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PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE June 17, 2026 - Agenda Item 3 Fireworks - Public Comment From Victor Caballero
Date Tue 6/16/2026 9:20 PM
To Sabha, Tamer <[email protected]>,· Gao,Beilei <[email protected]>; Diaz, Eligio <[email protected]>
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Victor Caballero Pasadena, CA
June 16, 2026
Public Safety Committee City of Pasadena 100 N. Garfield Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101 RE: Public Comment for June 17, 2026 Meeting - Ineffective Fireworks Enforcement Dear Members of the Public Safety Committee,
I am writing to express my profound frustration with the City of Pasadena's ongoing inability to effectively curb the use of illegal fireworks within our neighborhoods. Despite the annual rhetoric regarding a "zero-tolerance" policy, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. The current enforcement strategies deployed by the Pasadena Police and Fire Departments are falling short, and frankly, it appears the city is not taking this public safety hazard seriously enough to modernize its approach.
Year after year, residents are subjected to explosive disturbances that pose severe fire risks to our local properties, traumatize pets, and trigger distress for veterans in our community. While the city issues warnings and occasionally confiscates materials, the culprits setting off these fireworks routinely evade consequence because our enforcement mechanisms are outdated and strictly reactive.
To treat this issue with the seriousness it demands, the city must adopt proactive, modern solutions. First, Pasadena desperately needs a structured rewards program. Incentivizing residents to report the stockpiling, sale, and distribution of illegal fireworks before they are detonated is a proven method for getting bulk explosives off the streets. Relying solely on neighbors calling dispatch after a firework has already exploded is a futile exercise.
Second, the city is completely missing the opportunity to leverage drone technology. When localized clusters of illegal fireworks begin, rapid deployment of drones could instantly provide aerial surveillance, pinpointing exact addresses and identifying the individuals responsible before ground patrol units even arrive.
Without an eye in the sky, culprits simply retreat indoors or scatter by the time a patrol car turns onto the block.
If we are truly committed to protecting Pasadena's residents from very real fire hazards and quality-of-life disruptions, we need more than seasonal press releases and generic warnings. We need actionable intelligence, community incentives, and technological integration.
I urge the Committee to direct the Police and Fire Departments to explore the immediate implementation of a fireworks reporting rewards program and a dedicated drone surveillance protocol. It is time for Pasadena to adopt enforcement strategies that actually yield results.
Sincerely,
Victor Caballero