Town Hall to End Fireworks!

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Welcome to

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this emergency town hall to stop fireworks.

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They are medieval, literally.

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They began in the 11th century or even

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earlier.

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They are deadly and destructive.

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10 people, 10 human beings were killed as

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a result of fireworks in and around the

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July 4th, 2025 holiday in California alone.

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We have a team of experts who are

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really, really knowledgeable about this issue who have

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joined us today to discuss.

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But I'm going to start with something personal.

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I'm going to start with a heartbreaking experience

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that I had that literally tore my heart

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out in Marina del Rey, and it involves

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all the wildlife that I personally saw with

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my own eyes, devastated by the July 4th

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fireworks at the Marina del Rey jetty.

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One of the most beautiful parts of Marina

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del Rey is the jetty and the wildlife

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near the Bayona wetlands filled prior to the

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fireworks, the July 4th fireworks filled with pelicans.

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Absolutely extraordinary and beautiful.

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But these poor animals had no idea what

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was coming on July 4th.

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Everything changed for them.

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Look what is missing today after the fireworks,

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birds, no birds anywhere to be seen because

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of those fireworks.

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Where did they go?

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How badly were they traumatized?

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We must stop fireworks.

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I want to go to Roy Vanderhoek, who's

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a biologist who has also studied wildlife in

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that area.

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It brings me tears, honestly, because I had

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to walk every day with my dogs past

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that very area.

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No pelicans for well over a month.

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They're coming back, but very slowly, certainly not

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at the number that were there.

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Roy, tell us about the impact of the

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fireworks on July 4th to the animals living

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in that area of Marina del Rey, which

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is right at the mouth of the Bayona

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wetlands ecological reserve, home to 1,700 species,

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including threatened and endangered species.

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Yes, well, the California brown pelican, as your

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photography showed, is and it's near dusk at

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sunset when we do the July 4th fireworks.

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And this is a diurnal bird.

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It doesn't fly at night.

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So by this time in the day, it's

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trying to roost and sleep and they are

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social.

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So they congregate.

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It's the end of the nesting season.

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They've returned to the mainland from the Channel

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Islands where they breed.

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I see several of the pelicans had white

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heads.

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Those were adults and there were some with

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brown heads, which are juvenile first year birds.

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And so when that firework starts, they don't

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want it.

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They don't want to be flying because, as

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I just said, they're a diurnal bird.

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They are resting and being wary.

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And for the next day to.

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So this is disturbing them.

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They go into flight.

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They don't even see that well.

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And when they're tightly together in a group

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like that and they have six foot plus

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wingspans and it's very laborious to take off

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into the air, that they were certainly their

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wings were touching each other, hitting each other.

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They were disoriented.

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They said this is not a safe place.

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And that's why they didn't come back the

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next day.

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There may have been some mortality.

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We don't know.

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But we do know that their behavior was

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greatly impacted.

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And that's what we should be thinking about,

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like what happens to them in the next

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weeks and months.

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And are they going to come back?

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And the mouth of the Iona River and

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the Marina del Rey jetties is calm water.

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It's shallow.

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It's warm.

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There's a lot of fish there.

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It's a nursery.

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So they want to be here because it's

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a place to get a lot of food.

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And we have several federal reports that have

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indicated that 10,000 to 12,000 brown

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pelican will be on the Breakwater Island at

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the jetty.

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And the fireworks were done at ground zero

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just within, oh, I'd say 50 yards to

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75 yards of where those brown pelicans that

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you photographed.

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Yeah, it's a big impact.

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Marcia Hanscom, you have also been very active

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in this battle.

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This is just what I've taken off my

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phone.

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Watching from Encino, the entire valley go up

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in explosions, looks like a war.

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I can only imagine the wildlife all across

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the valley being very badly impacted.

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Can you describe what is at stake here

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for our wildlife?

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Yes, well, the wildlife, I never even thought

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of that, frankly, even though I had been

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doing work to protect wetlands and endangered species

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for some time.

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I had loved fireworks since I was a

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child, so I didn't think there was anything

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wrong until Roy, the biologist here, took me

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to a fireworks show in Malibu.

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And he said, oh, my God, they're putting

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those fireworks off right where the dolphins swim.

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And I knew that dolphins are very sensitive

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to sound, that they require their senses.

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It's called echolocation in order to move, in

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order to find food.

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And everything they do is supported by this

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echolocation.

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And those loud blasts obviously would impact them.

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In fact, the U.S. Navy has been

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under very serious litigation related to this because

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of the blast that they put off trying

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to deal with military defense in the water.

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And so this is a problem we don't

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even know the degree of problem we have

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related to the wildlife that are impacted here.

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And what's horrible at Marina del Rey is

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that these fireworks are shot off right above

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the only state ecological reserve in all of

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L.A. County, the Bayona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.

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And so besides the wildlife that are in

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the marina jetty, the entire ecological reserve is

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impacted.

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I want to show one shot of one

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pelican in a box landing near a doorstep

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as a result of these fireworks.

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Now, magnify that by a hundred.

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This is what we're dealing with.

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And, you know, what's so frustrating about this

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is that there are alternatives and the wonderful

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it's called a drone show.

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And they're growing in popularity around the world,

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particularly in Europe.

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But also there have been many drone shows

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here in the United States.

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They're exciting.

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Like I said, fireworks have been around since

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medieval times.

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How many times you have to see the

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same thing?

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Look at how fantastic this is.

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These are just a couple of examples of

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what drone shows can do.

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They don't leave the toxic chemicals.

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They don't scare the wildlife.

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They can have music accompanying them, but it's

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certainly not going to have the impact of

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something that sounds like a war zone.

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So I want to bring in there's two

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ladies who have joined us today that are

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leading the fight to try to switch to

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this civilized 21st century solution.

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And let's start with Anna Christensen.

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Anna, you've done some incredible work trying to

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wake people up to this beautiful alternative and

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get the California Coastal Commission, which makes these

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decisions, and other bodies that are authoritative to

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take this leap and do it in a

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way that will help us avoid the catastrophes

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while people are still having a lot of

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fun and celebrating and good family fun, as

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everybody says they want to have.

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Anna.

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Yeah, thanks a lot for having us and

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for elevating this topic.

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It comes to people's minds, of course, around

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the 4th of July or New Year's.

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But other than that, you know, it's just

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another day.

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We do want to point out that on

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the day of fireworks and after fireworks, we

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have the worst air quality.

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It just is off the charts.

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And of course, breathing is something that we

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all do.

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I would point out the issue of the

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Miner's Canary, where we are concerned about wildlife,

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but we are not separate from wildlife.

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Our relatives are all in that same position.

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So when we think that it doesn't matter

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what happens to a bird or a pet,

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it's really not true.

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We all have to breathe air and fireworks

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are incredibly toxic to air and water.

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So there's a lot of long-term health

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consequences.

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We got involved when we were trying to

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protect nesting coastal birds, especially great blue herons

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in our local marina.

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And this led us to, because trees were

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being removed where they nested.

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Well, we were successful in that.

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We have not been able to stop a

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small local fireworks show, which is part of

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the city's policy.

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It's incredible to me that when we talk

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about freedom, I noticed one of your headlines

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was what is freedom?

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And the freedom of a restaurant business or

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a cruise boat owner in our downtown harbor

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to apply for a permit and get a

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permit that is so destructive to human health

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and animal health and the environment.

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And we can't seem to do this is

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an individual right.

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And it has a lot to do with

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income and the city gets income from special

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events.

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So we're really up against a structure that's

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very much a capitalist profit-making structure.

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And I think that what we need to

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educate people to do is that your individual

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fun or your entertainment at the expense of

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the freedom to breathe, whether it's animals or

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people, is not acceptable.

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You know, that's not freedom.

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That's aggression.

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And that's what we're looking at, an aggressive

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policy that is very, very destructive.

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And of course, we also in our town

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don't acknowledge our rookeries or the need to

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protect coastal wildlife to the degree that we

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should be.

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We go up to the mountains or we

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go to a special place to see wildlife

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and we breathe mountain air.

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But you know what?

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Mountain air is just actual air.

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It's air that hasn't been really harmed and

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polluted by human activity.

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And we've been with Coast Law.

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I'm so glad to see Coast Law here

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today because they really sued over this particular

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fireworks show and they tried their best.

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They're working down in San Diego.

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She can go more on it.

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It really is an uphill battle.

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And yet, when we took our petition to

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the local farmer's market asking people to oppose

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the fireworks show, we only had one guy

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who even barely supported it.

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I don't really believe that the general public

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is all that committed to being able to

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harm themselves and others as a way to

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party.

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And I'll stop there for now because there's

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a lot of experts.

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Of course.

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00:13:23,160 --> 00:13:24,720
And I want to correct.

275
00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:28,340
This poor little baby is a great blue

276
00:13:28,340 --> 00:13:29,000
heron.

277
00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,260
Well, so traumatized.

278
00:13:31,340 --> 00:13:32,980
I couldn't tell from the photo.

279
00:13:33,180 --> 00:13:35,680
Looked to be like a pelican, but this

280
00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:37,680
is a great blue heron in the box.

281
00:13:37,700 --> 00:13:39,120
But it actually makes my point.

282
00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,680
It wasn't just the pelicans.

283
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:42,120
I pointed out the pelicans.

284
00:13:42,300 --> 00:13:42,900
It's the egrets.

285
00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:43,760
It's the cormorants.

286
00:13:43,820 --> 00:13:44,960
It's the great blue herons.

287
00:13:45,220 --> 00:13:49,100
And also the sea lions, the seals.

288
00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:50,600
They vanished as well.

289
00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:54,460
And that's why I started reaching out and

290
00:13:54,460 --> 00:13:55,560
saying, what can we do?

291
00:13:55,660 --> 00:13:58,080
Because I was devastated.

292
00:13:58,300 --> 00:13:59,480
I don't want to live in a dead

293
00:13:59,480 --> 00:13:59,760
zone.

294
00:13:59,900 --> 00:14:02,260
It's not all about condos and cars.

295
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,680
To me, what makes Marina del Rey priceless

296
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:07,120
is the wildlife.

297
00:14:07,620 --> 00:14:08,780
I don't want to live here if it's

298
00:14:08,780 --> 00:14:09,380
a dead zone.

299
00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,920
And that's what these fireworks are doing, in

300
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:13,080
my humble opinion.

301
00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:15,060
I want to bring in, you mentioned the

302
00:14:15,060 --> 00:14:15,560
law group.

303
00:14:16,820 --> 00:14:19,420
Natalie Marcin, I hope I'm pronouncing your name

304
00:14:19,420 --> 00:14:19,940
correctly.

305
00:14:20,580 --> 00:14:30,500
You've had some sick- I'm sorry.

306
00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,640
You were frozen on my screen for the

307
00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:34,880
past 10 seconds.

308
00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:36,240
What was the question?

309
00:14:36,820 --> 00:14:38,560
How have you been successful?

310
00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,180
What is your experience stopping fireworks?

311
00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:42,800
Sure.

312
00:14:43,620 --> 00:14:46,140
Well, Coastal Law Group represents Coastal Environmental Rights

313
00:14:46,140 --> 00:14:49,460
Foundation, which has been advocating against fireworks for

314
00:14:49,460 --> 00:14:52,600
over a decade, maybe close to two.

315
00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:57,000
And they've been instrumental in getting the first

316
00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,360
ever Clean Water Act permit.

317
00:14:59,540 --> 00:15:01,720
It's a general permit in the San Diego

318
00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,340
region for fireworks.

319
00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:06,980
So now there's finally some clean water best

320
00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:09,700
management practices that are put on the shows.

321
00:15:09,860 --> 00:15:13,440
Whether they're following those best management practices is

322
00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:14,900
hard to tell.

323
00:15:15,140 --> 00:15:17,480
And that's where our current advocacy is against

324
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,100
SeaWorld, where we are alleging that they are

325
00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:22,880
not following their best management practices as required

326
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:23,800
by the Clean Water Act.

327
00:15:24,640 --> 00:15:27,820
And we also, in the Alamitos Bay, got

328
00:15:27,820 --> 00:15:30,780
the first ever general fireworks permit up there

329
00:15:30,780 --> 00:15:31,200
as well.

330
00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,400
So similarly, they will now have to follow

331
00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,360
best management practices in line with the Clean

332
00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:36,960
Water Act.

333
00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:41,380
We've also been pushing policy and advocacy for

334
00:15:41,380 --> 00:15:43,340
the Coastal Commission, as you mentioned.

335
00:15:43,340 --> 00:15:46,920
And last year, they indicated that they were

336
00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:49,700
not going to continue to support firework shows.

337
00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,880
We'll see if that holds true in the

338
00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,380
upcoming months and years.

339
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,500
But that's where we're at now.

340
00:15:56,540 --> 00:15:58,840
And we are looking and advocating for the

341
00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:00,620
solution to be drone shows, as you mentioned.

342
00:16:01,340 --> 00:16:03,640
Well, let's talk a little bit about the

343
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:05,280
California Coastal Commission.

344
00:16:06,820 --> 00:16:11,460
Recently, they approved fireworks for Capitola, California.

345
00:16:11,460 --> 00:16:16,660
Despite the fact that I testified, Marsha testified,

346
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:18,800
I believe several people who are on this

347
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:25,120
emergency town hall, Roy Vanderhoek testified against it.

