STUDY SESSION City Council
July 14, 2026
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Jeff Boynton, City Manager
ORIGINATED BY: Anne Haraksin, Assistant City Manager
Andres Lemus, Senior Code Enforcement Specialist
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON FIREWORKS ENFORCEMENT
BACKGROUND
Chapter 16.12 of Title 16 of the La Mirada Municipal Code (LMMC) authorized the use of ‘safe and sane’ fireworks on July 4, 2026 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. within residential areas. Title 16 of the LMMC also prohibits any person to sell, possess, keep, store, use, or discharge or permit another to sell, possess, keep, store, use or discharge, any dangerous fireworks in the City of La Mirada.
FINDINGS
On July 4, 2026, the City’s Public Safety Team proactively enforced fireworks regulations by canvassing the community. Regular Public Safety deployment was enhanced to proactively enforce fireworks regulations. The deployment consisted of five deputies, five Public Safety Officers, and four Code Enforcement Officers. Five vehicles were deployed consisting of one deputy paired with at least two City staff for officer safety purposes. In 2025, five vehicles were also deployed.
During this year’s Fourth of July holiday, the City received numerous calls for service related to fireworks. From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on July 4, 60 calls were received for fireworks violations. In 2025, 32 calls were received for fireworks violations during this time.
Additionally, on July 4, 20 service requests were received on the My La Mirada app, while nine service requests were received on July 4, 2025.
This year, the Public Safety Team issued 27 administrative citations for fireworks violations. All of the citations were issued on July 4 for the possession or discharge of illegal fireworks. In 2025, the Public Safety Team issued 25 citations for fireworks violations. In 2024, 42 citations were issued, while 43 citations were issued in 2023 and 2022. From 2022 through 2024, seven vehicles were deployed resulting in more citations being issued.
In addition to the Public Safety Team conducting proactive enforcement on July 4, the City contracted with Flying Lion, Inc. for drone services. A drone was deployed to patrol the City from June 26 through July 5, with the exception of July 3. Through the use of the drone, an additional 16 citations were issued. One citation was issued for a violation on 2026 Fireworks Enforcement
Study Session Meeting of July 14, 2026
2 July 1, while 15 citations were issued for violations observed by the drone operator on July 4.
Field observations indicated that the number of individuals celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks was higher in most areas compared to 2025. Calls for service were steady throughout the night and subsided at approximately 10:30 p.m.
This year, the Fire Department responded to one call for service related to the discharge of fireworks. An adult suffered a minor burn and was not transported. It is unknown whether the burn was a result of the discharge of an illegal firework or a “safe and sane” firework.
In anticipation of the Fourth of July celebrations, the City continued its fireworks education campaign that included an article in the La Mirada Living newsletter. Information was included in E-Watch, and on the City’s website, and social media sites. Four mobile message boards were also deployed to advise residents of the $1,000 citation fine and to discourage the discharge of illegal fireworks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION
It is recommended the City Council review and discuss the update on fireworks enforcement.