A Fourth of July fireworks show that has delighted residents of Long Beach for more than 10 years and raised money for charity in the process has been canceled due to what officials claim are “environmental concerns.”
The California Coastal Commission has rejected an effort to keep the tradition going, Fox News reported Sunday.
Organizer John Morris told the outlet, “We’ve raised over the past 14 years $2 million for kids’ programs here in Long Beach.”
“This community pays for everything — everything. City fees — and the city doesn’t give us a break. We pay $20,000 to the city for police and fire, which I’m fine with, because there’s 100,000 people enjoying the fireworks,” he added.
“They get 40 nights in Mission Bay. All I’m asking for is 20 minutes — it doesn’t make any sense,” Morris said, referring to Sea World in Mission Bay, San Diego, per Fox News.
The commission reportedly warned Morris in 2025 that he would have to switch to drones for this year’s celebration, but one of the problems with that is it costs more money, according to ABC 7.
The organizer has estimated a drone display would require about 1,000 drones and the price tag would be around $200,000, while fireworks cost about $50,000, per KTLA.
Morris, who had hoped to do a special show this year for America’s 250th birthday, also pushed back on the commission’s environmental concerns, saying his group tests the water before and after the show, checks underwater for debris, and makes sure wildlife was safe.
“We’ve never had an issue. We’ve never been written up one time. So what is it really about?” he said.
After the “Big Bang on the Bay” was cancelled, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) office said it was investigating, stating, “This is NOT a decision the Governor made. Our office is looking into this matter on behalf of the people of Long Beach.”
Commission spokesman Joshua Smith told Fox that Morris was approved for a drone show. In addition, the outlet noted, “Smith confirmed that SeaWorld received a permit allowing 40 nights of fireworks. When pressed on the discrepancy, he reiterated that decisions are made individually and declined to provide further details.”
In 2024, the commission rejected Space Force plans for Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch satellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base because the governmental body did not approve of his politics, Breitbart News reported at the time.
“One commissioner claimed SpaceX should not be allowed to support the American military’s work in space because Musk has ‘aggressively injected himself into the presidential race,'” the outlet said.