Minutes Excerpt.pdf — Rialto City Council, April 26, 2022

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rialto City Council Meeting Minutes – February 22, 2022 Page 13 TAB 5
Update on the 2022 Firework Education
Engineering and Enforcement Plan;
Provide direction to Staff
Mayor Robertson stated written comments were received from three separate individuals.
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PUBLIC COMMENTS Mr. Don d eBourguignon, President of the Kiwanis Club of Rialto, addressed the City Council through Zoom stated the sales from the safe and sane fireworks has been the primary income for the club which is used to fund various scholarships a nd awards. If eliminated, their primary source of income will be circumvented and will no longer be able to supply monetary support to students and the key club. 0o0
Ms. Beth Duncan, Treasurer of the Kiwanis Club of Rialto, addressed the City Council through Zoom stated the club uses the funds towards students and children – the next generation of Rialto. She believed the use of illegal fireworks will increase if safe and sane firework s booths are banned.
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City Clerk McGee stated the written letter from Mr. Joe Martinez is before the City Council.
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Council Member Perez stated the City is moving in the right direction.

It is the illegal fireworks that are the year -round issue. The safe and sane fireworks booths open up a week before the 4 th of July celebration – those are not the ones you see or hear about. She agrees with the education ahead of time and the communication methods available.

She asked if there is video captured by neighbors of people using illegal fireworks.
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Police Chief Kling stated that everything is done to catch the individual in the act. With more eyes and ears, they are more successful than in the past. If it is a misdemeanor, it needs to occur in their presence. We can pull video and do a long form to the D.A.’s Office to see if they file it. If we se e it, we can arrest for it on scene. Felonies are totally different. We try different mechanism to ensure we do hold people accountable.
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Council Member Trujillo asked about the partnerships on education program. Has outreach been done to the City departments to get messaging out through our programs to engage with the children? 0o0

DocuSign Envelope ID: 98853E1E-D9CE-4C13-AC1D-9503F84B8FA4 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rialto City Council Meeting Minutes – February 22, 2022 Page 14 TAB 5
Update on the 2022 Firework Education
Engineering and Enforcement Plan;
Provide direction to Staff
Acting Fire Chief Park stated that is part of our inclusiveness and working better among departments, we are looking forward to what Ms. Alvarado-Crawford, Community Services Director, will offer to assist with outreach.
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Council Member Trujillo asked if outreach had been done with the nonprofits group to be more collaborative with the committee. 0o0
Acting Fire Chief Park stated part of the committee work was to bring the nonprofits as well as the other departments, work with schools and include all stakeholders than years past.
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Mayor Robertson asked about the level of the fires caused by fireworks as compared to 2020 in particular to a house explosion that occurred in the back side of the property due to illegal fireworks. 0o0
Acting Fire Chief Park stated the incident in 2021 was a larger incident with no injuries involved. As far as acreage in total damage, last year was the least impacted attributed to the City’s work in reducing hazards especially in weed abatement. Fire concerns were at a record low last year.
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Mayor Robertson asked about the cost in resources involved and asked how much each agency is generating from the sale of safe and fireworks.
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Acting Fire Chief Park stated on average each booth generates approximately $5,000. The enforcement cost is approximately $50,000 annually.
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Mayor Robertson referenced the attached minutes from November 2020 and asked about the discrepancy in cost to hold a special election.

She asked if we did not have an initiative on the ballot, how much would a general election for the two candidates cost the City. 0o0
City Clerk McGee stated the cost would be what is already indicated there due to having an existing electio n. The increase would be to add one more Measure, but there is already a scheduled election. 0o0

Then on December 1, 2020, we did not have a m eeting and we did not proceed.

I raise it, because we continue to say it should be brought for the citizens to vote it up and vote it down. Every time we bring this, we get those who come forward expressing their concerns that the illegal fireworks have nothing to do with legal ones. While I can agree with that, and we’d like it to be family oriented, but I also want to say that kids enjoy that.

If you believe that your child when they grow up and become teenagers and young adults are still going to be fascinated with safe and sane, then I think you are sending a different message. If we keep putting a lot of greater enforcement to something, we’re going to change the mindset.

She stated the President of Kiwanis Rialto, Mr. deBourguignon, stated, that if there is a concern about a community to change this long-standing policy, then the citizens should have the opportunity to express themselves through a ballot.

I think that is all what we continue to do and follow through and let the citizens make a decision and we won’t continue to have this debate or presentation. I want the community to know that everyone up here with the exception of me – I can’t speak for anyone else – believes that us continuing to put the effort into it , is going to change something that is already happening and will continue to happen and that is the fact people bringing in illegal fireworks.

In the report, we talked about the seized. But we did not talk about the tonnage and the effort . Once again, this is being brought forward. I hope and pray your education efforts continue to net what you feel what you want to have.

When the illegal fireworks are not illegal in Rialto, they’re illegal in California. Somehow continuing what we are doing, our community would be okay with us not having a position on no fireworks.

I don’t think this requires an action.
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Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated it is fairly expensive to put it on the ballot.

I do believe the residents of this City should make a decision and not so much us. I am wondering if a more efficient way to determine the p olls of our community would be to hire a political consultant and do a city- wide poll and bring the results back to us. And we can make a more informed decision whether or not to formally put it on a ballot. 0o0
Mayor Robertson stated that is a possibility and explore authorizing the cost for them to secure a consultant. Perhaps somebody would like to make that motion. We can’t legislate the outcome that the community wants. Would anyone like to make a motion on Mayor Pro Tem Scott’s suggestion?
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Council Member Carrizales asked Mayor Pro Tem Scott to restate his motion.
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Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated his motion would be to hire a political-type consultant to do a city -wide poll to get the polls of this community and bring back the repo rt so the City Council can make a more informed decision.
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Mayor Robertson clarified if it is somebody to poll the citizens – a political pollster?
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Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated a pollster is generally someone who does polls. You can use any pollster. Most are connected to the political world.
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Mayor Robertson stated some are in research. I was thinking some that are not political.
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Mayor Pro Tem Scott stated to use a pollster.

She requested that the City Manager secure a pollster wit hin the next 30 days.
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Motion by Council Member Perez second by Council Member Carrizales and carried by a 5-0 vote to Receive an Update on the 2022 Firework Education, Engineering and Enforcement Plan, and gave direction to Staff to hire a consultant to conduct a city-wide firework survey of the residents and report its findings to the City Council.
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Mayor Robertson clarified it should be someone who can conduct a survey of the residents. The sampling should be equal to the size of the voting population in the community.
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Mayor Pro Tem Scott agreed with Mayor Robertson.
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Mayor Robertson stated the voting record is approximately 45,000. 0o0
City Clerk McGee stated it is higher.
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Council Member Trujillo asked about repeat offenders.
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Mayor Robertson asked what does it take for the arrest or the citation to become more than just a misdemeanor.
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DocuSign Envelope ID: 98853E1E-D9CE-4C13-AC1D-9503F84B8FA4

Rialto City CouncilApril 26, 2022

Rialto City Council
April 26, 2022