348
00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:27,180
So let's listen to a little of the

349
00:16:27,180 --> 00:16:28,520
debate back and forth.

350
00:16:28,860 --> 00:16:30,100
And then we're going to talk about it

351
00:16:30,100 --> 00:16:30,940
on the other side.

352
00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,560
I'm the Public Works Director for the City

353
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:33,260
of Capitola.

354
00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,800
Thank you so much for considering the city's

355
00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:37,680
annual permit for its fireworks show.

356
00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,140
This long-standing event provides free family entertainment

357
00:16:41,140 --> 00:16:44,440
and supports local fundraising for educational and recreational

358
00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,980
activities in the County of Santa Cruz.

359
00:16:47,620 --> 00:16:50,240
Monitoring reports from previous year's events have not

360
00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,180
identified any significant adverse impacts.

361
00:16:53,980 --> 00:16:57,200
As the agency responsible for protecting Capitola's coastal

362
00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,160
environment, the city is pleased to take on

363
00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,320
the permit responsibilities to ensure continued compliance.

364
00:17:03,140 --> 00:17:06,500
We've coordinated this project with our staff ecologists

365
00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:08,960
and agree with all mitigation measures included in

366
00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:09,319
the permit.

367
00:17:10,140 --> 00:17:13,099
And we support staff recommendation and proposed conditions

368
00:17:13,099 --> 00:17:15,160
and are available to answer any questions.

369
00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,200
Respectfully, you falsely suggest that there's no ramifications

370
00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:21,460
from these fireworks.

371
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,180
Fireworks cause death and bloodshed.

372
00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:28,860
In California alone, 10 people died.

373
00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:30,860
There was a tragic blast, you may have

374
00:17:30,860 --> 00:17:34,260
seen it, at a warehouse, a fireworks warehouse.

375
00:17:35,140 --> 00:17:38,440
Seven people died this holiday.

376
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:41,660
An eight-year-old girl was killed by

377
00:17:41,660 --> 00:17:42,400
fireworks.

378
00:17:42,980 --> 00:17:44,840
In Simi Valley, a man died and his

379
00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:45,680
house caught fire.

380
00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:48,260
A man was also killed in Pacoima.

381
00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:51,820
Okay, 10 people died.

382
00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,360
You know, where were those fireworks headed in

383
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:58,660
that deadly explosion that killed seven people?

384
00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:01,100
Were they headed to Capitola?

385
00:18:01,660 --> 00:18:05,060
You can't just exempt yourself from this destructive

386
00:18:05,060 --> 00:18:05,940
industry.

387
00:18:06,680 --> 00:18:07,520
It is killing people.

388
00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:09,680
It is causing wildlife to fall out of

389
00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:10,000
trees.

390
00:18:10,420 --> 00:18:13,840
It is giving veterans PTSD and triggering them.

391
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,620
It's causing more lost pets than any other

392
00:18:16,620 --> 00:18:17,320
time of year.

393
00:18:17,780 --> 00:18:18,780
It must end.

394
00:18:19,460 --> 00:18:22,580
Why are you backing something medieval and deadly?

395
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:24,860
Think about the parents of that eight-year

396
00:18:24,860 --> 00:18:25,320
-old girl.

397
00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:27,640
Is that family-friendly fun?

398
00:18:27,980 --> 00:18:30,660
When you have a safe and effective and

399
00:18:30,660 --> 00:18:34,560
entertaining alternative in drone shows, I urge you

400
00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:36,660
to please join the 21st century.

401
00:18:37,580 --> 00:18:40,620
There is no excuse for this violence.

402
00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:41,800
It is violence.

403
00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:47,220
I want to reiterate there is a feasible,

404
00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:52,260
environmentally superior alternative, a drone show that does

405
00:18:52,260 --> 00:18:57,300
not blast and disturb wildlife with no chemicals

406
00:18:57,300 --> 00:18:58,940
that harm the wildlife.

407
00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:01,740
I saw in your staff report no analysis

408
00:19:01,740 --> 00:19:03,100
of the chemicals.

409
00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,140
You're going to have somebody go out the

410
00:19:05,140 --> 00:19:07,560
next day and pick up some of the

411
00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,500
cardboard and plastic debris that falls from the

412
00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:13,760
sky after these fireworks, but you're not able

413
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:15,540
to get the heavy metals.

414
00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:21,440
Copper, strontium, barium, and other chemicals create the

415
00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:23,220
colors of these fireworks.

416
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:27,660
Fireworks also emit fine particulate matter and soot

417
00:19:27,660 --> 00:19:28,240
and ash.

418
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:29,940
All of that goes into the water.

419
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:33,560
I know because I watched this at Marina

420
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:34,200
Del Rey.

421
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,140
So, Christina Koo, you're an attorney, lives near

422
00:19:39,140 --> 00:19:40,000
Marina Del Rey.

423
00:19:40,100 --> 00:19:42,180
You've been very involved in the battle to

424
00:19:42,180 --> 00:19:45,760
save the Bayona wetlands from bulldozing, which is,

425
00:19:45,900 --> 00:19:49,720
they're calling it a restoration, but bulldozing LA's

426
00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:53,380
last coastal wetlands home to 1,700 species

427
00:19:53,380 --> 00:19:54,740
is not restoration.

428
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,100
Here we are fighting to save these animals

429
00:19:57,100 --> 00:19:59,220
while these bombs go off.

430
00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:02,040
Essentially, that's how animals perceive it, as bombs

431
00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:02,680
going off.

432
00:20:03,380 --> 00:20:06,460
What's your reaction to how the Coastal Commission,

433
00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,660
I know you've testified many times as we

434
00:20:08,660 --> 00:20:11,900
all have, what's your reaction to how the

435
00:20:11,900 --> 00:20:15,060
Coastal Commission is handling this situation, Christina?

436
00:20:19,230 --> 00:20:23,650
So, yes, it's a huge issue that does

437
00:20:23,650 --> 00:20:24,830
involve the Coastal Commission.

438
00:20:25,730 --> 00:20:28,830
One interesting thing that I found was that

439
00:20:28,830 --> 00:20:31,090
there are non-profit groups, for example, the

440
00:20:31,090 --> 00:20:36,050
Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation, they have been working

441
00:20:36,050 --> 00:20:39,250
with California Coastal Commission and they will, on

442
00:20:39,250 --> 00:20:42,510
behalf of different groups, non-profits, talk to

443
00:20:42,510 --> 00:20:44,370
them and meet with them and they have

444
00:20:44,370 --> 00:20:45,350
been very successful.

445
00:20:46,210 --> 00:20:48,190
And so, I have spoken to a few

446
00:20:48,190 --> 00:20:50,770
who work at this non-profit and they

447
00:20:50,770 --> 00:20:53,950
are very interested in continuing to talk with

448
00:20:53,950 --> 00:20:57,390
activists and experts and being the liaison with

449
00:20:57,390 --> 00:21:00,190
the Coastal Commission for the Marina Del Rey

450
00:21:00,190 --> 00:21:01,470
fireworks issues.

451
00:21:02,170 --> 00:21:04,830
And some of the topics that we've discussed

452
00:21:04,830 --> 00:21:08,890
were, because it's a special situation where the

453
00:21:08,890 --> 00:21:11,850
Marina Del Rey fireworks are right next to

454
00:21:11,850 --> 00:21:15,730
the Bayona Wetlands and Ecological Reserve, that that

455
00:21:15,730 --> 00:21:18,850
really should be an exception to the situation

456
00:21:18,850 --> 00:21:21,910
and really should have some forces behind it

457
00:21:21,910 --> 00:21:25,290
to stop or decrease or ban such fireworks

458
00:21:25,290 --> 00:21:28,610
that obviously will violate some of the air

459
00:21:28,610 --> 00:21:30,090
and water quality acts.

460
00:21:30,790 --> 00:21:33,450
So, this might be a really good angle

461
00:21:33,450 --> 00:21:36,290
to continue to work with this non-profit

462
00:21:36,290 --> 00:21:37,830
to approach the Commission.

463
00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:40,750
Well, I know you do a lot of

464
00:21:40,750 --> 00:21:41,770
work in that regard.

465
00:21:42,090 --> 00:21:45,630
I want to say this whole idea that

466
00:21:45,630 --> 00:21:48,990
there are these hearings where people testify and

467
00:21:48,990 --> 00:21:51,510
they go, yes, we're monitoring and we see

468
00:21:51,510 --> 00:21:52,810
no adverse effects.

469
00:21:53,210 --> 00:21:55,390
I was there on July 5th at the

470
00:21:55,390 --> 00:21:56,610
Marina Del Rey jetty.

471
00:21:57,130 --> 00:21:59,750
There were no scientists running around looking to

472
00:21:59,750 --> 00:22:02,710
see whether the pelicans and the egrets and

473
00:22:02,710 --> 00:22:05,030
the cormorants were still there.

474
00:22:05,030 --> 00:22:09,210
I mean, there was not a single bird

475
00:22:09,210 --> 00:22:11,930
anywhere in sight where the day before there

476
00:22:11,930 --> 00:22:12,930
had been hundreds.

477
00:22:13,510 --> 00:22:16,670
So, they say that they monitor, but honestly,

478
00:22:16,950 --> 00:22:19,770
the way they're monitoring, it's kind of like

479
00:22:19,770 --> 00:22:23,530
whatever outcome they want is what they get.

480
00:22:23,690 --> 00:22:27,470
And I would like, you know, Anne Cantrell,

481
00:22:27,750 --> 00:22:29,490
you've been waiting very patiently.

482
00:22:29,750 --> 00:22:32,170
You've been fighting this in Long Beach.

483
00:22:32,810 --> 00:22:36,010
What are your thoughts about how the system,

484
00:22:36,230 --> 00:22:41,370
I dare say, is kind of rigged to

485
00:22:41,370 --> 00:22:44,310
have the outcome that the powers that be

486
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:44,870
want?

487
00:22:47,590 --> 00:22:50,130
You put the words right out of my

488
00:22:50,130 --> 00:22:50,530
mouth.

489
00:22:51,970 --> 00:22:56,670
We thought we had a win this last

490
00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:58,890
year when the Big Bang on the Bay

491
00:22:58,890 --> 00:23:03,330
fireworks show applied for a permit from the

492
00:23:03,330 --> 00:23:09,430
Coastal Commission last June, because for the first

493
00:23:09,430 --> 00:23:13,210
time, the Coastal Commission staff agreed with us.

494
00:23:13,650 --> 00:23:16,510
And they even went so far as to

495
00:23:16,510 --> 00:23:24,350
contact a drone company and determined that there

496
00:23:24,350 --> 00:23:28,730
were places in Alameda Bay where drone shows

497
00:23:28,730 --> 00:23:32,470
could be done instead of fireworks.

498
00:23:33,270 --> 00:23:39,870
And the staff recommended to the Commission that

499
00:23:39,870 --> 00:23:45,190
they give a permit where they show only

500
00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:50,490
if drones were used, not fireworks.

501
00:23:51,090 --> 00:23:54,790
So we were ecstatic when we went to

502
00:23:54,790 --> 00:23:58,570
the hearing, thinking we at last had a

503
00:23:58,570 --> 00:23:58,850
win.

504
00:23:59,650 --> 00:24:05,270
And lo and behold, the Commissioner from Long

505
00:24:05,270 --> 00:24:09,870
Beach, Robert Uranga, it was his last day

506
00:24:11,070 --> 00:24:12,010
on the Commission.

507
00:24:12,150 --> 00:24:13,310
He was termed out.

508
00:24:13,950 --> 00:24:17,850
He's had a stroke and unfortunately has a

509
00:24:17,850 --> 00:24:19,110
lot of trouble speaking.

510
00:24:19,910 --> 00:24:26,750
And he got the pity of the Commission

511
00:24:26,750 --> 00:24:32,730
to give this permit for the show, which

512
00:24:32,730 --> 00:24:40,430
he has been one of the people that

513
00:24:40,430 --> 00:24:46,490
has been, I'm blanking out on the word,

514
00:24:47,610 --> 00:24:51,330
he has backed the show for years.

515
00:24:52,030 --> 00:24:57,310
And so as a final gesture, the Commission

516
00:24:57,310 --> 00:25:01,930
voted unanimously to have the Big Bang one

517
00:25:01,930 --> 00:25:02,870
more year.

518
00:25:03,350 --> 00:25:06,270
They did say that this would be the

519
00:25:06,270 --> 00:25:07,070
last year.

520
00:25:07,630 --> 00:25:12,650
I'm hoping that this is going to be

521
00:25:12,650 --> 00:25:15,290
the fact, because Anna and I and other

522
00:25:15,290 --> 00:25:18,330
Sierra Club members have been down there for

523
00:25:18,330 --> 00:25:22,030
four years in a row during the fireworks,

524
00:25:22,410 --> 00:25:26,250
holding blankets under the trees, hoping to catch

525
00:25:26,250 --> 00:25:29,750
any falling babies that are blasted out of

526
00:25:29,750 --> 00:25:30,450
their nests.

527
00:25:31,130 --> 00:25:35,430
And we have never caught a baby, but

528
00:25:35,430 --> 00:25:40,830
we found dead ones the next day every

529
00:25:40,830 --> 00:25:41,270
year.

