Sonoma to ban gas-powered leaf blowers in town

A split Sonoma City Council has endorsed a ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers within city limits, the latest step in a long-running dispute over the noisy landscaping machines.

The move would allow the continued use of electric and battery-powered devices but limit the hours of their operation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Their use would be prohibited entirely on Sunday and city holidays.

The three council members who supported the ban Wednesday called it a compromise after prior efforts to prohibit all leaf blowers in the city failed.

“This is a quality of life issue,” said Mayor Laurie Gallian, who was joined by Councilwoman Madolyn Agrimonti and Councilman David Cook in a call to outlaw the gas-powered devices.

“It’s time to put this to bed,” Gallian said, before calling for a preliminary vote amid yet another contentious council meeting over the issue. “It’s time to pick a path and follow it.”

Councilwoman Rachel Hundley and Councilman Gary Edwards firmly opposed the leaf blower ban. Edwards, who argued a ban would impact the livelihood of entrepreneurs and landscapers, voiced frustrations over the council backpedaling last month on an earlier decision to leave it up to the voters to determine whether or not to regulate the machines.

“We voted 5-0 a couple of meetings ago to put it on the ballot,” he said, referring to an October decision. “It miraculously changed. I don’t know how that happened.”

An ordinance is expected to come back to council members for a formal vote next month. If approved, the ban would take effect July 1. The city would not only fine landscapers and gardeners for violations but also property owners or tenants.

The straw vote represents the first significant movement on leaf blowers since council members rejected an outright ban on all leaf blowers in October and unanimously decided to put the issue to voters. The debate first surfaced in 2011, setting the stage for a back-and-forth battle over devices used by both commercial landscapers and home gardeners, many of whom defend leaf blowers as time-saving necessities. Opponents complain the machines stir up allergens and pollutants and impact the quality of life in their town of 11,000.

On Jan. 20, council members split along the same lines in a 3-2 vote that backed away from a ballot measure and sought to continue debate over how to address the issue.

Cook, who opposed a complete ban on electric and gas-powered leaf blowers, last month dropped his support for a ballot measure, siding with Gallian and Agrimonti after a vocal group of residents who had strongly opposed the use of all leaf blowers said it would support a partial ban covering gas-powered blowers.

Edwards and Hundley stood behind their previous vote, saying it was best to leave it to the voters to decide.

Jerry Marino, a local business owner who opposes any prohibition, vowed to push for a citywide referendum that would undo the gas-powered blower ban if the city goes through with it.

“Cook all along has been saying ‘Put it on the ballot, let the people decide,’?” Marino said in a phone interview. He added, “Who can trust them? They say one thing and do another. We’re fed up.”

To qualify for the ballot, a referendum measure would need at least 640 registered Sonoma voters, representing 10 percent of the electorate in town, City Clerk Gay Johann said. The deadline to get on the November ballot is May 20.

Resident Georgia Kelly has long pushed for prohibiting all leaf blowers. However, she supported the partial ban the council put forward Wednesday, arguing the compromise was best for the city.

Kelly said she wasn’t concerned by the threat of a referendum. She contends residents will not support a ballot measure that calls for reinstating gas-powered leaf blowers.

“He’ll never get the signatures. I have no doubt about that,” she said about Marino. “Gas-powered leaf blowers will be a thing of the past in Sonoma, finally.”

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