We received this email today. Over the years we have heard many people speak out about the County's apparent lack of enforcement over the use of illegal fireworks, particularly  during the 4th of July and New Year's periods. So we are passing this email along in case any of you might be interested. Please keep in mind that the email is from a 3rd party, Residents Against Illegal Fireworks. Responses should be made directly to them at caraif@proton.me or by taking their survey.

What Fireworks Enforcement Do You Want to See This Year?

Dear Friends,

As fireworks season approaches, we're asking for your input on what enforcement actions you'd like to see in your neighborhood or city. Whether you live in Sacramento City, Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova, Citrus Heights, or the unincorporated area of Sacramento County, your ideas are essential.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTIONS

RAIF (Residents Against Illegal Fireworks) met with the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office (DA) in February 2025 to understand how criminal illegal fireworks cases are being prosecuted. Between May 2024 and April 2025, the DA filed criminal charges in 25 cases involving illegal fireworks.

NOTE: Except for arson, large illegal fireworks seizures or child endangerment charges, the District Attorney's office only prosecutes criminal charges when illegal fireworks are found when placing an individual under arrest for other serious charges such as drug or weapons offenses. They do not handle the administrative citations issued for possession or use of illegal fireworks or for violations of an Illegal Fireworks Social Host Ordinance. Those civil administrative fines are usually handled by city or county code enforcement, not the DA or criminal courts.

ADMINISTRATIVE FINES

The County of Sacramento and every incorporated city in the County have an Administrative Fine provision for illegal fireworks and an Illegal Fireworks Social Host Ordinance. So you understand the difference between a criminal charge versus an administrative fine charge:

Because of the ease of issuing and prosecuting an administrative fine, we will urge the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors to explore new enforcement tools that don't rely solely on the Sheriff or Metro Fire. Here are just a few ideas we're considering suggesting:

• Civil Enforcement Task Force: The County could create a small team of code enforcement officers, contractors, and trained volunteers who operate during peak fireworks days. This team could provide the foundation and evidence, using photos, videos, and drone footage, for County Code Enforcement to issue citations.
• Trained Volunteer Corps: Programs like CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) or VIPS (Volunteers in Police Service) could be activated to help document activity, assist with drone monitoring, and support reporting and tracking violations in real time.
• Expanded Code Enforcement Authority: County Code Enforcement staff could be trained and authorized to respond to illegal fireworks cases, especially when the public submits solid evidence. An internal team could review reports and issue fines without requiring police or fire response.
• Private Security Patrols: The County could contract with licensed private patrol firms to monitor hot spots during July 4th and other peak times. These patrols could document violations and collect evidence for follow-up fines, providing extra eyes without pulling resources from public safety agencies.

Other cities are doing more—and it's working:

• Elk Grove used drones, patrols, and strong fines—resulting in over $240,000 in civil citations in 2024.
• Salinas issued over $300,000 in fines in 2023 through enforcement zones and bilingual outreach.
• The City of Sacramento's Fire Department documented illegal fireworks at about 46 properties on July 3 and another 32 on July 4 – roughly 78 citations. At roughly $1,000 per citation and using stacking, this corresponds to an order of $80–81 thousand in fines for that week.
• The City of Woodland had $200, 000 in citations using the Nail ém smartphone reporting app and strong fines.

Now we want to hear from you:
What should illegal fireworks enforcement look like where you live?

Should it include:

• Drones?
• More patrols?
• Public dashboards?
• Anonymous tip lines?
• Higher fines?
• Volunteer responders?
• New county task force?
• Using an app instead of calling non-emergency phone numbers?

Please take 2 minutes to fill out this form: Link Here

After submitting, please forward this email to 3 friends or neighbors who want illegal fireworks enforcement taken seriously.

We're using this feedback to guide our meetings with Supervisors and city leaders—and to push for real, visible action in 2025.

Thank you for being part of the solution.

Sincerely,
Lee Miller
Residents Against Illegal Fireworks

Email: caraif@proton.me