530
00:25:43,490 --> 00:25:46,910
Either they fall out of the nest at

531
00:25:46,910 --> 00:25:52,210
the time or they starve because their parents

532
00:25:52,210 --> 00:25:53,230
don't return.

533
00:25:54,450 --> 00:25:58,830
This is just incredible that we have to

534
00:25:58,830 --> 00:26:01,030
keep putting up with this when there are

535
00:26:01,030 --> 00:26:01,950
alternatives.

536
00:26:03,290 --> 00:26:05,890
And I would like everybody who's upset about

537
00:26:05,890 --> 00:26:08,970
this, thank you so much, Ann, to sign

538
00:26:08,970 --> 00:26:13,790
this petition, bit.ly forward slash stop fireworks.

539
00:26:14,250 --> 00:26:21,590
Just copy that down and sign it, because

540
00:26:21,590 --> 00:26:25,050
we're going to take this emergency town hall

541
00:26:25,050 --> 00:26:27,030
and those petitions and go to the powers

542
00:26:27,030 --> 00:26:29,510
that be and say, you know what, all

543
00:26:29,510 --> 00:26:33,730
this nonsense about everybody supports fireworks and family

544
00:26:33,730 --> 00:26:37,430
fun, everybody I know in this neighborhood where

545
00:26:37,430 --> 00:26:39,310
I live can't stand fireworks.

546
00:26:39,730 --> 00:26:41,890
We all commiserate the day after.

547
00:26:42,070 --> 00:26:43,910
Our dogs have to be sedated.

548
00:26:44,670 --> 00:26:48,350
More dogs are lost than any other day

549
00:26:48,350 --> 00:26:50,930
of the year on July 4th, only because

550
00:26:50,930 --> 00:26:51,950
of the fireworks.

551
00:26:52,490 --> 00:26:54,330
And then there's people say, well, you know,

552
00:26:54,710 --> 00:26:57,470
it's legal, fireworks are fine, but the illegal

553
00:26:57,470 --> 00:26:58,150
ones are bad.

554
00:26:58,610 --> 00:27:01,850
The legal fireworks inspire the illegal fireworks.

555
00:27:02,370 --> 00:27:04,350
If there were no fireworks around here, I

556
00:27:04,350 --> 00:27:06,590
don't think people would be trudging over here

557
00:27:06,590 --> 00:27:07,730
to set off their fireworks.

558
00:27:07,930 --> 00:27:10,870
They know there's legal fireworks and they piggyback

559
00:27:10,870 --> 00:27:12,870
off of it and set off the illegal

560
00:27:12,870 --> 00:27:13,490
fireworks.

561
00:27:14,090 --> 00:27:16,130
So they're all interconnected.

562
00:27:16,950 --> 00:27:19,350
And I want to play a little bit

563
00:27:19,350 --> 00:27:23,430
of an interview I did with a woman

564
00:27:23,430 --> 00:27:26,230
who has two dogs, Karen LaCava, who says

565
00:27:26,230 --> 00:27:30,310
her life is really, really devastated by fireworks

566
00:27:30,310 --> 00:27:31,490
every year.

567
00:27:31,490 --> 00:27:32,850
It is so loud.

568
00:27:33,050 --> 00:27:36,330
My whole house vibrates when the fireworks go

569
00:27:36,330 --> 00:27:36,710
off.

570
00:27:36,910 --> 00:27:38,770
I feel like my house is going to

571
00:27:38,770 --> 00:27:40,010
fall down.

572
00:27:40,870 --> 00:27:43,350
And then the next day and that night,

573
00:27:43,590 --> 00:27:45,270
it's debris all over the place.

574
00:27:45,710 --> 00:27:49,310
I have to always water down my roof

575
00:27:49,310 --> 00:27:52,570
and my lawn before July 4th, before January

576
00:27:52,570 --> 00:27:56,010
1st, because I'm so afraid that they are

577
00:27:56,010 --> 00:27:57,970
going to set my place on fire.

578
00:27:58,430 --> 00:27:59,250
It's horrible.

579
00:27:59,250 --> 00:28:02,150
And I can't, for days afterwards, actually for

580
00:28:02,150 --> 00:28:03,810
months afterwards, I don't hear breaks.

581
00:28:03,950 --> 00:28:05,010
We hear breaks every day.

582
00:28:05,390 --> 00:28:07,870
Not only that, but the air pollution, it's

583
00:28:07,870 --> 00:28:09,010
so horrible.

584
00:28:09,610 --> 00:28:11,510
It's so horrible that night and the next

585
00:28:11,510 --> 00:28:12,030
day.

586
00:28:12,170 --> 00:28:13,030
It's a nightmare.

587
00:28:13,550 --> 00:28:15,950
My dogs are so frightened.

588
00:28:16,170 --> 00:28:18,590
I have to give them something to mellow

589
00:28:18,590 --> 00:28:19,130
them out.

590
00:28:19,250 --> 00:28:20,510
I put vests on them.

591
00:28:20,890 --> 00:28:23,530
I have started actually taking them away from

592
00:28:23,530 --> 00:28:24,370
the area.

593
00:28:24,370 --> 00:28:26,490
And then if I'm not there, I'm so

594
00:28:26,490 --> 00:28:28,710
nervous that I'm going to come home to

595
00:28:28,710 --> 00:28:29,890
a burned down house.

596
00:28:30,210 --> 00:28:32,350
I want to stay there and I can't

597
00:28:32,350 --> 00:28:33,610
because I can't leave my dogs there.

598
00:28:33,730 --> 00:28:38,030
They are so traumatized by these fireworks.

599
00:28:38,190 --> 00:28:39,570
And my neighbor's dogs are too.

600
00:28:39,870 --> 00:28:41,390
It's just a nightmare.

601
00:28:42,530 --> 00:28:44,210
Drone shows are so much better.

602
00:28:44,310 --> 00:28:45,510
We do not need fireworks.

603
00:28:46,990 --> 00:28:51,550
So there she is, basically expressing the viewpoint

604
00:28:51,550 --> 00:28:53,950
that I hear from everybody.

605
00:28:54,370 --> 00:28:55,970
I'll say two points.

606
00:28:56,590 --> 00:28:59,450
One is that that's not the way it's

607
00:28:59,450 --> 00:29:02,130
portrayed at the California Coastal Commission and all

608
00:29:02,130 --> 00:29:05,430
these other venues where the decisions are made.

609
00:29:05,650 --> 00:29:08,570
It's portrayed as everybody wants it.

610
00:29:08,870 --> 00:29:10,090
Well, where are those everybody?

611
00:29:10,230 --> 00:29:11,270
Because I've never met them.

612
00:29:11,610 --> 00:29:14,110
I've only met people like Karen who consider

613
00:29:14,110 --> 00:29:16,390
this a nightmare, as do I.

614
00:29:17,010 --> 00:29:19,770
The second thing that I want to say

615
00:29:19,770 --> 00:29:23,950
is that everybody's acting like, well, either we

616
00:29:23,950 --> 00:29:27,170
have fireworks or we don't have any celebration.

617
00:29:27,830 --> 00:29:30,690
OK, there's plenty of ways to celebrate.

618
00:29:31,030 --> 00:29:32,290
We talked about drone shows.

619
00:29:32,390 --> 00:29:36,350
We talked about light shows, for example, boat

620
00:29:36,350 --> 00:29:36,810
parades.

621
00:29:37,130 --> 00:29:41,070
There's a million alternatives, creative alternatives, then to

622
00:29:41,070 --> 00:29:43,570
using something that is literally medieval.

623
00:29:43,770 --> 00:29:45,030
I went and researched it.

624
00:29:45,090 --> 00:29:47,970
This started like in the 11th century as

625
00:29:47,970 --> 00:29:50,050
a precursor to gunpowder.

626
00:29:50,660 --> 00:29:52,530
And it led to gunpowder.

627
00:29:53,290 --> 00:29:56,270
Marcia Hanscom, can you weigh in a little

628
00:29:56,270 --> 00:29:59,210
bit on the politics of this?

629
00:30:00,430 --> 00:30:03,150
Yeah, well, I think, you know, 20 years

630
00:30:03,150 --> 00:30:06,150
ago when I got awakened to all of

631
00:30:06,150 --> 00:30:10,010
the problems and realized all this pollution, you

632
00:30:10,010 --> 00:30:11,450
know, a lot of people don't think about

633
00:30:11,450 --> 00:30:12,030
the pollution.

634
00:30:12,350 --> 00:30:14,690
But what goes up must come down.

635
00:30:15,010 --> 00:30:17,250
And there is a lot of pollution that

636
00:30:17,250 --> 00:30:17,950
comes down.

637
00:30:17,950 --> 00:30:21,750
There's not just cardboard, but wires and plastic

638
00:30:21,750 --> 00:30:24,490
and and, of course, all of the chemicals

639
00:30:24,490 --> 00:30:27,350
we talked about that all ends up on

640
00:30:27,350 --> 00:30:29,250
the land and in the water and in

641
00:30:29,250 --> 00:30:29,710
the air.

642
00:30:30,710 --> 00:30:34,810
And I think what because people have thought

643
00:30:34,810 --> 00:30:38,630
of this as patriotic, you know, nobody wants

644
00:30:38,630 --> 00:30:40,410
to go against being patriotic.

645
00:30:40,650 --> 00:30:42,230
Well, of course, the Fourth of July is

646
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:43,270
a big celebration.

647
00:30:43,970 --> 00:30:46,730
The Christmas boat parade is a big celebration.

648
00:30:46,730 --> 00:30:48,790
New Year's Eve is a big celebration.

649
00:30:49,370 --> 00:30:50,030
But why?

650
00:30:50,450 --> 00:30:52,250
You know, we just have to start questioning

651
00:30:52,250 --> 00:30:53,010
out loud.

652
00:30:53,490 --> 00:30:58,270
Why is a celebration necessary to have with

653
00:30:58,270 --> 00:31:01,350
it something that is actually equated with war?

654
00:31:01,630 --> 00:31:04,290
The whole reason we're having the fireworks is

655
00:31:04,290 --> 00:31:06,690
a celebration of the Fourth of July of

656
00:31:06,690 --> 00:31:07,310
the war.

657
00:31:07,930 --> 00:31:10,890
You know, the bombs bursting midair.

658
00:31:11,190 --> 00:31:13,110
That's really what it is about.

659
00:31:13,110 --> 00:31:15,230
And I think there are other ways to

660
00:31:15,230 --> 00:31:15,730
celebrate.

661
00:31:16,050 --> 00:31:19,070
Last year at Marina del Rey, the county

662
00:31:19,070 --> 00:31:23,870
of Los Angeles did try a possible alternative.

663
00:31:24,270 --> 00:31:26,610
And during the boat parade, only during the

664
00:31:26,610 --> 00:31:30,710
boat parade, but they did use a light

665
00:31:30,710 --> 00:31:32,310
and music drone show.

666
00:31:32,530 --> 00:31:35,730
And the people I know who showed on

667
00:31:35,730 --> 00:31:39,470
their social media all these beautiful images in

668
00:31:39,470 --> 00:31:42,230
the sky that went along with music, they

669
00:31:42,230 --> 00:31:42,910
loved it.

670
00:31:42,910 --> 00:31:45,750
Not everybody could see it the same way

671
00:31:45,750 --> 00:31:48,170
because it didn't have as much of a

672
00:31:48,170 --> 00:31:48,670
blast.

673
00:31:48,910 --> 00:31:50,770
So maybe there are other ways to make

674
00:31:50,770 --> 00:31:52,050
it better.

675
00:31:52,670 --> 00:31:56,730
But unless we start trying to celebrate in

676
00:31:56,730 --> 00:31:59,010
other ways, I mean, why do we have

677
00:31:59,010 --> 00:32:04,370
15 minutes of celebration that ends up in

678
00:32:04,370 --> 00:32:08,530
horror afterwards for way longer than 15 minutes?

679
00:32:08,870 --> 00:32:10,590
I agree with you entirely.

680
00:32:10,590 --> 00:32:13,490
And Natalie, you were talking about the fact

681
00:32:13,490 --> 00:32:15,910
that you have seen the evidence.

682
00:32:16,050 --> 00:32:17,090
Tell us about that.

683
00:32:18,730 --> 00:32:22,710
Yeah, I scuba dived under the SeaWorld fireworks

684
00:32:22,710 --> 00:32:25,490
barge with a friend of mine, and we

685
00:32:25,490 --> 00:32:31,130
found substantial amounts of buried debris, layered on

686
00:32:31,130 --> 00:32:31,470
debris.

687
00:32:31,670 --> 00:32:33,630
So it's a seagrass bed under the SeaWorld

688
00:32:33,630 --> 00:32:37,490
fireworks barge and substantial amounts of wires are

689
00:32:37,490 --> 00:32:40,610
kind of growing within all the different areas

690
00:32:40,610 --> 00:32:41,570
of the seagrass.

691
00:32:41,870 --> 00:32:44,430
It had to have been what felt like

692
00:32:44,430 --> 00:32:46,910
years worth, what we perceive as years worth

693
00:32:46,910 --> 00:32:47,410
of debris.

694
00:32:48,070 --> 00:32:49,790
I don't know what SeaWorld would reply to

695
00:32:49,790 --> 00:32:50,090
that.

