As Orange County dons red, white and blue for the nation’s annual Fourth of July celebrations, local cities are amping up crackdowns on illegal fireworks, including holding property owners — and in at least the city of Orange, “spectators” — liable.
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Social host ordinances aren’t new. Cities such as Buena Park, Fullerton, Stanton and Anaheim, the county’s most populated city, have put rules into effect to curb the use of illegal fireworks during group gatherings by extending fines to any person considered a “social host” — property owners, landlords, tenants, managers or any person who “hosts” a party where illegal fireworks are on the itinerary may count.
A social host law is new this year for the city of Orange, however, and the language says fines will also extend to “spectators,” defined as any person who “is present at the time illegal fireworks are ignited, possessed and sold,” whether that be on public or private property.
The “spectator” clause sparked some confusion online.
“If someone is simply watching fireworks from their own property across the street, would they also be subject to a fine?” one Orange resident asked beneath a city Facebook post where hundreds of commenters posed similar questions, with some even saying the rule gets in the way of the patriotic spirit.
“So just now watching fireworks can get us a fine,” another commenter said. “This is celebrating the 250th year of independence even if it’s observing.”
So, to clarify, will viewing illegal fireworks in Orange end in a fine?
Not always, city officials said. And if yes, it won’t be “Seinfeld” finale-esque, where bystanderism escalates into legal drama.
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“It’s not like if you’re inside your house and you look out at the window and you see a firework, you’ll be fined,” city spokesperson Charlene Cheng said.
Since illegal fireworks are often launched from backyards or within groups of people, it can be difficult to identify the person responsible, Cheng said, “so the idea behind it is to discourage people from holding gatherings where they’re going to be shooting off illegal fireworks for an audience.”
Orange will be monitoring illegal firework activity with city drones and its law allows officials to impose fines exceeding $1,000, on par with other cities.
“The illegal ones need to stop, and we’re gonna do everything we can to see that that happens,” Orange Mayor Dan Slater said, also raising safety and noise concerns.
But, he clarified, “if you’re looking out the window or happen to see them from down the street, I would say you’re probably going to be fine. How in the world would that possibly be enforced?”
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In short: “Don’t host a party with illegal fireworks, is what we’re saying.”