Hold your pets! Hold your breath! FIREWORKS are back!
May 07, 2022
At this Tuesday's City Council meeting, May 10th, at 630pm, less than one month ahead of Celebrate Davis and less two months ahead of the 4th of July, the City Council is planning to authorize pyrotechnic displays at these events.
For the past two years due to COVID and/or wildfire smoke issues, spring and summertime fireworks have been suspended for the most part. Wiith all the other stresses on our families, it's been a literal lifesaver for dozens or more pets typically killed, injured or traumatized by fireworks, and a small measure to keep the air clean as many took their last breaths due to the pandemic. It's likely that wild animals also suffer. Some may also have supported the cancellation in solidarity with communities nearby that burnt in recent years.
We breathed in the smoke from fires in Paradise, so why are we allowing toxic combustibles to be launched into the sky, also as many of us do all we can to help people attacked by larger pyrotechnics in Ukraine?
Sadly, it's claimed that pyrotechnic displays fulfill the Council Goal to "Support an array of festivals and celebrations that will culturally enhance and engage our community [and] promote equity..."
Cultural? Engagement? EQUITY?
We can have fun and safe events that promote community and patriotism without fireworks!
What can we do about it? Many cities around the country have replaced fireworks displays with lazer light shows. The Council - or at least Mayor Partida - and a representative of the Davis Chamber of Commerce - organizer of Celebrate Davis - are aware of this and have engaged with citizens in past years. So it's unclear why this is only on the Consent Calendar, presumably to be passed without comment.
We need to comment immediately, in advance of the Council meeting! By email - before 3pm on Tuesday - to or by calling in starting at noon that day at 530-757-5693 and leaving a message of up to two minutes in length. Please voice your opposition (and why), ask for a light show instead of fireworks, and for the item to be pulled from the Consent Calendar so that it can be discussed.
It may also be useful to contact the Natural Resources Commission which is having a special meeting on Monday at 630pm about the City's climate actions (CAAP), by email to by10am Monday and/or by calling in live at 530-757-5693 as a general comment at the beginning of the meeting, or you can probably relate this issue to climate change and alternatively can call in during public comment for the CAAP item.
Please copy emails to the Davis Chamber of Commerce: and or call them at 530-902-7699 or contact them separately with the same message as above.
City Council links: https://documents.cityofdavis.org/Media/Default/Documents/PDF/CityCouncil/CouncilMeetings/Agendas/2022/2022-05-10/03N-Fireworks-Display-Authorization.pdf + https://documents.cityofdavis.org/Media/Default/Documents/PDF/CityCouncil/CouncilMeetings/Agendas/2022/2022-05-10/City-Council-Agenda-05-10-22.pdf
Davis Chamber of Commerce links: https://www.davischamber.com/celebrate-davis.html + https://www.davischamber.com/
Finally, Nugget Markets is the Title Sponsor of Celebrate Davis. They and other sponsors such as Dignity Health and Kaiser Permanente would probably not want to be associated with a potentially great event that is toxic and worse for families. Contact them, too!
I love it that fireworks are back for these events. But I gotta ask, how do fireworks promote equity? What is that all about?
Posted by: Keith | May 07, 2022 at 10:20 PM
Keith: "Equity"? I have no idea.
Posted by: Todd Edelman | May 07, 2022 at 11:29 PM
How do they promote equity? I think it has to do with how the public expense, noise pollution and air pollution are so equitably distributed across the community. Maybe because it isn't only our domesticated pets that are terrified and killed (also the wild animals in and around our city).
Lots of equity.
Yeah, that's probably it.
Posted by: Darell Dickey | May 08, 2022 at 11:25 AM
Fireworks kills pets and wild animals in and around the city? Who knew?
Are they laser guided and targeted at the animals?
Posted by: Keith | May 08, 2022 at 04:48 PM
Keith, this provides some further explanation -- I hope that you find it enlightening. One useful takeaway is that there ARE alternatives: https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/fireworks-explosion-fear-animals
Posted by: Todd Edelman | May 09, 2022 at 07:51 AM
Keith, every year people's pets freak out at the noise of the fireworks. Some of them bolt, managing even to escape fenced-in yards, and yes, are lost or killed. There is a "lost pets" Facebook page for Davis (and other areas) and every yeaer those who are concerned try to pull out all the stops to spread the word about the fireworks and to try to find any animals who have escaped. It's a real issue, even if you don't know about it. As for wild animals, I am sure that they freak out at the loud noises just as badly. A freaked out animal will do something foolish -- run into traffic, abandon a nest, abandon a safe shelter only to be attacked by a predator.
It is time to move on from fireworks (which have other problems that Todd describes) to something that is safer for all living creatures.
Posted by: Roberta L. Millstein | May 09, 2022 at 08:22 AM
I can't believe we as a city still think it's okay to terrify local wildlife and pets. Please, please call/email council, letting them know we don't want to do this any more. Thank you, Todd and Davisite, for posting this.
Posted by: Julie | May 09, 2022 at 11:53 PM
Thanks, Julie. The not great but new good news is that this is the last year that Celebrate Davis will have fireworks. The Chamber confirmed this today. For next year they will into into drone shows, lazer shows.... a live band, etc.
They've informed the Council and hopefully it makes a similar or better decision.
Posted by: Todd Edelman | May 10, 2022 at 12:24 AM
Thanks, Todd, good to know about Celebrate Davis, though I wish they'd see the light (the laser!) this year. I called and left a message on the comment line and hope others do, too.
Posted by: Julie | May 10, 2022 at 02:52 PM