ALAMEDA — They’re noisy, send birds fluttering out of trees and seriously annoy anyone who enjoys a little peace and quiet.
They’re gas-powered leaf blowers, and in addition to disturbing neighborhood serenity, the machines contribute to climate change by emitting carbon dioxide, critics say.
Now, Alameda is considering banning gardeners from using them to sweep up leaves and other yard trimmings.
“The community understands that it’s bad for the environment and that there are other ways of cleaning up leaves,” said City Councilwoman Trish Herrera Spencer, who put the issue on Tuesday’s council agenda. “That’s why I did this.”
The Oakland City Council voted in October to outlaw gas-powered leaf blowers and string trimmers, or what’s popularly known as “weed whackers,” and that ban takes effect this month.
Orinda currently restricts the use of gas-powered blowers to certain hours. The city of Berkeley banned their use in 1991, or about a year after Piedmont.
Other Bay Area cities with similar bans or restrictions include Los Altos in Santa Clara County and Mill Valley in Marin County.
Piedmont began barring gardeners from using gas-powered leaf blowers in 1990. Because many residents there hire gardeners to maintain their spacious lawns and yards, enforcement of the blower ban has been an ongoing issue for police.
Piedmont police Capt. Chris Monahan said Friday that officers respond “a few times” each week to calls from residents complaining about someone using a gas-powered blower.
He said the number of complaints has sharply risen during the coronavirus pandemic and he suspects that’s because more people now work from home and thus are more tuned into outside noise.
Officers have the discretion to give a verbal warning or issue a citation that can end up costing $48, Monahan said. “We have not had any repeat offender,” he noted. “This is more about education.”
A police officer is expected to contact the person who hired the gardener and discuss the local rules when responding to a call, Monahan said.
What would happen to violators in Alameda if a leaf blower ban is enacted still must be determined, city officials said.
Spencer said she initially thought of putting a leaf blower ban before the City Council in June 2018, when she was mayor.
But at the time, city officials told her that idea would be incorporated into Alameda’s overall plan for dealing with climate change. That apparently never happened, however, and a recent complaint from a resident about someone using a blower prompted her to resurrect the proposed ban.
The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday. More information is available at www.alamedaca.gov/Home.