last year<\/a>, but Sacramento Fire spokesperson Justin Sylvia said they have had difficulty getting people to actually pay the fines.\u00a0<\/p>\n\u201cWe have some pretty outstanding fines that are still out,\u201d he said. \u201cYears before we were in the tens of thousands of dollars in fines and last year we\u2019re in the millions of dollars of fines.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told CapRadio there is still an outstanding $480,000 fine from an incident in North Natomas last year, where an individual lit 48 fireworks near a park.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have seen some fines being paid, but definitely not what we want to see,\u201d Sylvia said. \u201cWe want to see that revenue coming in so we can start using that for more enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Sylvia said that the harsher fines are the way to go.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re definitely going to see a decrease,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely going to change people\u2019s minds because when you start taking money out of their pocketbooks, that\u2019s where it starts hitting people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The illegal fireworks problem is citywide. In Sacramento\u2019s Oak Park, the neighborhood association\u2019s President Loyal Terry sees the fines as the wrong approach, and believes that making legal fireworks accessible should be the priority.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re truly invested in making sure that people are using safe and sane fireworks and they\u2019re not creating disturbances for their neighbors, there needs to be more predictability in the market,\u201d he said. \u201cI would love to see our country representatives come at it that way instead of trying to be more punitive.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to the fire department, unpaid fines for illegal fireworks in the city go to the city attorney\u2019s office and then are turned over to collections.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sacramento County said that if people don\u2019t pay their fines after repeated mail notices, the county will take the debtor to small claims court. If the fine is over $5,000, it will go to the superior court as directed by county counsel.<\/p>\n
The supervisors will vote on final amendments to the new fines on April 7, and Nava said fees will likely go into effect in May.<\/p>\n
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