696
00:32:50,250 --> 00:32:51,470
I won't put words in their mouth.

697
00:32:52,470 --> 00:32:56,550
And we also found fireworks foil and wrappers

698
00:32:56,550 --> 00:32:57,630
under there as well.

699
00:32:58,010 --> 00:33:00,630
And that's an indication, at least in our

700
00:33:00,630 --> 00:33:03,230
opinion, that they are not following their best

701
00:33:03,230 --> 00:33:05,750
management practices, their fireworks permit.

702
00:33:07,010 --> 00:33:10,970
Uh, I will say this, uh, this idea

703
00:33:10,970 --> 00:33:13,970
that all these scientists go out after every

704
00:33:13,970 --> 00:33:16,890
fireworks and they're, they're, they're looking and digging

705
00:33:16,890 --> 00:33:20,230
and I'm calling BS on that.

706
00:33:20,850 --> 00:33:21,410
Okay.

707
00:33:21,410 --> 00:33:22,730
I've lived here 35 years.

708
00:33:22,810 --> 00:33:24,550
I've never seen anybody who looks like a

709
00:33:24,550 --> 00:33:27,030
scientist walking around checking to see the impact

710
00:33:27,030 --> 00:33:28,690
of, of these fireworks.

711
00:33:29,210 --> 00:33:31,450
Nobody certainly did what you did, get in

712
00:33:31,450 --> 00:33:33,110
a scuba outfit and go down there and

713
00:33:33,110 --> 00:33:33,750
check it out.

714
00:33:33,750 --> 00:33:38,390
Um, Anna Christensen, you've been, uh, very patient.

715
00:33:38,750 --> 00:33:42,070
What is your thought on the politics of

716
00:33:42,070 --> 00:33:42,230
this?

717
00:33:42,290 --> 00:33:45,430
We're about to play some Coastal Commission, uh,

718
00:33:45,510 --> 00:33:46,190
word salad.

719
00:33:46,390 --> 00:33:48,910
So before we go there, I want to

720
00:33:48,910 --> 00:33:51,030
get your take on the politics of this,

721
00:33:51,090 --> 00:33:53,950
because I say when it comes to anything,

722
00:33:54,430 --> 00:33:56,010
follow the money always.

723
00:33:57,150 --> 00:33:59,690
So I think it's important to understand how

724
00:33:59,690 --> 00:34:01,150
the Coastal Commission works.

725
00:34:01,150 --> 00:34:02,890
And by the way, the Coastal Commission, uh,

726
00:34:03,510 --> 00:34:07,810
did, uh, did many years ago, uh, was

727
00:34:07,810 --> 00:34:10,210
able to end a fireworks show, uh, even

728
00:34:10,210 --> 00:34:11,870
though, uh, they were sued and it went

729
00:34:11,870 --> 00:34:13,310
all the way to the state Supreme Court.

730
00:34:13,469 --> 00:34:15,730
So there is precedent, but the Coastal Commission

731
00:34:15,730 --> 00:34:18,110
is very much like a court in the

732
00:34:18,110 --> 00:34:20,550
sense that they are operate on a case

733
00:34:20,550 --> 00:34:21,449
by case basis.

734
00:34:21,830 --> 00:34:24,449
So what, what is brought before them or

735
00:34:24,449 --> 00:34:26,449
like a planning commission, the project that is

736
00:34:26,449 --> 00:34:28,790
brought before them has to comply with the

737
00:34:28,790 --> 00:34:29,389
Coastal Act.

738
00:34:29,389 --> 00:34:31,550
So it's a project by project basis.

739
00:34:31,690 --> 00:34:34,070
And it seems a little schizophrenic right now

740
00:34:34,070 --> 00:34:35,870
where we have them in the case of

741
00:34:35,870 --> 00:34:37,190
the, of the staff at least.

742
00:34:37,290 --> 00:34:39,290
And the staff plays the role of preparing,

743
00:34:39,909 --> 00:34:42,610
uh, doing the research and advocating, uh, or

744
00:34:42,610 --> 00:34:46,710
that the commissioners take one position or another.

745
00:34:46,730 --> 00:34:48,489
And the commissioners don't have to follow the

746
00:34:48,489 --> 00:34:49,909
staff, but they usually do.

747
00:34:50,670 --> 00:34:54,630
Um, when it comes, but to just jump

748
00:34:54,630 --> 00:34:56,950
a little bit sideways on this, when you

749
00:34:56,950 --> 00:34:59,050
talk about the scientists, what scientists are we

750
00:34:59,050 --> 00:34:59,490
talking about?

751
00:34:59,530 --> 00:35:02,350
The biologists, when the Coastal Commission, uh, approved

752
00:35:02,350 --> 00:35:04,330
something, they approve it with conditions.

753
00:35:04,730 --> 00:35:07,310
Often these projects are approved with the condition

754
00:35:07,310 --> 00:35:09,670
that, that a biologist be there or, or

755
00:35:09,670 --> 00:35:12,010
like you said, it's somebody that is there

756
00:35:12,010 --> 00:35:14,270
to, to look underwater and stuff like that.

757
00:35:14,350 --> 00:35:15,550
But who pays for this?

758
00:35:15,770 --> 00:35:17,430
The person who puts on the project.

759
00:35:17,610 --> 00:35:21,990
So the whole field of, of, um, experts

760
00:35:21,990 --> 00:35:25,890
here, um, are experts that take money from

761
00:35:25,890 --> 00:35:26,750
the promoters.

762
00:35:26,750 --> 00:35:29,710
So I'm not saying that these biologists are

763
00:35:29,710 --> 00:35:32,450
totally unethical, but they do make a living

764
00:35:32,450 --> 00:35:35,670
by, uh, by working for people who want

765
00:35:35,670 --> 00:35:36,830
these fireworks shows.

766
00:35:37,270 --> 00:35:40,490
And we find that their, uh, their opinions

767
00:35:40,490 --> 00:35:41,750
are very different than ours.

768
00:35:41,750 --> 00:35:43,730
And their conclusions are very different than ours.

769
00:35:43,890 --> 00:35:46,790
Uh, sometimes even the Coastal Commission staff, the

770
00:35:46,790 --> 00:35:49,350
biologist has a different conclusion as well, but

771
00:35:49,350 --> 00:35:51,490
the, our, the general term is, but the

772
00:35:51,490 --> 00:35:52,330
birds came back.

773
00:35:52,430 --> 00:35:54,450
That's what they conclude everything, but the birds

774
00:35:54,450 --> 00:35:56,110
came back, but they don't know that the

775
00:35:56,110 --> 00:35:56,650
birds came back.

776
00:35:56,650 --> 00:35:58,630
They don't count the birds that the studies

777
00:35:58,630 --> 00:36:00,350
that are the most accurate have been done

778
00:36:00,350 --> 00:36:02,090
in the Netherlands and in Europe, where they've

779
00:36:02,090 --> 00:36:05,410
literally put tags on the birds and they've

780
00:36:05,410 --> 00:36:07,910
noticed how many hundreds of thousands of feet

781
00:36:07,910 --> 00:36:09,890
they fly away and that they do not

782
00:36:09,890 --> 00:36:10,350
come back.

783
00:36:11,110 --> 00:36:13,190
Now there's been some, we have real hard

784
00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:16,030
evidence such as when the city shot off

785
00:36:16,030 --> 00:36:19,050
fireworks directly under nesting birds in a downtown

786
00:36:19,050 --> 00:36:21,170
park and the birds just fell to the

787
00:36:21,170 --> 00:36:23,050
ground and died like this one right here.

788
00:36:23,050 --> 00:36:25,230
We also had a, had a bird on

789
00:36:25,230 --> 00:36:29,170
video, a great juvenile great blue heron fall

790
00:36:29,170 --> 00:36:31,330
directly into the water about 30, 40 feet

791
00:36:31,330 --> 00:36:32,830
down in a tree and swim to a

792
00:36:32,830 --> 00:36:33,110
dock.

793
00:36:33,310 --> 00:36:35,050
Uh, what happened to that bird?

794
00:36:35,410 --> 00:36:36,910
They just dismiss it.

795
00:36:37,250 --> 00:36:39,630
So, you know, when you say follow the

796
00:36:39,630 --> 00:36:42,130
money, the people who are doing the analysis

797
00:36:42,130 --> 00:36:45,730
are not, they're not necessarily, uh, Coastal Commission

798
00:36:45,730 --> 00:36:46,050
staff.

799
00:36:46,170 --> 00:36:46,910
They're not that independent.

800
00:36:47,030 --> 00:36:48,950
They're literally paid for by the developers.

801
00:36:49,370 --> 00:36:49,950
All right.

802
00:36:50,170 --> 00:36:52,110
I want to jump in and bring in,

803
00:36:52,530 --> 00:36:53,170
uh, and thank you.

804
00:36:53,310 --> 00:36:56,030
That was brilliant because what you're saying is

805
00:36:56,030 --> 00:37:00,390
if, if you're, if your job is dependent

806
00:37:00,390 --> 00:37:03,130
on finding that there's no problem with the

807
00:37:03,130 --> 00:37:04,630
fireworks, what are you going to find?

808
00:37:04,710 --> 00:37:06,370
There's no problem with the fireworks.

809
00:37:06,870 --> 00:37:09,050
Roy, you are a biologist and you're an

810
00:37:09,050 --> 00:37:12,550
independent biologist who was not ruled by a

811
00:37:12,550 --> 00:37:13,010
paycheck.

812
00:37:13,430 --> 00:37:16,450
What are your thoughts on this whole notion

813
00:37:16,450 --> 00:37:18,350
that we hear in the Coastal Commission and

814
00:37:18,350 --> 00:37:20,510
other agencies all the time?

815
00:37:20,950 --> 00:37:23,810
Oh, well, the biologists checked or the experts

816
00:37:23,810 --> 00:37:26,390
checked and there's no, there's no problem here.

817
00:37:26,570 --> 00:37:27,310
Nothing to see here.

818
00:37:28,470 --> 00:37:31,150
Well, yes, I am an independent scientist.

819
00:37:31,450 --> 00:37:34,290
I've, I've never been a consultant and that

820
00:37:34,290 --> 00:37:38,650
term consultant biologist or scientist, I've seen numerous

821
00:37:38,650 --> 00:37:41,750
instances where they write the reports and they're

822
00:37:41,750 --> 00:37:44,370
listening very carefully to who's paying them when

823
00:37:44,370 --> 00:37:45,410
they write their reports.

824
00:37:45,410 --> 00:37:48,370
There isn't very much honesty in consulting science.

825
00:37:48,570 --> 00:37:50,290
It is very, very biased.

826
00:37:50,730 --> 00:37:53,610
It is something that affects peer reviewed science

827
00:37:53,610 --> 00:37:57,650
too, which is why now scientific articles have

828
00:37:57,650 --> 00:37:59,390
to say who's funding that.

829
00:37:59,490 --> 00:38:00,970
We do have to look at that.

830
00:38:01,050 --> 00:38:03,970
And as an independent scientist, I, I think

831
00:38:03,970 --> 00:38:05,730
I'm just about maybe one of the only

832
00:38:05,730 --> 00:38:08,530
ones who's ever gone after fireworks and during

833
00:38:08,530 --> 00:38:11,310
fireworks as a scientist to observe things.

834
00:38:11,310 --> 00:38:14,530
And even our famous naturalist, Charles Darwin brought

835
00:38:14,530 --> 00:38:17,790
in inferences from, in order to understand evolution,

836
00:38:17,910 --> 00:38:20,470
for example, he brought in what happens with

837
00:38:20,470 --> 00:38:24,650
animal husbandry and selecting breeding and animals.

838
00:38:24,890 --> 00:38:27,690
So similarly, we as scientists should also be

839
00:38:27,690 --> 00:38:30,430
looking at in an urban area where we

840
00:38:30,430 --> 00:38:33,210
have all number of kinds of pets, dogs

841
00:38:33,210 --> 00:38:37,690
and cats, birds that people have as pets

842
00:38:37,690 --> 00:38:40,090
near the ground zero of the fireworks.

843
00:38:40,090 --> 00:38:43,990
We can collect data and, and indirectly relate

844
00:38:43,990 --> 00:38:47,390
that to what's, what's happening to the native

845
00:38:47,390 --> 00:38:47,930
animals.

846
00:38:48,050 --> 00:38:50,690
And let's remember that birds have a heightened

847
00:38:50,690 --> 00:38:55,030
sense of, of hearing and seeing they are

848
00:38:55,030 --> 00:38:58,030
higher in that degree than mammals.

849
00:38:58,030 --> 00:39:00,530
And then, but there are some exceptions like

850
00:39:00,530 --> 00:39:03,030
with the bottlenose dolphin, which is a really

851
00:39:03,030 --> 00:39:05,270
close shore marine mammal.

852
00:39:05,650 --> 00:39:07,750
It does not swim out to the outer

853
00:39:07,750 --> 00:39:08,250
waters.

854
00:39:08,250 --> 00:39:09,990
It's very close to the surf zone.

855
00:39:10,510 --> 00:39:12,850
And the bottlenose dolphin on our California coast

856
00:39:12,850 --> 00:39:17,030
is a rare, unique subpopulation.

