Fireworks ban fails

The city was originally planning to hold the vote in March, but City Manager Connie Jackson said pushing it to November will save the city as much as $70,000.

Councilman Jim Ruane, who asked the council to reconsider its Aug. 11 vote to put the issue on the ballot, said the ballot vote will be unfairly influenced by fireworks groups who want to keep the sales alive.

"The fireworks groups will pay to skew the vote," Ruane said. "To me it's a safety issue."

Most if not all of the council members have participated in the sale of fireworks in San Bruno to benefit local nonprofit groups.

"I have sold them," Mayor Larry Franzella said. "But if some child gets hurt or a senior is put out of their home I couldn't sleep with myself."

Franzella was also critical of bypassing a March special election in favor of the November 2005 ballot.

Between now and then, the council will draft an ordinance to allow the sale and use of safe and sane fireworks and then have the public vote on whether or not to keep the ordinance in place, Franzella said.

Currently the city allows fireworks through a permitting process.

Fireworks sales proponents cite the need to fund youth sports and "toys for tots" programs while opponents say it is only a matter of time before San Bruno faces a serious fireworks-related tragedy.

An ordinance to combat the proliferation of illegal fireworks will be in place by July, Franzella said.

Safe and sane fireworks mask the use of more powerful dangerous mortars set off this past July 4 and police and fire officials urged the ban July 28. The departments did not have the staff to respond to more 200 calls from the public during the holiday.

This year's Independence Day could have been much worse, Fire Chief Dan Voreyer told the public last month.

Voreyer was especially critical of those who threw M-80s and bottle rockets at fire trucks as the department responded to calls.

Bill Silverfarb can be reached by e-mail at silverfarb@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 109.