On Tuesday, April 20, the San Diego County Democratic Party unanimously passed a resolution that calls on the City to end SeaWorld Fireworks.
The resolution calls on the San Diego City Council to take action against the nightly fireworks that SeaWorld blasts off in a public park over Mission Bay, finding that the noise from the explosions “frightens companion animals, terrifies lonely shelter dogs and cats, and wreaks havoc on wildlife, often causing dogs and cats to flee and become lost and injured, and the toxic chemicals released into the air and water poison the environment.”
Through the resolution, the “San Diego Democratic Party calls on the City of San Diego to end this public nuisance occurring at a public park by a private for-profit corporation.”
The resolution was drafted by public interest attorneys, Ocean Beach residents, and Democratic Central Committee members Bryan Pease and Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi. The SeaWorld fireworks resolution was also co-sponsored by County Democratic Party Vice Chair and former OBcean Becca Taylor and lifetime member Kathleen Harmon.
It was the 42-member County Democratic Central Committee which took the action.
The Committee also passed a resolution that calls on the County Board of Supervisors to ban “the use of animal torture devices at rodeos, including electric prods, shocking devices, flank or bucking straps, wire tiedowns, sharpened or fixed spurs, and rowels,” which the Los Angeles City Council recently voted unanimously to ban.
“There are rodeo events in the County of San Diego that utilize such torture devices to cause aggressive behavior in defenseless animals solely for human entertainment, causing significant needless suffering and painful injuries to the animal, and it is time for the County to take action on this issue,” according to the resolution.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
I have been loaned a “noise Meter” that can be used to check the decibel level of the fireworks in different parts of San Diego. It has been suggested that we get readings from all areas. It is relatively easy to operate – so I’ve been told – and we are in for fireworks every weekend until the end of May. It is my suspicion that it will become an everyday occurrence again if we do not do something about it. I will gladly loan the meter to anyone and everyone that wants to do a little record keeping.
Unfortunately the noise level that would register on that meter will be well below any actionable threshold for getting any sort of legal action rolling. Better off just getting some ear plugs.
Are you paying attention, Sam? Where do we get earplugs for dogs?
Just one idea: https://www.crittear.com/
I can’t endorse these, just saying they do exist, and I asusme the folks at Crittear would be glad to send you some for a fee.
There are many things people have developed for dogs that look great in pictures and sound great as described that are totally impractical. I cannot imagine any dog putting up with earplugs for a second. I would not even try. Better solution is to stop the noise.
And you know that how? Are you an acoustics expert?
Nobody has mentioned anything about “legal action”, Sam. This is an issue for our elected officials to respond to when their constituents petition for redress. It is a quality of life thing.
When people show up to just rant and rave at a City Council meeting it makes little impact. When they show up with data, especially when that data is the result of multiple records, in many diverse locations it works.
How do I know? Those who live in the downtown area know what a “no horn” area for train traffic does for the public good. Travel up the coast and there is a long stretch where such is not the case (all the way to Orange County, as a matter of fact).
We still have train horns in Oceanside . . . but not for much longer. Citizens took this issue to the City Council multiple times without result. Then we circulated the same sound meter and took readings from the whole corridor, from Carlsbad’s Northern border to the harbor.
Now we have all of the infrastructure demanded by the NTSB to support a train horn silent zone that stretches from one end of Oceanside to the Southern border. Special construction of the many crossings, additional signage, physical barriers, etc. to the tune of millions of dollars. Pending a final sign-off by the Feds, by summer we will not have horns except in case of emergency.
It works, Sam; and it did NOT take “legal action”.
Wish there was some way to stop all of the “local” fireworks that I find 100x worse than SeaWorld. Especially all the M80 type fireworks that are consistently lit between dusk and 4AM all summer long…
Unfortunately, that’s summer in the beach community. As soon as the weather warms up the fire crackers begin. I have to wear ear plugs every night so I can sleep. It’s next to impossible to catch the people setting them off.
With the noise, vacation rentals, companion units, garbage, traffic & the streets, alleys and yards used as public toilets. After more than twenty years living in the beach community, moving somewhere else is looking better every summer.
Agreed that they’ve always been around. However, in the last year I feel like they’ve grown exponentially. I’ve lived here since 1997 and I cannot remember them ever being remotely close to this bad.
Agree w/ GMIL. I really don’t mind the seaworld fireworks – they are announced in advance and I know when to expect them, and they are set off at a decent hour, not the middle of the night.
When you have children involved what is a decent hour? What may be decent to you is horrific for young parents
I’m in my third generation of dogs in the years I’ve lived in my house. I have had one dog in each generation that was terrified of the fireworks. I have a nine-year-old mixed breed who barks uncontrollably when the fireworks start and runs around the house in panic. I have to take him into a bedroom, close the door, turn the TV up, and sit with him until it is over. I can see the fireworks from my front porch right over Collier Park and there is nothing to block the sound.
Fireworks like this, exploded over our skies with no permission from the people below are an antiquated activity. We know much more today about the effects of fireworks on a whole lot of things, noise being foremost. This activity is just a huge advertising gimmick for Sea World at our expense and it is time to put a stop to it for good.
Is this a joke? This is San Diego’s issue… it is a free weekend firework show that lasts 15 minutes…and has been going on for decades. Do you all think it is more hazardous than planes flying over head every 15 minutes? Where is proof that the accumulation of these hazardous materials is causing sickness, etc?
We have much bigger issues – the pier is broke, OB looks terrible…and yet we are worried about free nightly entertainment. Priorities people.