Sonoma’s leaf-blower measure passes by 19 votes

The City of Sonoma’s voters have decided to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, passing Measure V by a narrow margin.|

It's official: The City of Sonoma's voters have decided to ban gas-powered leaf blowers, passing Measure V by a narrow margin. Final totals, released today by the Sonoma County Registrar's Office, show 2,975 votes in favor of the measure, with 2,956 against – a spread of only 19 votes.

The contentious measure, put on the ballot in June following a March 3-2 vote by the city council to ban gas-powered blowers, was the most hotly contested local election, and one of the closest in recent memory.

'I'm stunned and I'm happy!' said an enthusiastic Cecilia Ponicsan, one of the major voices in support of banning gas-powered leaf blowers. "I hope this means that the people who voted for the measure, and those that voted against it, will come to appreciate the restoration of the quality of life in Sonoma as time goes on.'

Preliminary results released the day after the Nov. 8 election showed a 40-point vote difference between the Yes on V and No on V voters. That spread eroded, but the final vote was enough to sustain the measure: it was decided by the required 50 percent-plus-one majority.

Other final totals included the confirmed passage of Measure U, the city's Sales Tax Extension, which won by 73.3 percent to 26.7 percent; Measure W, the Smoking and Tobacco regulations extension measure which won 70.7 percent to 29.3 percent; and Measure E, the School District's bond which earned 70.4 against 29.6 percent (it needed 55 percent to pass).

In the race for City Council, Amy Harrington's first-place margin held at 34.5 percent, giving her a vote total of 3,340 – which she claims is the highest of any city council candidate in Sonoma's history. David Cook kept his 200-vote lead over Laurie Gallian to reclaim his seat on the five-member council, finishing with 2,446 to 2,213.

But the big news today for Sonoma voters was the passage of Measure V. The Index-Tribune will have more coverage on this issue in our Friday edition.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.