The City Council in Laguna Beach, California will vote next month on whether to ban all types of balloons in the city, due to threats they pose to the environment and residents’ safety after recent power outages and fires.
Pacific, Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison reported a combined 1,703 power outages in Southern California in 2021 due to incidents with metallic balloons—which are those made with foil and mylar and are electrically conductive.
According to Laguna Beach city staff, balloons of all kinds are the most common form of floating garbage within 200 miles of American shorelines and are the second most dangerous debris for wildlife that may ingest them and become sick or die.
There have also been several incidents around Orange County involving such balloons, including in 2021, when mylar balloons collided with electrical poles in Newport Beach and Costa Mesa knocking out power for over 3,000 residents, according to Southern California Edison.
If approved, the city’s ordinance would prohibit their sale, public use, and distribution—however, they can still be be enjoyed on private property within Laguna Beach if they were purchased elsewhere.
The city has received mixed reviews from residents on the issue.
“Don’t go to the extreme of banning the sales of balloons or policing people who celebrate with balloons,” Cheryl McKinney, a local business owner who, in part, sells them, wrote to the city on Jan. 23. “Don’t put thousands of people out of work and close businesses down.”
The city does not have its own party supply store. But according to Jeremy Frimond, who works in the city manager’s office, local grocery stores that sell balloons said a ban would not be a problem.
“They indicated it wouldn’t be a significant impact on their business,” he told the council during a Jan. 24 meeting.
Laguna Beach resident, Mark Christy wrote to the council on Jan. 20 saying he spends a lot of time along the city’s shoreline and in the hills and has noticed the impact of helium balloons.
“Mylar/foil balloons are the worst offender, but the latex balloons are also detrimental to the environment, and nature’s creatures,” Christy wrote. “There will be a learning curve and inevitable pushback, but it is the right decision for our environmentally proactive town.”
The city is potentially following recent actions by the state to restrict foil balloons.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a new law last September which will phase out their sale and require manufacturers and retail outlets to only offer non-electrically conductive foil and latex balloons within the next few years.
The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), in collaboration with San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)—a utility serving San Diego County and southern Orange County.
According to SDG&E, the utility recorded over 700 outages and 28 fires in its service area caused by foil balloons during the last six years.
Full compliance with state law is not expected until 2031.
According to Laguna Beach officials, if their ordinance—which was first introduced in June 2022 by Mayor Bob Whalen and Councilman George Weiss—passes, it would go into effect in nine months.
Other cities have taken such action.
Solana Beach and Encinitas banned latex and foil balloons filled with gas lighter than air in 2022. Burbank banned foil balloons in 2022, as did Glendale in 2020, and Hermosa Beach banned latex and foil balloons in 2019.
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