Commission Upholds Fireworks Phaseout for Big Bang on the Bay, Long Beach

The Commission denied a permit amendment request from a Long Beach restaurateur seeking to conduct one final July 4 fireworks show over Alamitos Bay in 2026, after he had specifically agreed to pursue a drone show at his CDP hearing in May 2025. Commission staff had recommended an immediate fireworks phaseout at that hearing, but a majority of Commissioners agreed to grant the applicant a final fireworks show that year.

The applicant cited increased costs and initial pushback from the Long Beach Fire Department on drone permitting as reasons for the amendment request. But a CDP amendment can only be granted under one of two conditions: the amendment does not lessen or avoid the intended effect of the original CDP, or new information has come to light that was not initially considered (Section 13166). Neither condition was met. The Commission had already found that fireworks must be phased out due to their harmful impacts on marine water quality and wildlife, inconsistent with Coastal Act Sections 30230 and 30231 — meaning the amendment would directly undermine the original decision. And since the increased costs of drone shows and the potential need for alternative staging areas had both been discussed at the May 2025 hearing, no new information was presented.

Despite the applicant's pleas and those of his many supporters, Commissioners stood firm, consistent with the regulations governing CDP amendment requests. Surfrider staff and Long Beach chapter volunteers urged the Commission to uphold the original CDP, as did the Sierra Club, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF), and many environmental advocates.

*Commissioner O'Malley recused himself from voting due to a potential conflict of interest; he sits on CERF's Board of Directors.

The Commission has taken a tougher stance on coastal fireworks in recent years, driven by clear evidence of their environmental harm to marine water quality and wildlife. With broad support from the environmental community, drone shows have emerged as the preferred, least environmentally damaging alternative. This is why the Commission required Big Bang on the Bay to make the switch in the first place.

The applicant and his supporters attempted to re-argue the merits of the Commission’s original decision, citing the event’s charitable donations, the country’s 250th birthday, and broad community support for the private event. But the Commission did exactly what the Coastal Act requires, and exactly what it agreed to do at the May 2025 hearing. The criteria for amending a CDP exist precisely to prevent applicants from relitigating settled decisions. The Commission followed the law. To do otherwise would have undermined the integrity of the agency.