Los Altos leaf-blower ban – no problem

Editor, Index-Tribune:

Of all the “green” communities in the country, Sonoma should be out in front and setting an example by taking one of the “greenest” steps it can: banning leaf blowers. We should be the first city in the county to step up on this one.

David Bolling’s editorial comment, in the Aug. 30 issue, makes the point that the time has come for the city to get serious about the issue and work to ban the blowers. I would not limit a ban to gas blowers because electrics present pretty much the same problems. The value of the work they do is questionable, but the damage to the environment, and to our health and tranquility, is unquestioned.

Mr. Bolling mentioned that 32 other cities in California have banned them. We lived in one of those cities, Los Altos (not Los Altos Hills), when a ban was put in place in 1992. The outcome? A city with all the charm and beauty it had before the ban. It was quiet and lacked dust and junk floating around in our air on a daily basis.

The gardeners? They protested the ban, and attended city council meetings en masse to show their displeasure. Turns out they were organized by a leaf blower manufacturer who had a big stake in the issue. If we work on a ban here, expect the same corporate involvement opposing a ban. As far as we could tell, no gardening fees increased because of the ban.

The Sonoma City Council has a responsibility to lead the county on the blower question. Let’s encourage them.

Ray Schuster

Sonoma