Photograph by George Sakkestad

A new law will not mean fewer leaf blowers on Sunnyvale streets, but it will mandate that they be quieter.




A decade of complaints yields leaf-blower law

By Sam Scott

The unmistakable mating call of the professional gardener should be a little less piercing from now on.

Restrictions on leaf blower noise in Sunnyvale went into effect on January 1.

"Leaf blowers have to be the new models and have to carry a manufacturer's certification that they can operate at 65 decibels or lower when measured at 50 feet," says Doug Spinelli, a Sunnyvale code enforcement officer.

Prior to the ordinance, leaf blowers could operate in Sunnyvale without noise restraints.

Fines increase for each offense. The first violation is $25, the second $50, and the third $75. Homeowners could be the ones paying.

"If we are unable to catch up with the gardener, Spinelli says, "then we'll turn our attention to the property owners to bring pressure on the gardener."

So far, Spinelli says there have been no complaints, and no citations.

The new law might help a situation people have been complaining about for decades. Glenn Kurimoto, of Gardenland garden supplies, says blowers became popular in the '70s when hosing down driveways had become an unconscionable (and illegal) waste of water. Shooting air became the alternative to spraying water.

For nearly as long, people have been complaining about the resulting noise.

"I've petitioned the city for nine years to put some sort of restriction on leaf blowers," says Sunnyvale resident Jim Lincoln. "The noise is horrendous."

"I complained about them 15 years ago," Les Tremayne, a Sunnyvale resident, says. "I've been upset by leaf blowers for years and years."

Both see the new ordinance as a step in the right direction.

So, does Juan Carlos, president of the Bay Area Gardeners' Association, a group claiming to represent 200 gardening outfits on the Peninsula.

"We would much prefer these restrictions to a total ban," Carlos says. He says that the previous lack of restraint in Sunnyvale may have been too liberal.

Carlos says that noise restrictions are a good step, but more is needed to assure neighborhood peace. He is working with the city of Palo Alto to teach classes on gardening etiquette. He says he wants to do the same with Sunnyvale.

"If they're not going to be using the leaf blowers responsibly, the problem is still going to be there," Carlos says.

Dave Boesch, head of the city's community development is amenable to a city seminar on techniques.

"We'd certainly be willing and interested in doing something like that.".

Carlos says the costs of changing equipment are bearable.

"It is a $500 expense per unit, but the way we see it is as an investment."

Kurimoto, of Gardenland, says the quieter models are actually cheaper than louder models because the leaf blower industry is interested in appeasing people's concerns to protect its business.

Even if a gardener comes in asking for a older, louder model, Kurimoto says the shop's employees try to encourage him to buy a newer, quieter model.

How well the word has spread remains to be seen.

As a retiree, Lincoln hears blowers his neighbors might miss. He is not sure how effective the ban will be.

"What I see is continued use of gas powered blowers which cannot conform to the noise limit," he says. "There's no sign of any awareness on the part of the people I see every day."

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