Dear neighbors and friends on the Long Beach Peninsula:

We are life-long residents of Long Beach and have lived for nearly 60 years in the house we built on North Boulevard. We urge all residents of Long Beach as well as those in the unincorporated areas to become involved in the ongoing “Ban the Boom” campaign that will be followed by the special April election seeking our opinion.

To us the answer is very simple: we are currently living in a very hostile and dangerous environment every year for days on end before and after this wonderful Holiday celebrating our freedoms. Conversely, we spend these days stuck on our property with hoses ready and on alert for the errant sparks that could so easily ignite the pine trees to our West and take our homes or businesses; we are awakened on and off all night by the loud explosions that make us feel that we are living in a war zone. We sympathize with every resident,but especially with Veterans, those with anxiety issues, and those with beloved pets.

It actually seems archaic in this day and age to have to worry about this issue when most of us are so concerned about pollution and our environment in general. Most cities have long ago banned fireworks except for those that are municipally and safely displayed for all to enjoy.

Elected officials always seem to campaign on protecting and honoring the rights and peace of their residents. Now it is time for them to honor their words and vote to ban the boom after we have made our feelings clear to them by voting in this election.

KAY and JIM CHABOT

Long Beach