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6.J. - Page 6 of 8 <br />/<�ik <br />Redwood <br />CitylCallifornia <br />Faunded 1867 <br />A,&/ <br />DATE: April 22, 2019 <br />SUBJECT <br />STAFF REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br />Amendment of Chapter 12 of the Redwood City Code to adopt a Social Host Ordinance for the Illegal Use <br />of Fireworks. <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />Waive First Reading and Introduce an Ordinance of the City of Redwood City Amending Chapter 12 of the <br />Redwood City Code Regarding Fire Prevention to Add an Article III Regarding Fireworks. <br />STRATEGIC INITIATIVE <br />Public Safety <br />BACKGROUND <br />The use of illegal fireworks in Redwood City has been an issue over the last several years. Efforts to <br />effectively address this activity are difficult for many reasons including staffing levels, limited enforcement <br />options, inability to identify the actual user or possessor of fireworks (particularly in large group settings), <br />and insufficient penalties. After receiving numerous complaints related to illegal fireworks around New <br />Year's Eve in 2017, the City Council directed staff to take a more focused look at curtailing the use of <br />fireworks in the City prior to the 2018 July 4th holiday. <br />Evaluating the true effect of any effort applied to the reduction of illegal fireworks use is difficult as the <br />measure is subjective based on reports received from the public. A reduction in reports from the public <br />to the Police Department, to City Council, or to City staff can be an indicator of successful efforts, but <br />objective measurements do not currently exist. <br />Staff launched an aggressive community outreach campaign following City Council approval of increased <br />administrative fines were approved by the City Council adopted on April 18, 2018. During the July 4th, <br />2018 holiday period, the City received more reports of illegal fireworks compared to the July 41", 2017 <br />holiday period. The increased reports could have resulted from increased publicity about illegal fireworks <br />rather than an actual increase in the use of illegal fireworks. Following the 2018 New Year's Eve holiday, <br />the City received fewer community reports of illegal fireworks use. <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />335 <br />