The City of Santa Maria is cracking down on illegal fireworks like never before, issuing a record number of citations over the Fourth of July holiday through both ground patrols and high-tech aerial surveillance.
According to Santa Maria Police Sergeant Diaz, a total of 93 citations were issued on the ground by local police and fire prevention teams this year. That number marks a sharp increase from 63 citations in 2024, and it’s only part of the picture.
“This year, we’re looking between 100 and 120,” said Fire Chief Brad Dandridge, referencing the combined expected total, which will include both ground enforcement and aerial detections. “Every year since [the program’s] inception here, they have steadily grown.”
This year’s jump in citations comes as city officials ramp up enforcement using a blend of traditional patrols and modern surveillance. For the fourth consecutive year, Santa Maria partnered with a third-party aerial surveillance company that flew a fixed-wing aircraft over the city on the Fourth of July.
Equipped with high-resolution video and GPS, the aircraft can pinpoint the exact launch location of a firework display, allowing the city to tie the violation to a property and issue a citation.
“We issued citations both on the ground and through the aerial operation as well,” Dandridge said. “Our fire prevention is working with our team right now to ensure validity of all the citations we issue.”
Fire Marshal Jim Austin, who coordinated much of the aerial operation, said about 40 to 50 citations have already been issued from video evidence captured by the plane, and more are under review.
His team is carefully watching multiple hours of footage to avoid duplication, confirm launch points, and ensure every citation is legally sound.
Austin added that the city works closely with DataTicket, a third-party vendor that manages the citation process, from issuing fines to handling disputes. Residents who receive a citation can contest the fine, request a payment plan, or submit an appeal through the system.
In rare cases, unpaid citations can even be assessed through a violator’s tax return, though that process is handled through Santa Maria’s finance department, not the fire division.
This year, Santa Maria wasn’t the only city covered by aircraft. The plane also flew over Lompoc, then circled back to finish its sweep of Santa Maria.
WATCH: Lompoc Fire Dept. uses plane surveillance to crack down on illegal fireworks
According to Dandridge, other aircraft in the program were assigned to cover Oxnard and Kern County, forming a coordinated regional effort to reduce dangerous fireworks activity across multiple jurisdictions.
“When Chief Fallon [of Lompoc] reached out, I had him communicate with our fire marshal, they coordinated a plan together to ensure that both cities could utilize the equipment,” Dandridge said.
“We didn’t have any issue sharing. The Overwatch program has those capabilities to provide for different communities.”
Still, as enforcement efforts expand and citations stack up, some residents question whether Santa Maria is doing enough to provide safe, legal alternatives for the holiday.
The city’s last official public fireworks display was in 2022, held at the Santa Maria Fairpark. In 2024, the city tried something different, hosting a drone light show instead of fireworks. But this year, in 2025, there was no drone show, no fireworks, and no public celebration.
That silence in the sky may be pushing some residents to take celebrations into their own hands or backyards.
“It’s a great time,” said Christian Rubalcaba, a Santa Maria resident who said the Fourth of July is still about family, food, and neighborhood celebration, fireworks included. “It’s fun to see, fun to watch, a little dangerous, but that’s just how it is.”
He went on to add, “I do understand the concern. I do like what they’re doing just to prevent further damages.”
John Richards, who lives in Orcutt and has been in the area for more than two decades, echoed those sentiments, but with a more skeptical tone.
“There were no legal fireworks shows going on anywhere that we knew of,” Richards said. “We heard explosions all night long from before dusk to close to midnight.”
Richards also raised concerns about enforcement methods.
“I’m not really a fan of Big Brother surveillance,” he said. “But I guess that program is paying for itself.”
And while his neighborhood didn’t suffer any visible damage, Richards noted that Santa Maria’s fire risk, especially during dry summers, shouldn’t be ignored. He believes the city could curb illegal activity by bringing back a sanctioned event.
“If the city or county were to authorize more legal fireworks displays,” he said, “there might be less lawbreaking going on.”
Chief Dandridge says the city isn’t trying to spoil celebrations; they’re trying to protect the people participating in them.
“The illegal fireworks pose dangers not only to the public, [and] people handling them,” he said, “but also buildings, vegetation, and such within city limits.”
He said enforcement will continue as footage is reviewed, but that the bigger picture is prevention.
“We want to ensure safety [and] a safe celebration to our community,” Dandridge said. “We’ll continue the programs, hopefully expand on them to eliminate the use of illegal fireworks within the city limits.”