857
00:39:17,670 --> 00:39:21,090
And we can study bottlenose, bottlenose dolphin related

858
00:39:21,090 --> 00:39:23,530
varieties in other parts of the world to

859
00:39:23,530 --> 00:39:26,150
gain info on, on what's going on.

860
00:39:26,350 --> 00:39:30,130
Also, it's, it's a harbor and estuary and

861
00:39:30,130 --> 00:39:34,390
animal, and they've now moved to Monterey Bay.

862
00:39:34,390 --> 00:39:36,010
And there was no studies done at the

863
00:39:36,010 --> 00:39:39,970
Capitola, Capitola fireworks in anticipation, because there's a

864
00:39:39,970 --> 00:39:43,230
bottlenose dolphin population that's moved north to Monterey

865
00:39:43,230 --> 00:39:45,730
Bay now, perhaps because of climate change.

866
00:39:45,870 --> 00:39:50,210
And we are, are woefully ignorant as a

867
00:39:50,210 --> 00:39:52,950
society, and we're not, we're doing monitoring.

868
00:39:53,250 --> 00:39:56,350
And I think Anna Christensen has, has described

869
00:39:56,350 --> 00:39:56,730
it well.

870
00:39:56,850 --> 00:39:58,630
And yes, you do have to follow the

871
00:39:58,630 --> 00:40:03,310
money to, to, to know what's going on.

872
00:40:03,770 --> 00:40:06,190
And we have to get our information indirectly.

873
00:40:06,450 --> 00:40:08,170
Suzanne Cumming, who can't be on the program

874
00:40:08,170 --> 00:40:10,650
today, I asked her and she followed up

875
00:40:10,650 --> 00:40:13,350
with checking with the International Bird Rescue Center

876
00:40:13,350 --> 00:40:14,430
for Los Angeles.

877
00:40:15,350 --> 00:40:18,890
And then they documented, they have, they have

878
00:40:18,890 --> 00:40:21,470
records right after July 4th and on January

879
00:40:21,470 --> 00:40:23,650
1st, where there's numbers of birds that are

880
00:40:23,650 --> 00:40:26,510
brought in that are, are young birds or

881
00:40:26,510 --> 00:40:29,410
injured somehow because of the fireworks.

882
00:40:29,670 --> 00:40:31,510
And they try to rehab them.

883
00:40:31,510 --> 00:40:33,650
So we have various ways we can collect

884
00:40:33,650 --> 00:40:37,110
our information to tell the story scientifically on

885
00:40:37,110 --> 00:40:39,150
fireworks, but we're not going to get the

886
00:40:39,150 --> 00:40:40,790
answer from consultants.

887
00:40:41,390 --> 00:40:42,970
It's common sense.

888
00:40:43,390 --> 00:40:46,790
I mean, you can't do this and expect

889
00:40:46,790 --> 00:40:49,210
these birds to just sit there in their

890
00:40:49,210 --> 00:40:53,630
trees or on their little roosts where they

891
00:40:53,630 --> 00:40:56,890
roost, pelicans, et cetera, and just sit there

892
00:40:56,890 --> 00:40:58,270
and go, oh yeah, nice fireworks.

893
00:40:58,470 --> 00:41:00,510
Of course, it's going to terrorize them.

894
00:41:00,510 --> 00:41:01,730
You're not even hearing the sound.

895
00:41:01,830 --> 00:41:03,090
This is on silent now.

896
00:41:03,370 --> 00:41:05,450
It terrorizes people.

897
00:41:05,830 --> 00:41:07,670
If you didn't know that it was a

898
00:41:07,670 --> 00:41:09,810
firework show, it would terrorize you.

899
00:41:10,790 --> 00:41:14,530
It just, so the, the inability to, to

900
00:41:14,530 --> 00:41:19,090
just be common sense-ical about this instead

901
00:41:19,090 --> 00:41:21,010
of nonsensical about it.

902
00:41:21,390 --> 00:41:23,370
You want to say a couple of things,

903
00:41:23,570 --> 00:41:25,110
Christina, please weigh in.

904
00:41:25,970 --> 00:41:26,550
Sure.

905
00:41:26,550 --> 00:41:29,850
So, you know, I understand that a lot

906
00:41:29,850 --> 00:41:33,430
of Chamber of Commerce's, they're the ones that

907
00:41:33,430 --> 00:41:37,930
actually fund these fireworks shows, at least through

908
00:41:37,930 --> 00:41:40,250
the Marina area and probably, you know, everywhere

909
00:41:40,250 --> 00:41:40,710
else.

910
00:41:40,930 --> 00:41:43,490
And that's a source of, you know, advocacy

911
00:41:43,490 --> 00:41:46,570
that we can somehow work with them and

912
00:41:46,570 --> 00:41:49,150
provide them with the alternatives and convince them

913
00:41:49,150 --> 00:41:51,630
to try the drone shows.

914
00:41:51,630 --> 00:41:54,610
And for us to also investigate more with

915
00:41:54,610 --> 00:41:56,990
all the drone companies and get them on

916
00:41:56,990 --> 00:42:00,310
board to providing at a discount for the

917
00:42:00,310 --> 00:42:02,010
first year for cities that want to try

918
00:42:02,010 --> 00:42:04,870
it and see how much money it brings

919
00:42:04,870 --> 00:42:08,210
into their cities and restaurants and entertainment and

920
00:42:08,210 --> 00:42:08,550
tours.

921
00:42:08,890 --> 00:42:11,790
So I think it could all be more

922
00:42:11,790 --> 00:42:15,230
of a, yeah, overall, you know, project to

923
00:42:15,230 --> 00:42:17,910
influence the Chamber of Commerce to try out

924
00:42:17,910 --> 00:42:19,910
these new companies that bring in just as

925
00:42:19,910 --> 00:42:21,790
much financial benefits.

926
00:42:22,330 --> 00:42:24,450
And it can all go towards, you know,

927
00:42:24,490 --> 00:42:26,490
stopping fireworks for people to shift over.

928
00:42:27,130 --> 00:42:29,110
And the other positive thing is that, I

929
00:42:29,110 --> 00:42:31,650
mean, the California Regional Water Board, they did

930
00:42:31,650 --> 00:42:35,070
give permits to the Marina Del Rey fireworks,

931
00:42:35,530 --> 00:42:39,110
and that is up for renewal in 2028.

932
00:42:39,490 --> 00:42:42,130
And, you know, by that time, hopefully we

933
00:42:42,130 --> 00:42:46,510
can submit enough information, evidence for them to

934
00:42:46,510 --> 00:42:50,070
seriously review this and to deny the permits.

935
00:42:50,830 --> 00:42:52,830
I don't know the realities of that, but

936
00:42:52,830 --> 00:42:54,470
that permit doesn't expire.

937
00:42:54,950 --> 00:42:57,390
I'm sorry, I love what you're saying, except

938
00:42:57,390 --> 00:42:59,490
when I heard 2028, no.

939
00:43:00,270 --> 00:43:02,770
We know, I think it's very, but thank

940
00:43:02,770 --> 00:43:03,390
you, Christina.

941
00:43:03,710 --> 00:43:05,710
I think it's very important to point out

942
00:43:05,710 --> 00:43:07,670
something that people don't talk about a lot.

943
00:43:07,730 --> 00:43:09,430
And that is that we are in the

944
00:43:09,430 --> 00:43:12,050
midst of the sixth mass extinction.

945
00:43:12,050 --> 00:43:17,110
We have reduced total wildlife biomass to just

946
00:43:17,110 --> 00:43:22,250
4% of total mammal biomass, while increasing

947
00:43:22,250 --> 00:43:26,790
livestock biomass to more than 60% of

948
00:43:26,790 --> 00:43:28,350
total mammal biomass.

949
00:43:28,990 --> 00:43:32,150
At the rate we're destroying wildlife, it's very

950
00:43:32,150 --> 00:43:35,410
possible we'll have no wildlife except in zoos

951
00:43:35,410 --> 00:43:37,290
within a decade.

952
00:43:37,870 --> 00:43:40,030
That's what the World Wildlife Fund is saying.

953
00:43:40,030 --> 00:43:43,050
That's how quickly we're decimating wildlife in the

954
00:43:43,050 --> 00:43:45,890
Amazon and development.

955
00:43:46,650 --> 00:43:49,690
Amazon for cattle grazing, to grow crops to

956
00:43:49,690 --> 00:43:52,090
feed the 80 plus billion animals we kill

957
00:43:52,090 --> 00:43:52,630
every year.

958
00:43:53,770 --> 00:43:56,310
That's the football fields every couple of minutes

959
00:43:56,310 --> 00:43:57,330
that they're destroying.

960
00:43:58,470 --> 00:44:02,070
And so wildlife is already under assault.

961
00:44:02,570 --> 00:44:04,150
This isn't happening in a vacuum.

962
00:44:04,310 --> 00:44:07,350
This is happening in the context of the

963
00:44:07,350 --> 00:44:08,950
sixth mass extinction.

964
00:44:08,950 --> 00:44:11,650
And honestly, I think you have to just

965
00:44:11,650 --> 00:44:12,990
be a little bit stupid.

966
00:44:13,410 --> 00:44:15,730
I hate to say it, not to see

967
00:44:15,730 --> 00:44:19,910
that when wildlife is already under assault from

968
00:44:19,910 --> 00:44:24,350
development projects like the quote unquote restoration that

969
00:44:24,350 --> 00:44:27,110
is a bulldozing of the entire Biona wetlands

970
00:44:27,110 --> 00:44:30,690
over more than nine years at a cost

971
00:44:30,690 --> 00:44:32,250
of hundreds of millions of dollars.

972
00:44:32,850 --> 00:44:34,770
That's an assault on wildlife.

973
00:44:35,490 --> 00:44:37,410
Say goodbye to those wild animals.

974
00:44:38,030 --> 00:44:42,490
And then you have the fireworks basically dropping

975
00:44:42,490 --> 00:44:45,070
bombs on them as they perceive that.

976
00:44:45,850 --> 00:44:48,510
I mean, what are we as a culture

977
00:44:48,510 --> 00:44:51,670
that we think this is okay and good

978
00:44:51,670 --> 00:44:52,670
family fun?

979
00:44:52,890 --> 00:44:54,790
And then you add on to it, 10

980
00:44:54,790 --> 00:44:57,830
people were killed in California alone, including an

981
00:44:57,830 --> 00:45:00,710
eight year old girl as a result of

982
00:45:00,710 --> 00:45:01,410
fireworks.

983
00:45:02,150 --> 00:45:06,190
Um, that's why we're holding an emergency town

984
00:45:06,190 --> 00:45:08,630
hall, because this is a crisis.

985
00:45:08,990 --> 00:45:11,110
This is not business as usual.

986
00:45:11,450 --> 00:45:14,130
I want to go to the California Coastal

987
00:45:14,130 --> 00:45:18,570
Commission, and I want to applaud what one

988
00:45:18,570 --> 00:45:19,750
of the commissioners said.

989
00:45:19,850 --> 00:45:23,470
She spoke first, and then another commissioner spoke,

990
00:45:24,110 --> 00:45:25,890
and I believe she covered all bases.

991
00:45:26,230 --> 00:45:28,150
Like she's against it, but she's for it,

992
00:45:28,170 --> 00:45:30,910
but it's terrible, but let's make it better.

993
00:45:30,910 --> 00:45:31,790
I don't know.

994
00:45:31,910 --> 00:45:33,510
We'll discuss it on the other side.

995
00:45:34,730 --> 00:45:35,830
Listen to this.

996
00:45:36,010 --> 00:45:38,730
This is after all of us testified against

997
00:45:38,730 --> 00:45:43,050
approving the Capitola fireworks, and they proceeded to

998
00:45:43,050 --> 00:45:43,570
approve it.

999
00:45:43,590 --> 00:45:45,610
But this is what they said prior to

1000
00:45:45,610 --> 00:45:46,270
making that vote.

1001
00:45:46,390 --> 00:45:48,730
But I would like to see us move

1002
00:45:48,730 --> 00:45:50,250
away from these where we can.

1003
00:45:50,370 --> 00:45:53,250
I think that technology of drones is bringing

1004
00:45:53,250 --> 00:45:56,870
the price down, and I've certainly seen more

1005
00:45:56,870 --> 00:46:00,070
and more wow factors, not a bad thing,

1006
00:46:00,170 --> 00:46:03,530
and they are pretty impressive, the drone shows.

1007
00:46:04,150 --> 00:46:06,990
So I hope that, you know, I don't

1008
00:46:06,990 --> 00:46:08,450
think we need to have one size fits

1009
00:46:08,450 --> 00:46:12,510
all on the coast, but as we move

1010
00:46:12,510 --> 00:46:15,290
towards, as the technology improves, I'd like to

1011
00:46:15,290 --> 00:46:18,410
see more of the drone proposals.

1012
00:46:19,690 --> 00:46:23,970
Our local jurisdiction in Sonoma County did realize

1013
00:46:23,970 --> 00:46:26,330
that the cost is still quite prohibitive to

1014
00:46:26,330 --> 00:46:28,830
transition to a drone show, and so we

1015
00:46:28,830 --> 00:46:32,770
ultimately decided to stay with our fireworks display,

1016
00:46:32,870 --> 00:46:35,730
which was under $50,000, and to transition

1017
00:46:35,730 --> 00:46:37,730
to drone at this time would have been

1018
00:46:37,730 --> 00:46:40,410
over $150,000, so more than triple the

1019
00:46:40,410 --> 00:46:43,870
cost for our local jurisdiction, and also just

1020
00:46:43,870 --> 00:46:45,610
to note that actually it was the veterans

1021
00:46:45,610 --> 00:46:48,150
groups who were the most vocal in asking

1022
00:46:48,150 --> 00:46:49,550
us to keep the fireworks.

