Imperial Beach, Chula Vista Added to 4th of July Big Bay Boom Fireworks Show in 4-3 Port Vote

The Port of San Diego's Board of Port Commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday afternoon to include Imperial Beach and Chula Vista in the Big Bay Boom 4th of July fireworks show.

Four fireworks filled barges will pack San Diego Bay between Shelter Island, Harbor Island, the Embarcadero and Coronado along with one near the Imperial Beach Pier and one at the Chula Vista marina.

Commissioners voting against the measure argued it was procedurally incorrect since the Big Bay Boom already came before the board for approval, and last year Imperial Beach fireworks were funded through a financial assistance program that was suspended due to budget constraints.

Including both cities would help Chula Vista celebrate a centennial anniversary, said Rita Vandergaw, the port's director of business development and marketing, who made a presentation to the board before the vote. Sponsoring an event of this size, she said, could give the fireworks show national recognition. 

"If we do approve the addition of a fifth and sixth barge, that would really take the San Diego Bay fireworks and put it in a whole different stratosphere in terms of where it ranks throughout the nation. We would be in the top one or two or three fireworks shows in the United States," she said.

According to port staff, more than 350,000 people attended last year's fireworks show, including 150,000 from local communities, in the process generating money for local businesses and about $2.7 million in hotel revenue.

Commissioner Robert Valderrama from National City said he could not vote for the additional funding for fireworks shows since others who lost funding when the programs were suspended due to budget restraints will be able to ask for the same.

"To get funding out of this and deny 37 other organizations not getting money to the tune of $328,000? I have a problem with that because how do I go back to my respective city and tell organizations that were getting funding in the past that I voted for a program and yet you're no longer going to get it."

He added, "What this allows is organizations to come in and get funding on a piecemeal basis. So as a result of that, if we proceed with this, then we open up the door for everybody else, those other 37 organizations to be able to come back and ask for funding."

Big Bay Boom will cost the Port of San Diego $75,000 for the four North Bay barges and additional $40,000 for Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, a staff report said.

Commissioner Lou Smith, the chairman of the port's marketing committee, said there's a reason the financial assistance program was suspended in last year's budget.

"I'm afraid to announce it here, but it looks like next year's going to be a bad budget year too," Smith said.

Like Valderrama, he said, he agrees it's important to be fair to other organizations denied funding due to the suspension of the financial assistance program.

"To me it's just fairness now and having everybody compete on equal footing for a limited amount of resources," he said.

Commissioner Ann Moore, who represents Chula Vista and voted for the fireworks,  said she sees the event as part of the port's efforts to "activate the tidelands" and that it never should have been part of a financial assistance program in the first place. Part of the purpose of the fireworks show is to market San Diego Bay, she said.

"Well you know what, there are port businesses in the city of Chula Vista and Imperial Beach as well."

"And in this case, I think we're not talking about member organizations. We're talking about a member city," she said.

"So I can appreciate Commissioner Valderama's concerns but I think this is a different issue here because we're talking about a member city increasing revenues within port property and also the activation of the tidelands."

Commissioner Dan Malcolm, representing Imperial Beach, said, "If the financial assistance committee existed, and we had the ability to review this and look at it then I would agree there's a process argument.

"The fact is, we don't have that committee and so that's why this is coming to the board this year. And I just think it's a bit disproportionate when you look at where the fireworks are going to be around the bay to not take a holistic view of the bay and not have the fireworks represented in the entire bay."

Commissioner Scott Peters said he thinks "this is not the fight to have" and it's ultimately best for the port to expand the fireworks show.

"When we walk outside this room people won't care so much about the process but they will care that there's fireworks up and down the bay, so I just think in terms of two important options, that would be the better one," he said.

A contract still needs to be signed with the event organizers and a San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board permit attained.