California has an illegal fireworks problem. As the Fourth of July nears, the air will fill with the sights, sounds and smells of festive, but illegal explosives.
In May, authorities evacuated parts of South Los Angeles after police found truckloads of fireworks.
In April, a former Yolo County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant was one of five people indicted on a murder charge following a deadly July 2025 fireworks explosion that killed seven warehouse workers in Esparto…