Revision History

The California Coastal Commission unanimously denied a fireworks permit for Long Beach's "Big Bang on the Bay," canceling a 15-year-old July 3rd celebration that had raised $2 million for children's charities — just months before America's Semiquincentennial. The decision, which regulators justified on environmental grounds citing risks to nesting herons and coastal water quality, has drawn bipartisan criticism from local officials, Governor Newsom, and nonprofit advocates who say the ban punishes a professionally managed event while illegal fireworks remain the state's real fire and pollution problem.