{"id":276069,"date":"2026-04-19T22:46:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T22:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/276069\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T22:46:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T22:46:16","slug":"california-regulators-kill-charity-fireworks-for-americas-250th-sparking-outrage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/276069\/","title":{"rendered":"California regulators kill charity fireworks for America\u2019s 250th, sparking outrage"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day celebration, a decades-long California<\/a> Fourth of July fireworks tradition that has raised millions for local children\u2019s programs is going dark this year after the California Coastal Commission rejected a final effort to keep it alive, citing environmental concerns to protect the bay.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve raised over the past 14 years $2 million for kids programs here in Long Beach,” event organizer John Morris told Fox News Digital, adding the July 3 event is fully funded by the local community.<\/p>\n

“This community pays for everything \u2014 everything. City fees, and the city doesn\u2019t give us a break. We pay $20,000 to the city for police and fire, which I\u2019m fine with, because there\u2019s 100,000 people enjoying the fireworks,” said Morris, a Long Beach resident and business owner.<\/p>\n

Morris, who owns the Boathouse on the Bay restaurant, had planned a scaled-up fireworks display this year to mark America\u2019s 250th Independence Day.<\/p>\n

California Beach Town Bans The Use Of Balloons<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Fireworks<\/p>\n

Long Beach residents have enjoyed the fireworks organized by John Morris for over a decade.<\/p>\n

(Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In January, Coastal Commission staff rejected the proposal, and last week commissioners unanimously upheld that decision despite an appeal backed by local, state and federal officials.<\/p>\n

Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

Regulators warned Morris last year that 2025 would likely be the final year for fireworks at the event, as they continue pushing organizers to switch to drone shows they say are more environmentally friendly.<\/p>\n

The decision stands in contrast to other approvals by the commission, including a permit granted to SeaWorld allowing up to 40 nights of fireworks.<\/p>\n

“They get 40 nights in Mission Bay. All I\u2019m asking for is 20 minutes \u2014 it doesn\u2019t make any sense,” Morris said.<\/p>\n

Morris, 78, also pushed back on the environmental concerns cited by the commission, pointing to years of testing around the event.<\/p>\n

Climate Executive Warns California \u2018Functionally Bankrupt,\u2019 $1T Shortfall Could Shake Nation<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Due to the lack of fireworks, Morris has decided to cancel the July 3rd celebration.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve had 10 years of environmental studies<\/a>,” Morris said. “We test the water before and after the fireworks and send a robotic camera into the bay to check for debris \u2014 there\u2019s never been any. It\u2019s been spotless.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve also had eight years of bird reports to make sure we\u2019re not harming wildlife. We\u2019ve never had an issue. We\u2019ve never been written up one time. So what is it really about?”<\/p>\n

Joshua Smith, a spokesman for the California Coastal Commission, told Fox News Digital that permits are determined on a case-by-case basis, citing environmental concerns to “protect the bay.”<\/p>\n

Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Organizer John Morris said environmental studies are regularly conducted to measure the impact of the fireworks show on the bay.<\/p>\n

Smith said Morris was approved for a permit to hold a drone show<\/a> in lieu of fireworks. Morris told Fox News Digital such a show would cost about $200,000 \u2014 roughly four times more than traditional fireworks.<\/p>\n

Smith confirmed that SeaWorld received a permit allowing 40 nights of fireworks. When pressed on the discrepancy, he reiterated that decisions are made individually and declined to provide further details.<\/p>\n

Morris said the loss of the fireworks show will be felt across the community, from local businesses to families who have made the event an annual tradition.<\/p>\n

Original article source: California regulators kill charity fireworks for America\u2019s 250th, sparking outrage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the nation prepares for its 250th Independence Day celebration, a decades-long California Fourth of July fireworks tradition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":276070,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,1802,9,8,53999,55789,118646],"class_list":{"0":"post-276069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-coastal-commission","10":"tag-california-headlines","11":"tag-california-news","12":"tag-environmental-concerns","13":"tag-fox-news-digital","14":"tag-john-morris"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276069\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276070"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}