1023
00:46:49,850 --> 00:46:51,950
It was a 4th of July display, and

1024
00:46:51,950 --> 00:46:54,530
so just some interesting nuance to the conversation

1025
00:46:54,530 --> 00:46:56,590
that I'd add, and we've also seen some

1026
00:46:56,590 --> 00:46:59,510
really incredible drone shows in our region in

1027
00:46:59,510 --> 00:47:00,170
Northern California.

1028
00:47:00,310 --> 00:47:01,870
We'd love to see more of those, and

1029
00:47:01,870 --> 00:47:03,790
I wanted to second the comments by Commissioner

1030
00:47:03,790 --> 00:47:05,970
Wilson in just that if we can reach

1031
00:47:05,970 --> 00:47:09,510
out to our partners in the legislature to

1032
00:47:09,510 --> 00:47:12,250
ask them to look at environmental concerns around

1033
00:47:12,250 --> 00:47:15,010
fireworks, obviously the loss of lives at the

1034
00:47:15,010 --> 00:47:18,770
fireworks storage facility in Northern California should not

1035
00:47:18,770 --> 00:47:19,470
go unmentioned.

1036
00:47:19,930 --> 00:47:23,450
That was a truly tragic incident, which is

1037
00:47:23,450 --> 00:47:27,950
still under investigation, but we know that obviously

1038
00:47:27,950 --> 00:47:29,850
the storage of fireworks as well as the

1039
00:47:29,850 --> 00:47:32,230
environmental concerns and some of the ingredients that

1040
00:47:32,230 --> 00:47:34,610
are used in the creation of these can

1041
00:47:34,610 --> 00:47:36,070
certainly be improved upon.

1042
00:47:36,510 --> 00:47:38,450
We should never just rest on our laurels,

1043
00:47:38,570 --> 00:47:39,810
especially when lives are lost.

1044
00:47:41,090 --> 00:47:41,690
Wow.

1045
00:47:43,410 --> 00:47:46,310
I had to laugh because she's a really

1046
00:47:46,310 --> 00:47:46,870
good politician.

1047
00:47:47,030 --> 00:47:47,870
She covered everybody.

1048
00:47:47,870 --> 00:47:50,630
If you're for them, if you're against them,

1049
00:47:50,690 --> 00:47:52,570
if you're a veteran, first of all, I'd

1050
00:47:52,570 --> 00:47:56,510
like to point out that the Veterans Administration

1051
00:47:56,510 --> 00:48:01,950
issues warnings when fireworks don't feel like freedom,

1052
00:48:02,130 --> 00:48:06,730
PTSD awareness and coping during Independence Day, and

1053
00:48:06,730 --> 00:48:09,970
it talks about all the ways intense reactions

1054
00:48:09,970 --> 00:48:14,630
to loud noises, feeling jumpy, emotionally detached, flashbacks

1055
00:48:14,630 --> 00:48:17,710
that make past trauma feel immediate, feeling unable

1056
00:48:17,710 --> 00:48:20,570
to control surroundings, resorting to alcohol or drugs

1057
00:48:20,570 --> 00:48:22,190
to dull, unwanted memories.

1058
00:48:22,850 --> 00:48:26,070
Oh, yeah, that's really popular amongst the veterans.

1059
00:48:26,570 --> 00:48:30,670
I mean, you can get somebody to say

1060
00:48:30,670 --> 00:48:34,470
anything about anybody, about anything, right?

1061
00:48:35,090 --> 00:48:37,330
I mean, you can find somebody to endorse

1062
00:48:37,330 --> 00:48:40,390
your position within a certain group, right?

1063
00:48:40,710 --> 00:48:42,330
That's how it works.

1064
00:48:43,130 --> 00:48:46,170
But I did want to compliment Anne Nothoff

1065
00:48:46,170 --> 00:48:49,170
because I think, Marcia, that was a very

1066
00:48:49,170 --> 00:48:50,170
brave comment.

1067
00:48:50,370 --> 00:48:52,570
Even though it seemed sort of milquetoast, it

1068
00:48:52,570 --> 00:48:55,070
was actually very brave for her to sort

1069
00:48:55,070 --> 00:48:57,550
of buck the trend and say, you know

1070
00:48:57,550 --> 00:48:57,830
what?

1071
00:48:57,870 --> 00:49:00,630
Maybe we got to start looking at these

1072
00:49:00,630 --> 00:49:01,290
drone shows.

1073
00:49:03,790 --> 00:49:08,890
Yeah, I think that Anne Nothoff, she used

1074
00:49:08,890 --> 00:49:11,470
to work for the Natural Resources Defense Council,

1075
00:49:11,470 --> 00:49:13,970
so she was an advocate for the environment

1076
00:49:13,970 --> 00:49:16,970
for many years in Sacramento, and now she

1077
00:49:16,970 --> 00:49:19,850
has been appointed to the Coastal Commission.

1078
00:49:20,670 --> 00:49:25,430
And so it's great that she acknowledged that

1079
00:49:25,430 --> 00:49:27,950
maybe we really shouldn't be, we should be

1080
00:49:27,950 --> 00:49:29,210
looking at something else.

1081
00:49:29,370 --> 00:49:32,650
And this is a real sea change, very

1082
00:49:32,650 --> 00:49:35,750
different than what I was hearing 20 years

1083
00:49:35,750 --> 00:49:35,990
ago.

1084
00:49:35,990 --> 00:49:38,750
I would barely even admit to a neighbor

1085
00:49:38,750 --> 00:49:41,710
that I was concerned about the fireworks, whereas

1086
00:49:41,710 --> 00:49:44,790
now I think more there's just, because we're

1087
00:49:44,790 --> 00:49:47,470
so connected by social media, I think there's

1088
00:49:47,470 --> 00:49:51,210
more and more acknowledgement that there is a

1089
00:49:51,210 --> 00:49:51,650
concern.

1090
00:49:52,130 --> 00:49:54,210
And I just want to say also, you

1091
00:49:54,210 --> 00:49:58,070
brought up the mass extinction, Jane, and that's

1092
00:49:58,070 --> 00:49:58,810
so important.

1093
00:49:59,260 --> 00:50:02,050
And we here in Los Angeles, in Southern

1094
00:50:02,050 --> 00:50:04,890
California, we are in the middle of the

1095
00:50:04,890 --> 00:50:05,870
Pacific Flyway.

1096
00:50:06,030 --> 00:50:09,770
There are birds that fly through here and

1097
00:50:09,770 --> 00:50:12,870
to here that come all the way from

1098
00:50:12,870 --> 00:50:16,250
the Arctic Circle, all the way from Chile

1099
00:50:16,250 --> 00:50:17,930
to the South.

1100
00:50:18,770 --> 00:50:22,530
There's different migration pathways that they come and

1101
00:50:22,530 --> 00:50:26,090
go on, and our wetlands, our coastal areas

1102
00:50:26,090 --> 00:50:29,550
are essential stopping places for them.

1103
00:50:30,270 --> 00:50:32,970
And so when the buffalo had ducks, for

1104
00:50:32,970 --> 00:50:35,250
instance, they come here, a couple hundred of

1105
00:50:35,250 --> 00:50:36,150
them every year.

1106
00:50:36,450 --> 00:50:38,710
They come from Canada, from the lakes in

1107
00:50:38,710 --> 00:50:41,930
Canada where they're born, and we saw them

1108
00:50:41,930 --> 00:50:44,390
on New Year's Eve when the fireworks went

1109
00:50:44,390 --> 00:50:44,710
off.

1110
00:50:44,950 --> 00:50:47,850
They were just flying around like they were

1111
00:50:47,850 --> 00:50:48,990
out of their minds.

1112
00:50:48,990 --> 00:50:51,850
It was so, you could see the fear,

1113
00:50:52,290 --> 00:50:55,430
and it was one of the biggest shocks

1114
00:50:55,430 --> 00:50:58,230
to me to wake me up when I

1115
00:50:58,230 --> 00:50:59,150
first saw that.

1116
00:50:59,650 --> 00:51:02,090
And we don't even know, because as you

1117
00:51:02,090 --> 00:51:04,190
say, the biologists aren't out there.

1118
00:51:04,510 --> 00:51:07,610
We have one naturalist, Jonathan Coffin, who is

1119
00:51:07,610 --> 00:51:10,090
out there every year, and he has picked

1120
00:51:10,090 --> 00:51:12,870
up and brought many, many birds to the

1121
00:51:12,870 --> 00:51:15,630
rehab facilities that were talked about earlier.

1122
00:51:16,030 --> 00:51:19,710
So we really do need more, we need

1123
00:51:19,710 --> 00:51:22,510
some more science, or we just need to

1124
00:51:22,510 --> 00:51:26,190
start telling our politician leaders that we don't

1125
00:51:26,190 --> 00:51:27,110
want this anymore.

1126
00:51:27,730 --> 00:51:31,650
Yeah, but I guess what I'm saying is

1127
00:51:31,650 --> 00:51:36,510
that I've attended so many, California Coastal Commission,

1128
00:51:36,750 --> 00:51:40,910
Coastal Conservancy, and various other meetings, that I

1129
00:51:40,910 --> 00:51:43,890
realize everybody marches in lockstep.

1130
00:51:43,890 --> 00:51:45,950
They're all kind of, correct me if I'm

1131
00:51:45,950 --> 00:51:48,590
wrong, okay, because you're the experts, but my

1132
00:51:48,590 --> 00:51:51,690
observation is they're all appointed, everybody kind of

1133
00:51:51,690 --> 00:51:53,570
knows which way the wind's blowing as far

1134
00:51:53,570 --> 00:51:57,830
as politically smart, and people feel like if

1135
00:51:57,830 --> 00:52:00,170
they step out, they're taking a risk.

1136
00:52:01,930 --> 00:52:04,150
And yet, that's what we need these folks

1137
00:52:04,150 --> 00:52:04,610
to do.

1138
00:52:04,750 --> 00:52:08,930
It's the California Coastal Commission, not the California

1139
00:52:08,930 --> 00:52:10,110
Fireworks Commission.

1140
00:52:10,830 --> 00:52:13,750
I want to do a round robin, we're

1141
00:52:13,750 --> 00:52:15,390
just about at the end of our hour,

1142
00:52:15,590 --> 00:52:18,090
I hope this has been informative to people.

1143
00:52:18,370 --> 00:52:20,810
If you're upset about this, as I am,

1144
00:52:21,170 --> 00:52:25,090
just sign this petition right now, bit.ly

1145
00:52:25,090 --> 00:52:29,430
forward slash stop fireworks, and we are going

1146
00:52:29,430 --> 00:52:33,850
to effort, Marsha Hanscom created the, she created

1147
00:52:33,850 --> 00:52:35,770
this petition, we're going to effort taking it

1148
00:52:35,770 --> 00:52:38,610
to some movers and shakers, people who can

1149
00:52:38,610 --> 00:52:39,370
make these decisions.

1150
00:52:39,370 --> 00:52:41,510
I want to say one other thing, this

1151
00:52:41,510 --> 00:52:46,550
idea that, oh, it's so expensive, you know

1152
00:52:46,550 --> 00:52:46,910
what?

1153
00:52:47,210 --> 00:52:50,010
When you see the wild amounts of money

1154
00:52:50,010 --> 00:52:54,610
that local and federal governments spend on very

1155
00:52:54,610 --> 00:52:59,710
questionable projects, the idea that California, the fourth

1156
00:52:59,710 --> 00:53:02,130
largest economy in the world, can't get together

1157
00:53:02,130 --> 00:53:04,990
and figure out a way to maybe achieve

1158
00:53:04,990 --> 00:53:07,890
economies of scale by having several cities get

1159
00:53:07,890 --> 00:53:11,010
together and saying, hey, we'll make a deal,

1160
00:53:11,370 --> 00:53:14,850
we'll put it in Capitola, I'm talking about

1161
00:53:14,850 --> 00:53:16,710
the drone shows, we'll put it in Capitola,

1162
00:53:16,790 --> 00:53:17,950
we'll put it in Long Beach, we'll put

1163
00:53:17,950 --> 00:53:19,530
it in Marina Del Rey, we'll do 4th

1164
00:53:19,530 --> 00:53:21,690
of July, we'll do Christmas, let's make a

1165
00:53:21,690 --> 00:53:25,030
deal and we can lower the price using

1166
00:53:25,030 --> 00:53:26,190
economies of scale.

1167
00:53:26,870 --> 00:53:29,930
I don't think the idea that these are

1168
00:53:29,930 --> 00:53:32,990
a little bit more expensive now should be

1169
00:53:32,990 --> 00:53:38,130
the defining issue when fireworks kill 10 people,

1170
00:53:38,730 --> 00:53:42,450
when fireworks are traumatizing citizens who have pets,

1171
00:53:42,590 --> 00:53:46,050
which is a huge percentage of the voters,

1172
00:53:46,610 --> 00:53:50,530
when we're destroying wildlife, where we're poisoning our

1173
00:53:50,530 --> 00:53:51,790
waters and our oceans.

