Sonoma voters to decide on leaf blowers in 2016

One of the most drawn-out disputes to hit the city of Sonoma in recent years - whether or not to prohibit leaf blowers - is headed to the ballot box for voters to settle next year.

The City Council’s decision Monday to reject a ban on electric and gas-powered leaf blowers and put the question to voters in 2016 came as a blow to Councilwoman Laurie Gallian, who has been pushing to prohibit the devices for years after residents came to her with concerns over the noise and potentially hazardous particles the blowers stir up.

“I’ve been here since 2011 when the first issue came forward. I feel very disappointed this evening,” Gallian said Monday after listening to two dozen residents who spoke for and against a ban.

Gallian and Councilwoman Madolyn Agrimonti last month called for a complete ban on leaf blowers in the city, regardless of whether the equipment was powered by gas or electricity.

However, they failed to get the support of Councilwoman Rachel Hundley, after Mayor David Cook and Councilman Gary Edwards voiced strong opposition to a ban.

Hundley initially wanted to prohibit gas-powered leaf blowers but allow the use of electric and battery-powered blowers in city parks and commercial areas. However, the council, which also was looking at penalizing homeowners if their gardeners broke the rules, couldn’t reach a decision at last month’s meeting.

On Monday, Hundley said the controversial decision should be made by the citizens it would impact. She said more residents came forward as months passed and the council continued to discuss a possible ban, creating uncertainty for her as to what residents really wanted.

“The opinions of the people in the community are so divided,” said Hundley, who moved to put the issue on the ballot, a step that will have to be affirmed by the council in a future vote.

“I can no longer find a consensus of what the community actually wants,” Hundley said.

A group of residents, led by local business owner Jerry Marino, had threatened about two weeks ago to push for a ballot measure to restore leaf blowers if the council approved a ban.

Hundley said opponents of leaf blowers shouldn’t consider the council’s decision to leave it to the voters as a defeat.

“I will be voting for a ban, but I will be voting as a registered voter,” she said.

Georgia Kelly, who runs a nonprofit from her home, worried about whether she and other residents who want to see the noisy devices banned could garner enough support among voters.

“There’s businesses that don’t want the ban,” said Kelly, who has been pushing for one since 2013.

In addition to the noise emitted by leaf blowers, Kelly said she’s concerned about the dust, pollen and animal droppings that the devices scatter into the air.

“The council did not deliver on what they were elected to do,” she said after Monday’s meeting.

The contentious issue has come to the council for discussion a half-dozen times since February, when Gallian first brought a proposed ban forward. She said residents continued to press her for a ban after an unsuccessful proposal in 2013.

The debate - which also came up in 2011 - was prompted by screenwriter and author Darryl Ponicsan, who along with other opponents organized a petition hoping to get the town to join more than two dozen cities in California that ban gas-powered leaf blowers. They found support from three of the five City Council members at that time - Gallian, Steve Barbose and then-Mayor Ken Brown.

However, Brown changed his mind when the ordinance came up for its final vote that October and the measure failed.

Two years earlier, council members rejected a ban but ultimately tightened their regulations, prohibiting the use of leaf blowers on Sundays and during city-observed holidays. They also reduced the maximum noise level from 90 decibels to 70.

Opponents of leaf blowers argued that landscapers didn’t follow the rules and that the devices stir up allergens, potentially hazardous particles and pollutants.

However, some residents argued those complaints were overblown and that the city ought to be enforcing its existing rules on noise instead.

Some of the residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting called for a complete ban, while others pushed for a ballot measure.

Ponicsan’s wife, Cecilia Ponicsan, was disappointed that the council failed to approve a ban.

She voiced hope that voters would “consider their health first and live with a few leaves on the ground.”

You can reach Staff Writer Eloísa Ruano González at 521-5458 or eloisa.gonzalez@pressdemocrat.com.