Plans for San Diego County's Fourth of July celebration have drawn criticism after an internal schedule, shared online, detailed events focusing on diverse community stories before the fireworks display. El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells amplified the controversy by posting the leaked itinerary.
The schedule, reportedly for a July 4th San Diego County Fireworks celebration, was slated to begin shortly after 5 p.m. with a segment dedicated to Native Americans and Local Tribal Community Stories, featuring a Tribal Intimate Blessing and a Welcoming and Land Acknowledgment. This was to be followed by several hours allocated to Latino Community Stories, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Community Stories, and Black and African Community Stories.
A roughly 30-minute block was also designated for LGBTQIA+ Community Stories. The event was planned to include performances of both the National Anthem and the Black National Anthem before the fireworks were scheduled to begin around 9 p.m.
Mayor Wells stated he confirmed the schedule's authenticity and attributed the revised plan to a rewrite by three Democratic supervisors who, he claimed, tied the event to the county's "equity, inclusion, and racial justice goals" and handed planning to the Office of Equity and Racial Justice. He suggested the original proposal was brought forward by Supervisors Desmond and Anderson for a regional 250th-anniversary celebration.
Wells expressed his disapproval, telling The Post, "I don’t think you should take an American celebration of the 250th anniversary of America and turn it into a DEI Festival." He called the plan "an insult" and "a finger in the eye" to those, like his son who served in Afghanistan, who have served the country. Wells announced that El Cajon would host its own "big Fireworks celebration."
Public reaction shared online echoed Wells's sentiments. Commenters expressed dismay at the schedule's focus on distinct community narratives, with one person stating it was "the opposite of what the Founding Fathers had intended." Others questioned the value of listening to "lectures" for hours and criticized the perceived departure from a traditional, family-oriented celebration, with one post suggesting it was "negative political garbage instead of fun fireworks for the kids and family."