Long Beach fireworks fans arefurious over the cancellation a Fourth of July displayover bird concerns — forcing Gov. Gavin Newsom to probe the issue ahead of a planned blowout celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Fourth of July revelers were crestfallen after Long Beach axed its “Big Bang on the Bay” for the first time in 15 yearsafter the California Coastal Commission denied the useof pyrotechnics over pollution fears.
“We’ve been going for years. All our friends are talking about how they’ll really miss it,” Long Beach resident Kimberly Oshann told The Post.
“TheFounding Fatherswould be very upset,” added David Newell, another disappointed resident. “Let’s have a little tradition, a little pride.”
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The pyrotechnics were scrapped in favor of a drone show, which another resident, Ed Lippert, called “crap.”
Thousands typically gather to watch the fireworks over Alamitos Bay on the evening of July 3, but this year’s spectacle, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary celebration, was tweaked by a five-year permit approved last year in which the city agreed to switch to drones.
The California Coastal Commission cited concerns that the fireworks could pollute the bay or “disrupt herons and egrets nesting nearby,” theLong Beach Post reported.
“I believe I’m in the right, so I’m always going to fight,” organizer John Morris, who unsuccessfully appealed the decision, told the paper.
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Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