1174
00:53:54,270 --> 00:53:57,330
I want to get Natalie, because you're deep

1175
00:53:57,330 --> 00:53:58,950
in the politics of this in that you've

1176
00:53:58,950 --> 00:53:59,610
been to court.

1177
00:54:00,150 --> 00:54:02,530
Do you think something like that could be

1178
00:54:02,530 --> 00:54:04,890
achieved, a deal?

1179
00:54:05,210 --> 00:54:07,510
We get these companies together and say, let's

1180
00:54:07,510 --> 00:54:09,030
do it for up and down the state.

1181
00:54:11,140 --> 00:54:13,300
I will say that the courtroom doesn't have

1182
00:54:13,300 --> 00:54:16,600
a lot of impact on something like that.

1183
00:54:17,000 --> 00:54:19,960
But what I also will say is that,

1184
00:54:20,420 --> 00:54:21,120
well, a couple of things.

1185
00:54:21,220 --> 00:54:24,520
One, drone shows are not necessarily more expensive.

1186
00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:25,740
Fireworks are expensive.

1187
00:54:26,660 --> 00:54:29,760
Getting a barge out there, having thousands of

1188
00:54:29,760 --> 00:54:32,680
tons of explosives, all of the hazardous life

1189
00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:35,240
cycle of the explosives, it adds up.

1190
00:54:36,340 --> 00:54:40,580
Secondly, someplace like SeaWorld that's doing 150 shows

1191
00:54:40,580 --> 00:54:44,240
per year, it would actually probably be cheaper

1192
00:54:44,240 --> 00:54:48,660
for them to buy one-time drones and

1193
00:54:48,660 --> 00:54:50,980
be able to shoot those off continuously, right?

1194
00:54:50,980 --> 00:54:53,320
So each show is using the same drone,

1195
00:54:53,540 --> 00:54:57,380
and you're not buying new fireworks every single

1196
00:54:57,380 --> 00:54:59,140
time that you want to launch fireworks.

1197
00:54:59,380 --> 00:55:01,000
So over time, it would be cheaper.

1198
00:55:01,900 --> 00:55:06,520
And in terms of economies of scale and

1199
00:55:06,520 --> 00:55:10,180
cities getting together, I can't comment on that.

1200
00:55:10,220 --> 00:55:13,660
But if a city, an individual city, is

1201
00:55:13,660 --> 00:55:16,140
using the same contractor for all of its

1202
00:55:16,140 --> 00:55:20,040
celebrations, they could probably, on micro economies of

1203
00:55:20,040 --> 00:55:21,400
scale, do it that way.

1204
00:55:22,020 --> 00:55:26,400
There might be some issues with cities getting

1205
00:55:26,400 --> 00:55:27,020
together.

1206
00:55:28,120 --> 00:55:30,440
They all have their different ordinances and their

1207
00:55:30,440 --> 00:55:32,660
different policies at play.

1208
00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:34,680
So that's my first thought there.

1209
00:55:35,520 --> 00:55:37,460
I think what you're saying is brilliant.

1210
00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:40,560
What you said is you got to buy

1211
00:55:40,560 --> 00:55:41,920
fireworks every year.

1212
00:55:41,920 --> 00:55:45,040
If you get the drone package, you could

1213
00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:48,180
have those over and over again.

1214
00:55:48,380 --> 00:55:53,760
They do not disappear the way fireworks do.

1215
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:57,360
Disappear in terms of just crumbling into the

1216
00:55:57,360 --> 00:55:59,960
ocean and then poisoning our ocean.

1217
00:56:00,160 --> 00:56:00,600
All right.

1218
00:56:00,680 --> 00:56:02,040
I want to get final thoughts.

1219
00:56:03,040 --> 00:56:05,220
Why don't we start with you, Roy, your

1220
00:56:05,220 --> 00:56:07,420
final thoughts as we wrap up this very

1221
00:56:07,420 --> 00:56:10,560
important hour, speaking for voiceless animals who cannot

1222
00:56:10,560 --> 00:56:11,580
speak for themselves.

1223
00:56:13,640 --> 00:56:14,200
Okay.

1224
00:56:14,340 --> 00:56:16,560
We could say we need more animal whisperers,

1225
00:56:16,680 --> 00:56:18,820
scientists that are experts in this.

1226
00:56:18,860 --> 00:56:20,560
This is an animal behavior.

1227
00:56:21,300 --> 00:56:23,680
There's a lot of good people there.

1228
00:56:24,180 --> 00:56:26,940
This idea that you can just do an

1229
00:56:26,940 --> 00:56:29,640
environmental economics, which I've dappled in a little

1230
00:56:29,640 --> 00:56:31,760
bit when brought in as a scientist to

1231
00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:32,960
that field of an economics.

1232
00:56:33,660 --> 00:56:36,680
You can't just do a simple cost of

1233
00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:39,020
the fireworks versus the drone.

1234
00:56:39,020 --> 00:56:41,640
You have to do a cost benefit analysis

1235
00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:45,140
and look at other tangential costs that happen

1236
00:56:45,140 --> 00:56:47,480
afterwards, like the water pollution, the air pollution,

1237
00:56:48,200 --> 00:56:50,640
the noise pollution, doctors, people bringing their pets

1238
00:56:50,640 --> 00:56:54,220
to veterinarians, the cost to the International Wildlife

1239
00:56:54,220 --> 00:56:56,300
Rescue Center, other places.

1240
00:56:56,960 --> 00:56:59,600
If you add up all those other kinds

1241
00:56:59,600 --> 00:57:03,540
of costs and a true genuine cost benefit

1242
00:57:03,540 --> 00:57:06,860
analysis, I think there's no unquestionable that drones

1243
00:57:06,860 --> 00:57:09,360
are going to be the big winner.

1244
00:57:10,360 --> 00:57:15,060
Actually, that really needs to be done.

1245
00:57:16,460 --> 00:57:18,860
Can I just say, love nature is important.

1246
00:57:19,900 --> 00:57:22,840
All right, Christina Koo, your thoughts, your final

1247
00:57:22,840 --> 00:57:23,280
thoughts.

1248
00:57:24,240 --> 00:57:24,640
Yes.

1249
00:57:25,000 --> 00:57:28,640
I actually personally feel like the situation can

1250
00:57:28,640 --> 00:57:31,480
make some headway with some of the business

1251
00:57:31,480 --> 00:57:34,060
deals that can be done with these drone

1252
00:57:34,060 --> 00:57:36,780
companies to really meet with them and look

1253
00:57:36,780 --> 00:57:37,440
at the figures.

1254
00:57:37,660 --> 00:57:40,300
I don't think we've explored that as much

1255
00:57:40,300 --> 00:57:40,620
yet.

1256
00:57:40,920 --> 00:57:42,520
I'm personally curious to do that.

1257
00:57:43,020 --> 00:57:45,980
We can get subsidies for some of these

1258
00:57:45,980 --> 00:57:51,320
drone shows by wildlife experts or protectors and

1259
00:57:52,020 --> 00:57:55,600
philanthropists to do some trials and tests at

1260
00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:58,140
certain areas, testing out these drones.

1261
00:57:58,140 --> 00:58:00,160
I really think it can come down to

1262
00:58:00,160 --> 00:58:02,900
business deals being made and bypass the courts

1263
00:58:02,900 --> 00:58:05,920
and all the government agencies and regulations that

1264
00:58:05,920 --> 00:58:09,200
may take years and don't seem to have

1265
00:58:09,200 --> 00:58:12,180
a system that is right now really advantageous

1266
00:58:12,180 --> 00:58:14,280
to banning these fireworks.

1267
00:58:14,940 --> 00:58:17,540
I don't think we can wait till 2028.

1268
00:58:17,900 --> 00:58:20,020
I don't want to wait till 2028.

1269
00:58:20,100 --> 00:58:22,120
I don't want to ever see fireworks here.

1270
00:58:22,220 --> 00:58:23,660
I know I speak for a lot of

1271
00:58:23,660 --> 00:58:24,620
my neighbors.

1272
00:58:25,240 --> 00:58:27,000
Anne Cantrell, final thought.

1273
00:58:28,140 --> 00:58:30,200
I'd like to address the cost.

1274
00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:36,380
The Los Rios Wetlands Land Trust contacted a

1275
00:58:36,380 --> 00:58:39,720
drone show operator in San Diego, Jeff Stein,

1276
00:58:40,060 --> 00:58:44,380
and got him to come up and give

1277
00:58:44,380 --> 00:58:51,280
the Big Bang on the Bay an estimate

1278
00:58:51,280 --> 00:58:55,300
of doing a drone show instead of fireworks

1279
00:58:55,300 --> 00:58:57,400
on July 4th.

1280
00:58:58,720 --> 00:59:01,300
They would be able to do a 15

1281
00:59:01,300 --> 00:59:04,860
-minute drone show for $60,000.

1282
00:59:07,080 --> 00:59:14,260
We understood that fireworks cost $40,000 for

1283
00:59:14,260 --> 00:59:17,580
this show, but they also had all the

1284
00:59:17,580 --> 00:59:22,200
costs of hiring biologists before and after the

1285
00:59:22,200 --> 00:59:22,480
show.

1286
00:59:22,580 --> 00:59:26,480
They had to get permits from various agencies.

1287
00:59:26,480 --> 00:59:31,920
They had divers go in after the show

1288
00:59:31,920 --> 00:59:35,620
to clean up the trash in the water

1289
00:59:35,620 --> 00:59:38,300
and clean up the trash on the land.

1290
00:59:38,920 --> 00:59:44,500
So as Roy said, this cost-benefit analysis,

1291
00:59:45,560 --> 00:59:48,800
I'm sure that drone shows would, if not

1292
00:59:48,800 --> 00:59:53,680
be cheaper, they would be as comparable to

1293
00:59:53,680 --> 00:59:56,020
what fireworks still cost.

1294
01:00:01,250 --> 01:00:02,010
The sound.

1295
01:00:05,900 --> 01:00:06,860
Your final thought.

1296
01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:10,080
Are you asking me?

1297
01:00:10,300 --> 01:00:11,100
Yes, Anna.

1298
01:00:11,220 --> 01:00:11,500
Sorry.

1299
01:00:11,700 --> 01:00:16,880
Well, I can't let this pass without mentioning

1300
01:00:16,880 --> 01:00:22,920
settler colonialism and the attitude that the people

1301
01:00:22,920 --> 01:00:27,160
who came here from other places have decided

1302
01:00:27,160 --> 01:00:29,680
that they are now in charge of both

1303
01:00:29,680 --> 01:00:32,100
the past, the present, and the future at

1304
01:00:32,100 --> 01:00:33,200
the expense of the planet.

1305
01:00:33,760 --> 01:00:36,260
Maybe it's birdwalking, but when you bring up

1306
01:00:36,260 --> 01:00:40,360
the sixth great extinction, we know that this

1307
01:00:40,360 --> 01:00:41,060
is our future.

1308
01:00:41,380 --> 01:00:44,820
If not personally, it's our species' future.

1309
01:00:45,400 --> 01:00:46,640
It's the planet's future.

1310
01:00:47,120 --> 01:00:49,560
Is this the future we ask, we want?

1311
01:00:49,640 --> 01:00:52,140
When you think about tribal people, indigenous people

1312
01:00:52,140 --> 01:00:54,200
all over the world talking about seven generations,

1313
01:00:54,760 --> 01:00:57,020
thinking about what your decision today means for

1314
01:00:57,020 --> 01:00:59,540
seven generations, we're not thinking like that.

1315
01:00:59,660 --> 01:01:01,120
We not only have to stop fireworks.

1316
01:01:01,120 --> 01:01:04,200
We have to stop a settler mentality that

1317
01:01:04,200 --> 01:01:07,920
is so overwhelmingly arrogant that it leads to

1318
01:01:07,920 --> 01:01:09,000
the destruction of all.

1319
01:01:09,180 --> 01:01:10,040
We just don't have that.

1320
01:01:10,220 --> 01:01:13,120
We don't have that right as human beings

1321
01:01:13,120 --> 01:01:16,860
to destroy this world, this beautiful world that

1322
01:01:16,860 --> 01:01:18,060
creator has given us.

1323
01:01:18,140 --> 01:01:21,040
So I would ask all these people to

1324
01:01:21,040 --> 01:01:24,620
contact agencies and ask for some accountability to

1325
01:01:24,620 --> 01:01:26,880
the seventh generation in the future.

1326
01:01:27,020 --> 01:01:27,420
Thank you.

1327
01:01:28,340 --> 01:01:29,680
I love that.

1328
01:01:29,680 --> 01:01:34,200
Somebody was texting or posting, can anyone sign?

1329
01:01:34,340 --> 01:01:34,600
Yes.

1330
01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:36,600
This planet belongs to all of us.

1331
01:01:36,660 --> 01:01:38,400
If you're in Chicago, you can sign.

1332
01:01:38,980 --> 01:01:41,340
We're trying to stop the fireworks to save

1333
01:01:41,340 --> 01:01:44,340
species that can fly.

1334
01:01:44,940 --> 01:01:48,820
So they don't know state boundaries or municipal

1335
01:01:48,820 --> 01:01:49,600
boundaries.

