Sonoma County residents divided over 'safe and sane' fireworks
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Who would expect an argument about July 4th fireworks? In fire-scarred Sonoma County, they have seen this coming.
Four cities -- Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sebastopol and Cloverdale -- still allow the sale of "safe and sane" fireworks. Now they have become controversial, as well.
"We do good work," said Robin Merrill of the Elim Lutheran Church.
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They have sold fireworks in Petaluma for seven years and raised tens of thousands of dollars for disaster relief across the nation.
"I'm conflicted," added Judy Peterson. "But I have a thing about honoring commitments."
Merrill adds, "We expect some push-back. But we hand out pamphlets and warn every person to set these off in safe places."
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That attitude hardly silences critics of the practice.
"Safe and sane fireworks can still start fires," said Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal. "They pose a significant threat to our city."
