Sacramento, Calif. ? No less a patriot than the governor himself is asking Californians to forgo home fireworks this Fourth of July – though he expects the charities that sell them will scream like a Piccolo Pete.

With hundreds of wildfires charring the state, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger entreated citizens to skip the pyrotechnics this exceptionally dry year. He spoke Wednesday at a news conference in Big Sur, near the Basin Complex fire where 19,100 acres have already burned.

“I know that the people who are selling all this stuff are going to go crazy now when I say this – but don’t buy any of the fireworks,” the governor said.

“You would help the fire department and the state and law enforcement and everyone a tremendous amount,” he continued, “if you want to contribute and make sure that those fires go away and we don’t have more fires coming up. So be careful. Don’t buy the fireworks, don’t go out and play with fireworks, because it’s just too dry and too dangerous to do those things.”

For charities that rely on fireworks sales to bolster their shrinking revenue, Schwarzenegger’s suggestion was incendiary.

Bonnie Pattee was fuming Wednesday after the governor’s announcement. As president of the Rosemont Little League, she’s in the midst of organizing the week of firework sales set to open on Saturday.

“It’s discouraging he doesn’t talk to individual groups about what else we can do,” she said of the governor’s remarks. “I don’t think any Little League can afford that kind of hit.”

Her league gets half of its operating costs from firework sales, she said.

Services such as credit card machines, rental trailers, insurance and permits have already been arranged – costs the league can’t afford to forfeit, Pattee said.

The governor has not decided whether to declare a state of emergency and impose a ban on fireworks sales, said spokesman Aaron McLear. He said Schwarzenegger and state Fire Marshal Kate Dargan are discussing whether to take further steps.