After months of contentious community debate, the Sonoma City Council likely will decide Wednesday night whether to restrict the use of gas-powered leaf blowers amid concerns about noise and pollution.
Councilman Ken Brown said Tuesday he does not believe that a majority of council members support banning the power landscaping tools outright, as some Sonoma residents have urged.
Brown favors reducing the number of days when leaf blowers can be operated from the current seven to five days. He also wants to consider new restrictions on how loud the devices can be.
That essentially mirrors the recommendations made by the city's Community Services and Environment Commission in a report to be submitted to the council.
Commissioners said they prefer "a more holistic approach" to leaf blowers that includes education on the proper use of the devices, encouraging alternatives and adopting more restrictive noise limits on residential power equipment.
Commissioners were concerned that a ban would be difficult to enforce and result in "undue economic hardship on small landscape contractors."
About 20 California cities have banned leaf-blowers, including Belvedere, Beverly Hills, Carmel, Del Mar, Malibu, Santa Monica, Mill Valley, Berkeley and Palo Alto. Other cities restrict hours of operation, or allow only electric or battery-powered blowers.
Sonoma's noise ordinance prohibits the use of residential power equipment before 8 a.m., later on weekends and holidays, and every day after 6 p.m. Noise limits are set at 90 decibels.
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