within 15 feet of any street curb line, or within 100 feet of any premises where flammable liquids are dispensed. For purposes of this section, "dispensed" s-4a-U-mean §. the removal of a flammable liquid from one container and its transfer to another.
B. Fireworks standsJ. as temporary structuresJ. Sfialt--are not be-subject to the terms and provisions of the Building Code applicable to the construction of permanent structures or buildings, provided, however, that all such stands are erected under the supervision of the Building Official, who willsl=la-U require such stands to be constructed in a manner which will reasonably insure the safety of attendants and patrons. All utilities s-4a-U-must be installed and maintained in accordance with the Building Code.
C. No stand can s-4a-U-exceedhave a floor area in excess of 400 square feet of floor area .
D. Each stand must have at least two exits; and each stand in excess of 24 feet in length must have at least three exits, spaced approximately equal distant apart; provided, however, that in no case shall the distance between the exits cannot exceed 12 feet.
E. Each stand Sfl-3U....will be provided with two two-and-one-half-gallon water-type fire extinguishers, in good working order and easily accessible for use in case of fire.
F. No vehicle will be permitted to park within 25 feet of the stand.
G. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, fireworks stands may be established only in the General Commercial (CG) and Light Industrial (Ml) zones, as further described in Title 17 of this Code, and in no other zone even if the provisions of those zones are incorporated by reference, except that a permittee may establish a fireworks stand on that permittee's property provided that the property abuts a ma jor arterial or secondary primary arterial street~ as defined in the Circulation Element of the Bellflower General Plan, and the stand is located no closer than 200 feet from a residential dwelling.
H. All fireworks stands will Sfialt--be se-located as to provide safe and reasonable ingress and egress thereto and must ~amply with the other provisions and terms of this -10-
section. Said stands must SRa-1-1-be located substantially at that place indicated on the approved permit for such fireworks stand.
I. Commencing in 2003, the total amount of any compensation paid by an organization to a property owner or manager for the cost of renting a location for placement of a fireworks stand canSRaU-not exceed $1,000 in any one year, whether paid in cash or merchandise and whether paid by the organization or other party, including a company distributing fireworks. Every five years, a cost of living adjustment (COLA) equal to the change in the Consumer Price Index between the base year index and the fifth year following the base year index for All Urban Consumers in the Los Angeles-Riverside- Orange County area will be applied to increase the maximum allowed rent. The initial base year index will be June 2002, and will be revised every five years thereafter to June of the year in which the most recent COLA was applied. The COLA in any five- year period will be rounded to the nearest multiple of $25, not to exceed 15%, and no negative COLA SRa-1-1-will be applied.
§ 8.16.090 General Requirements for Permittees.
A. Stands Sfl-a-U.-can not be located closer than 500 feet apart, and no more than two stands can SA-a-U-be located on the same parcel of property. Those persons or organizations having a continuous agreement with a property owner since the year 2001 for a site which does not comply with this distance requirement may, in the discretion of the City Council, continue to utilize such site until such time that the use has been suspended or discontinued in any given year.
B. All weeds and combustible material, not including structures, SRa+l-must be cleared from the location of the stand, and for a distance of at least 100 feet surrounding the stand.
C. "No smoking" signs SRa+l-must be prominently displayed in four inch letters, both inside and outside the fireworks stand. No person canSRaU smoke or burn any cigarettes, cigars, pipes or things within such stand or within a distance of 20 feet surrounding such stand.
D. A sign mustSRaU be posted on the outside of each fireworks stand stating "FIREWORKS SHALL CAN NOT BE SOLD TO PERSONS UNDER 16 YEARS OFAGE." Letters must be a minimum of shall not be less than three inches in height.
E. Each stand must have an adult, 21 years of age or older, watchman or attendant in attendance and in charge thereof at all times while fireworks are stored therein. No cooking, living or sleeping facilities a re a ll owed Sflall--1.Q_be established or maintained within any stand. No watchman or guard is allowed tostlall sleep inside any such stand.
F. All unsold stock and accompanying litter sJ::¼a.U-must be removed from the location by 12:00 noon on the fifth day of July.
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G. No fireworks stand s-1:lal+-can be installed prior to 12:00 noon on June 21 and each such stand st=\atl-must be removed from the temporary location by 12:00 noon on the 10th day of July and all accompanying litter, debris, building materials, utility connections, and other facilities or equipment or materials sJ::la-U-must be cleared from said location by said time and date .
H. All permits and licenses shall expire at 12:00 midnight on the fourth day of Ju ly each year.
I. Any permit or license Sfla-U.-will be subject to immediate suspension by order of the Director of Planning and Building Services if he or she or his or her duly authorized deputy has determined that any permittee has failed to comply with the terms and provisions of this Code or any condition of the permit Within 24 hours of the suspension, the City Manager or his or her designee Sfi.a-U-must hold a hearing to receive evidence from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Fire Marshal Los Angeles County Fire Department, Director of Planning and Building Services or his or her designee and/or the permittee, and determine the facts of the case . Any such permit or license may be revoked by the City Manager when it is found and determined that a permittee has failed to comply with the terms and provisions of this Code or with any of the conditions of sa id permit or where the City Manager has found and determined that the preservation of the public health, safety, peace and welfare demand revocation of said license or permit, or where a permit or license has been granted on false or fraudulent evidence, testimony or application. In all such cases, the decision of the City Manager will be fina l.
