Council Bans Fire on the Pier by Stan Greene

By Stan Greene

8/24: Santa Monica will no longer tolerate the use of non-permitted combustible fuels on or around the Pier nor the dumping of commercial trash or liquid waste in city receptacles and storm drains.

At its Tuesday night's meeting, the Santa Monica City Council approved an emergency ordinance to address "public safety and environmental risks arising from increased crowds and commercial activities, particularly in the Pier and beach area."

"The Santa Monica Pier is a historical wooden structure entrusted to us to safeguard against dangerous conditions and fire risk," said Mayor Sue Himmelrich. "As the stewards of our beautiful coastline, we also take seriously the impacts of littering and commercial dumping on our beaches, ocean, and marine wildlife."

"We plead for the support of our community and anyone engaging in commercial activity in the Pier and beach area by following the new rules that protect the health, safety, and natural beauty of our public spaces," she added.

As approved, the new ordinance prohibits the use of non-permitted combustible fuels on and around the Santa Monica Pier, dumping of commercial trash in public receptacles, and disposing of liquid waste in public spaces and storm drains.

The three modifications to the Municipal Code:

Prohibits any person from using any combustible fuel (including propane, butane, any other liquid gas, kerosene, steno, charcoal or wood) on or within 25 feet of the Pier, for the purpose of heating, lighting, or cooking without a permit from the Fire Marshal;

Makes it unlawful for any owner, manager, operator, or employee of a business to deposit litter from that business in a public receptacle citywide without a city permit; and

Bans anyone from disposing any liquid waste in any storm drain or on any street, sidewalk, bike path, public parking lot, public park, the beach, the Pier, or any public receptacle citywide. "Liquid waste" includes fuels, solvents, cooking oil or fat, grease, paint, detergents, fertilizers, pesticides, lubricants, surfactants, waste oils, coolants and grease.

Violations of the new ordinance may be handled as infractions, misdemeanors, or through issuance of administrative citations, said city staff. In addition, combustible fuels will be subject to impound by the Fire Marshal.

City officials said members of Code Enforcement Division will distribute educational materials regarding the new regulations to sidewalk vendors and others engaging in commercial activity on and around the Santa Monica Pier.

Enforcement will be conducted collaboratively between Code Enforcement, the Santa Monica Police Department, and the Santa Monica Fire Department, city officials said.