1336
01:01:50,180 --> 01:01:50,720
All right.

1337
01:01:50,900 --> 01:01:51,640
Final thought.

1338
01:01:51,760 --> 01:01:52,560
Marsha Hanscom.

1339
01:01:55,800 --> 01:01:59,300
Everybody, everyone here needs to sign this petition.

1340
01:01:59,910 --> 01:02:03,260
They're talking about using these fireworks to draw

1341
01:02:03,260 --> 01:02:05,360
in tourists from around the world.

1342
01:02:05,560 --> 01:02:09,080
So everyone is a stakeholder.

1343
01:02:10,200 --> 01:02:12,600
And I also want to say what I

1344
01:02:12,600 --> 01:02:15,260
say to every activist that I try to

1345
01:02:15,260 --> 01:02:17,500
get involved with things like this, and that

1346
01:02:17,500 --> 01:02:21,300
is constant pressure endlessly applied.

1347
01:02:21,920 --> 01:02:23,040
Keep going back.

1348
01:02:23,220 --> 01:02:26,500
Keep going back to the officials and speaking

1349
01:02:26,500 --> 01:02:28,920
during public comment, because that is what is

1350
01:02:28,920 --> 01:02:31,940
moving the needle and getting people like Ann

1351
01:02:31,940 --> 01:02:34,220
Nodoff to be able to have the courage

1352
01:02:34,220 --> 01:02:36,540
that she did to say what she said.

1353
01:02:37,520 --> 01:02:39,900
Well, you know, I have to bring up

1354
01:02:39,900 --> 01:02:40,780
a point here.

1355
01:02:42,520 --> 01:02:44,240
They didn't want comment.

1356
01:02:45,000 --> 01:02:47,760
They said that this was, what do they

1357
01:02:47,760 --> 01:02:48,080
call it?

1358
01:02:48,080 --> 01:02:49,020
Upon consent?

1359
01:02:49,540 --> 01:02:49,940
Yes.

1360
01:02:50,640 --> 01:02:50,960
Okay.

1361
01:02:51,140 --> 01:02:54,580
So when we waited hours to comment, it

1362
01:02:54,580 --> 01:02:57,100
was announced during the meeting, oh, there's no

1363
01:02:57,100 --> 01:02:58,060
need for public comment.

1364
01:02:58,060 --> 01:03:02,440
And you spoke and said, Marsha, you said,

1365
01:03:02,700 --> 01:03:04,780
there's all these people lined up to comment

1366
01:03:04,780 --> 01:03:07,320
about this fireworks issue, and you can't say

1367
01:03:07,320 --> 01:03:09,340
that it's going to go straight to consent

1368
01:03:09,900 --> 01:03:11,680
when there's all these people lined up.

1369
01:03:12,260 --> 01:03:14,100
Thank God for you, because we might not

1370
01:03:14,100 --> 01:03:16,700
have even had the opportunity to speak had

1371
01:03:16,700 --> 01:03:19,820
you not kind of thrown a little wrench

1372
01:03:19,820 --> 01:03:20,820
in their plans.

1373
01:03:21,220 --> 01:03:23,180
And we see this all the time.

1374
01:03:23,280 --> 01:03:25,500
I just want to tell you, I'm relatively

1375
01:03:25,500 --> 01:03:27,360
new to this, like eight years I've been

1376
01:03:27,360 --> 01:03:28,300
attending these hearings.

1377
01:03:28,900 --> 01:03:31,360
But Marsha has been attending them and Roy

1378
01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:33,100
and all of you for a lot longer.

1379
01:03:33,440 --> 01:03:36,020
And I am shocked, shocked at the games

1380
01:03:36,020 --> 01:03:36,580
they play.

1381
01:03:37,380 --> 01:03:40,000
Moving the item that they know is controversial

1382
01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:44,780
back to like after lunch, knowing that people

1383
01:03:44,780 --> 01:03:45,920
can't wait around all day.

1384
01:03:46,220 --> 01:03:48,320
Then when you've prepared, oh, a two minute

1385
01:03:48,320 --> 01:03:50,940
speech, oh, no, we're going to give you

1386
01:03:50,940 --> 01:03:51,640
one minute each.

1387
01:03:51,640 --> 01:03:55,160
I mean, there's a lot of games that

1388
01:03:55,160 --> 01:03:58,320
are played that I've personally observed to try

1389
01:03:58,320 --> 01:04:00,120
to keep people quiet.

1390
01:04:00,460 --> 01:04:02,320
And, you know, we've done an end run.

1391
01:04:02,400 --> 01:04:04,860
I mean, I have spent many hours waiting

1392
01:04:04,860 --> 01:04:06,880
to do my little two minutes that becomes

1393
01:04:06,880 --> 01:04:09,520
one minute on one computer while I'm working

1394
01:04:09,520 --> 01:04:12,420
on a second computer monitoring it, because I

1395
01:04:12,420 --> 01:04:14,580
think it's that important because the animals cannot

1396
01:04:14,580 --> 01:04:15,540
speak for themselves.

1397
01:04:16,040 --> 01:04:18,580
But that's something that's got to go.

1398
01:04:18,580 --> 01:04:21,880
I mean, we're hip to those tricks and

1399
01:04:21,880 --> 01:04:24,260
it's not going to work.

1400
01:04:24,300 --> 01:04:29,200
Ultimately, it just really aggravates me even more

1401
01:04:29,200 --> 01:04:32,360
personally, speaking from a personal perspective there.

1402
01:04:32,960 --> 01:04:37,900
These agencies report to us ultimately, and that's

1403
01:04:37,900 --> 01:04:40,160
what I think they've forgotten to a certain

1404
01:04:40,160 --> 01:04:40,620
degree.

1405
01:04:41,540 --> 01:04:45,900
Nancy, I'm sorry, Natalie, your final thoughts as

1406
01:04:45,900 --> 01:04:47,700
an attorney who has had a lot of

1407
01:04:47,700 --> 01:04:48,880
success on this issue.

1408
01:04:50,360 --> 01:04:52,260
I think it goes hand in hand with

1409
01:04:52,260 --> 01:04:55,400
what you just said, which is when you

1410
01:04:55,400 --> 01:04:59,280
see evidence of fireworks, take pictures, whether it

1411
01:04:59,280 --> 01:05:00,960
be a bird washed up on the shore

1412
01:05:00,960 --> 01:05:03,680
after July 4th or fireworks debris washed up

1413
01:05:03,680 --> 01:05:06,100
on the shore, because we use that.

1414
01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:09,620
We use, you never know what might come

1415
01:05:09,620 --> 01:05:12,200
in handy as evidence in the courtroom or

1416
01:05:12,200 --> 01:05:16,080
as evidence to your policy makers to advocate

1417
01:05:16,080 --> 01:05:17,720
that they're violating the law or should not

1418
01:05:17,720 --> 01:05:18,800
be allowed to do something.

1419
01:05:19,300 --> 01:05:23,700
And to your point about transparency and Coastal

1420
01:05:23,700 --> 01:05:28,060
Commission or whoever, whatever agency, if something seems

1421
01:05:28,060 --> 01:05:32,500
fishy, report it to an attorney.

1422
01:05:32,720 --> 01:05:35,600
There might be, I don't think that sounds

1423
01:05:35,600 --> 01:05:38,720
illegal, but sometimes there's violations of the Brown

1424
01:05:38,720 --> 01:05:42,000
Act or violations of a Public Records Act

1425
01:05:42,000 --> 01:05:44,480
request that might be out there that govern

1426
01:05:44,480 --> 01:05:48,000
and require and hold these agencies accountable to

1427
01:05:48,000 --> 01:05:48,580
us.

1428
01:05:48,880 --> 01:05:51,240
So don't be afraid to ask a local

1429
01:05:51,240 --> 01:05:53,060
attorney if that was legal.

1430
01:05:53,200 --> 01:05:55,960
If something seems weird to you that a

1431
01:05:55,960 --> 01:05:58,240
local agency did, it might not be.

1432
01:05:59,360 --> 01:06:01,660
And same with other types of pollution, last

1433
01:06:01,660 --> 01:06:01,940
thought.

1434
01:06:02,580 --> 01:06:05,220
It's not just fireworks that are killing our

1435
01:06:05,220 --> 01:06:07,920
wetlands and our ecosystems and all of that.

1436
01:06:08,020 --> 01:06:10,420
So if you spot a source of pollution,

1437
01:06:10,740 --> 01:06:12,900
bring it up to a local non-profit

1438
01:06:12,900 --> 01:06:15,540
working in your area, and maybe they can

1439
01:06:15,540 --> 01:06:16,720
do something about it.

1440
01:06:17,120 --> 01:06:23,130
And final thought from Christina Koo, unmute.

1441
01:06:23,950 --> 01:06:25,750
Hi, yes.

1442
01:06:25,870 --> 01:06:29,330
So I still really firmly believe that we

1443
01:06:29,330 --> 01:06:34,350
can use other routes to end this situation,

1444
01:06:34,990 --> 01:06:37,350
which is through a lot of community education.

1445
01:06:37,850 --> 01:06:40,890
And we did that recently by actually going

1446
01:06:40,890 --> 01:06:45,550
to neighborhoods by the Bayona wetlands and actually

1447
01:06:45,550 --> 01:06:47,730
made a lot of good contacts, resources.

1448
01:06:48,110 --> 01:06:50,590
And we learned that folks are very supportive

1449
01:06:50,590 --> 01:06:53,790
of protecting the environment, the wetlands, and I

1450
01:06:53,790 --> 01:06:56,250
think they can assist with this whole fireworks

1451
01:06:56,250 --> 01:06:57,330
issues as well.

1452
01:06:57,590 --> 01:07:00,290
So I think with community efforts and individuals

1453
01:07:00,290 --> 01:07:03,390
and philanthropists and people who can donate to

1454
01:07:03,390 --> 01:07:06,470
these causes and working along with these new

1455
01:07:06,470 --> 01:07:10,050
drone companies, I think we just may be

1456
01:07:10,050 --> 01:07:11,210
making some progress.

1457
01:07:12,630 --> 01:07:14,690
I will say that there's always going to

1458
01:07:14,690 --> 01:07:18,330
be people who object to progress.

1459
01:07:18,770 --> 01:07:20,890
I think of that show, Downton Abbey, when

1460
01:07:20,890 --> 01:07:24,770
they brought in refrigerators or the ice box

1461
01:07:24,770 --> 01:07:29,050
or whatever, and Mrs. Patmore was very upset.

1462
01:07:29,230 --> 01:07:30,470
Well, what's going to happen now?

1463
01:07:30,470 --> 01:07:35,290
You know, it's just human nature that people

1464
01:07:35,290 --> 01:07:40,650
resist something that happens that is replacing something

1465
01:07:40,650 --> 01:07:42,150
that they're comfortable with.

1466
01:07:42,770 --> 01:07:49,310
But honestly, as just politics, even wildlife aside,

1467
01:07:49,630 --> 01:07:51,810
I'm so sick of these fireworks shows.

1468
01:07:52,090 --> 01:07:55,230
As a consumer, as if I were a

1469
01:07:55,230 --> 01:07:57,630
tourist or just a person wanting to be

1470
01:07:57,630 --> 01:08:00,430
entertained, I would find a drone show so

1471
01:08:00,430 --> 01:08:01,590
much more entertaining.

1472
01:08:02,070 --> 01:08:02,710
It's new.

1473
01:08:02,890 --> 01:08:03,330
It's different.

1474
01:08:03,610 --> 01:08:05,490
How many fireworks shows do I need to

1475
01:08:05,490 --> 01:08:06,370
see in my lifetime?

1476
01:08:07,630 --> 01:08:10,190
You know, so I think that there is

1477
01:08:10,190 --> 01:08:12,290
so much possibility here.

1478
01:08:12,410 --> 01:08:14,730
We have to open our minds and we

1479
01:08:14,730 --> 01:08:16,130
have to open our hearts.

1480
01:08:16,649 --> 01:08:19,189
And we have to, as Marcia said, be

1481
01:08:19,189 --> 01:08:22,910
relentless because these pelicans and egrets and cormorants

1482
01:08:22,910 --> 01:08:26,470
and white-tailed hawks and even the seagulls,

1483
01:08:26,510 --> 01:08:28,029
they cannot speak for themselves.

1484
01:08:28,029 --> 01:08:28,790
Okay?

1485
01:08:29,090 --> 01:08:31,569
We have to be their voice and we

1486
01:08:31,569 --> 01:08:33,390
are going to stay on top of this

1487
01:08:33,390 --> 01:08:33,790
issue.

1488
01:08:33,970 --> 01:08:36,210
So I want to thank everybody for joining

1489
01:08:36,210 --> 01:08:38,490
this emergency town hall.

1490
01:08:39,290 --> 01:08:41,310
We will stay on top of this issue.

1491
01:08:41,410 --> 01:08:42,790
This is not the end of it.

1492
01:08:42,930 --> 01:08:43,750
We'll keep you posted.

1493
01:08:54,170 --> 01:08:55,790
It's just a nightmare.

1494
01:09:21,910 --> 01:09:22,550
So that's it.

1495
01:09:22,870 --> 01:09:24,830
Okay, let's see if we're still on the

1496
01:09:24,830 --> 01:09:25,290
air or not.