J. No less than 100% of the gross proceeds derived from the sale of fireworks in the City, less only expenses related to the cost of purchasing the fireworks actua ll y sold and costs incurred in complying with this chapter, Sfla-U.-can be spent to benefit patriotic, veteran, civic betterment, religious, welfare, youth or charitab le purposes. An accounting of gross receipts, all expenditures and the use of the net profits, along with a copy of the corresponding State sales tax report, must&Ra-1-l be presented to the Director of Planning and Building Services no later than April 1 of the following year.
Said report must be in a format acceptable to the Director of Planning and Building Services. Organ izations failing to submit an acceptable accounting, both as to fo rm and content, may be denied a permit.
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December 11, 2025
The Honorable Sonny R Santa Ines
Mayor
City of Bellflower
16600 Civic Center Dr.
Bellflower, CA 91706
Dea r Mayor and City Council;
RECEIVED
JAN 1 I, 2025
CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE
Please accept this correspondence on behalf of TNT Fireworks and some Bellflower community nonprofit organizations permitted to retail State Approved fireworks as our request for the Council to consider extending the selling period by one day, specifically June 3ot11, for a total of 5 selling days .
In 2003, The City of Belfflower addressed its fireworks ordinance and , among other changes, the Council voted to initiate sales on July 1 instead of June 28 of each year as provided in the State Law . Since then, the City of Bellflower has permitted the sale of Sta te Fire. Marshal approved fireworks from July 1 through July 4 annually.
Despite this reduction of selling days, it isn't apparent that it directly resulted in mitigating the issues of ilfegaf fireworks . However, Belfflower's more recent adoption of ordi nance r evisions that bolster law enforcement's abilrtles along with higher fines has produced growtng success in curbing illegal fireworks .
In 2024, Bellflower enacted Ordinances 1430 and 1431 demonstrating intent to enforce stricte r illegal fireworks laws and impose commensurate fines. The focus of both ordinances was to formally establish the Responsible Person Liability provision wherever illegal fireworks use is evident at a location. In addition, the passage of an escalating fine structure of up to $3 ,000 streng t hens the financial consequences . In our purview, it is encouraging to see Bellflower join the growing trend of cities dedicated to enforcement and fi ne programs aimed at deterring residents from illegal fireworks use .
The incre ased number of selling days should not negate nor hinder Bellflower's illegal fireworks efforts .
In fact , extending the access to safer, State Approved fireworks may provide an alternate to illegal ones.
Among the 280 cities in California , the vast majority follow the state selling guidelines of 7 days. Of these cities with similar enforcement programs as Bellflo w er, no evidence exists that illegal fireworks use is greater . In this circumstance, the benefits of exten ded sales are certainly worth considering.
AM E RICAN PRO MOTIONAL EV E NT S, NC. •1i\EST
555 M Gi lb ert Stre~t • F\l lle rt on, CA 9 2S33
Ph o n e (7 14) 733 ·1 002 • Fax (7 14) 73 8-3 661
ww w .tn tfi r e 1r1 or l<s . co n,
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The primary purpose of an additional day of sales is the promise of greater revenue for community nonprofits and the City of Bellflower itself. This advantage was recently experienced in 2024 and 2025 where cities selling for 5 to 7 days enjoyed higher revenues due to being open over a weekend. Sales data reveals that June 30 t h alone accounts for a 7% to 10% increase in the Southern CaHfornia market.
TNT Fireworks advocates the following revision to the current section; 8.16.010 (A) of the City of Bellflower Code regulating fireworks as represented by the underlined and bolded text; "Notwithstanding the provisions of this Code or the Fire Code to the contrary, safe and sane fireworks may be sold with the City of Bellflower between the hours of 8:00am and 10:00pm on the days of June 30, July 1, July 2 and July 3, and between the hours of 8:00am and 12:00 midnight on July 4 provided a permit has been first obtained pursuant to the chapter to do so and further provided that the terms and provisions of this Code and the State Fireworks Laws are complied with at all times." TNT Fireworks, and many Bellflower organizations selling fireworks, believe this simple ordinance change has the potential to reliably increase revenues for all parties involved while maintaining Bellflower's success in controlling illegal fireworks use.
We are always available to answer any questions related to this request or fireworks in general at the convenience of the Oty staff and Council.
Sincerely,
Rick Poe
Vice President
TNT Fireworks
cc: The Honorable Victor A Sanchez -Mayor Pro Tern
The Honorable Dan Koops -Council Member
The Honorable Ray Dutt on -Council Member
The Honorable Wendi Morse -Council Member
AM ERICAN PRO MOTIONAL EVE NTS, .NC. -V',EST
555 N. Gil be rt St re1:t • Fu llert o n, CA 9283 3
Phone (71 4 ) 738-1002 • Fa·< (7 14 ) 73 8-3661
ww,•1 .tntfire w orks.co m
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