PRESS RELEASE

The City of Long Beach announced today it received 587 fireworks-related reports on Independence Day, a 9% decrease compared to 2025, with a nearly 18% decrease in fireworks-related calls to the City’s Communications Center alone. Last month, the City launched its Celebrate Safely campaign to educate the community about the hazards of fireworks activity, reporting options and enforcement, and safety tips to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July. This year, the Long Beach coastline filled with visitors who enjoyed special professional fireworks shows at the Queen Mary and along the city’s shoreline in celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday on July 4.  

Below is a breakdown of the fireworks reporting options that are available year-round to community members and the number of reports submitted so far this year:

• 561 fireworks related reports submitted via Go Long Beach, 212 of which submitted on July 4 alone.
• 1,627 fireworks related calls to the City’s Communications Center, 348 of which submitted on July 4 alone.
• 52 fireworks-related emails sent to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) patrol divisions, 27 of which were submitted on July 4 alone.

Additional public safety response data and community engagement efforts conducted by the City leading up to and during the Fourth of July holiday is available at longbeach.gov/fireworks.

Leading up to and on the Fourth of July, LBPD officers were strategically assigned throughout the city to deter criminal activity, conduct enforcement, enforce illegal fireworks and prevent significant incidents from occurring, resulting in the below enforcement efforts:

• Approximately 133 pounds of fireworks seized in the month of June.
• Approximately 61 fireworks pieces seized as a result of enforcement efforts conducted July 1 through July 3 and 131 pieces seized on July 4 alone.
• 4 fireworks-related citations issued from January 1 to July 3.
• 4 fireworks-related citations issued on July 4.
• 9 felony arrests and 21 misdemeanor arrests made on July 4.
• Footage of 5 fireworks-related incidents were captured by LBPD’s unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, and will be submitted to the City Prosecutor’s office for review. No arrests were made from drone observations.

The City remains steadfast in its commitment to decreasing fireworks activity in Long Beach and, through the 2021 adoption of its enhanced fireworks ordinance, has expanded the scope of liability and penalties associated with this illegal activity. The City continues to engage and educate the community through its Celebrate Safely campaign that encourages the community to report fireworks activity and promotes alternative ways to celebrate Independence Day, sans fireworks.

Since establishing the Interdepartmental Fireworks Working Group and associated Fireworks Action Plan in 2020, a comprehensive Citywide approach to address the increase of fireworks activity in Long Beach, fireworks-related calls for service have fallen from a peak of 8,882 calls received in 2020, to 2,069 in 2025. This represents a 77% decrease from peak levels.

The City continues to identify and address firework activity in Long Beach, including the allocation of $100,000 in structural budget appropriations, approved by the City Council as part of the City’s Adopted Fiscal Year 2025 Budget, to support ongoing coordination of enforcement, outreach and education efforts. Additional information is outlined in the 2025 Illegal Fireworks Action Plan Status Report. The budget remains unchanged through Fiscal Year 2026.

For more information about the Celebrate Safely campaign, visit longbeach.gov/fireworks.