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A month into Atherton’s ban on the use of all gas-powered leaf blowers, the town’s main focus has been on educating the public on the new ordinance, rather than punishing violators.
On July 1, Atherton joined Menlo Park, Palo Alto and other Peninsula cities in banning gas-powered leaf blowers due to concerns about excessive noise as well as the release of harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds. The ban follows the enactment of California Assembly Bill 1346, which took effect on Jan. 1 of this year and bans the sale of gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers and other small off-road engines across the state.
“At this point, the town’s contacts (with people violating the code) have largely been education and warning,” said City Manager George Rodericks. “To my knowledge there has been a positive response and more applications for rebates.”
Should a violation persist, citations start at $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense, and up to $500 for the third offense/per instance, per day thereafter that the violation occurs, according to the ordinance.
To facilitate the transition to electric leaf blowers, the town is offering a $250 rebate for residents who purchase an electric leaf blower and any associated batteries and chargers.
Atherton resident Stephen Nachtsheim said he is aware of the rebate program but wouldn’t be taking advantage of it because he had already transitioned to an electric leaf blower.
Nachtsheim said he thinks “the ban was a good idea, especially since California law dictated it ultimately happen. Electric equipment is here to stay and it’s what we are going to be using in the future. The implementation seems to have been positive since Atherton created the rebate program.”
Nachtsheim did express one reservation, however.
“What I don’t know is what effect it’s had on the people who operate small business lawn care companies in Atherton,” he said. “For example, how many battery packs do you need throughout a workday, and how do you afford the transition to a new kind of equipment?”
Michael Oteiza, owner of M. Oteiza Landscaping, has many clients in Atherton. He said that some clients still do not know about the July 1 local ban.
Oteiza also noted that while most clients have not bought their own electric leaf blowers, he had anticipated the change in California and local laws regarding gas-powered lawn equipment and budgeted for his business accordingly. He also took advantage of the California CORE program which provided voucher and incentive funding for California small businesses and sole proprietors to purchase zero-emission landscaping equipment.
“California’s CORE program was extremely helpful in making the transition to electric lawn equipment. In the end, it paid for two-thirds the cost of each unit I replaced,” Oteiza said.
The CORE rebate for lawn equipment closed on Oct. 2, 2023, after allocating $27 million in voucher incentive funding. Announcements for future funding for professional landscaping equipment have not been made. Other funding for small business owners looking to make the transition to cleaner equipment is available through local air districts. The California Air Resources Board details more zero emission landscaping equipment incentive programs.
Oteiza is already noticing positive impacts from the transition to electric leaf blowers for his employees.
“The noise decibel for operators of the leaf blowers has come down considerably. The hearing health of our employees will improve from being exposed to less noise pollution.”
Oteiza feels that there needs to be better enforcement of the ban, but anticipates that will improve as people become more familiar with the new ordinance.
The roll out of the gas-powered leaf blower ban is progressing well, according to Rodericks. He said the town continues its education campaign regarding the changes and continues posting information in town publications and across town social media.
The town’s Code Enforcement team has been in the field and interacting with residents and lawn care professionals, he noted. “The first contact is usually continuing education about the change in law and information regarding the town’s rebate program. The second contact is usually a warning and the third contact can involve a citation for violation.”
Atherton Code Enforcement Officer Lisa-Marie Daley said that during the month of July there were 15 cases of gas-powered leaf blowers reported. Nine cases were reactive to resident complaints, six were cases where staff observed someone using a gas-powered leaf blower and provided educational materials to them.
“Police officers are trained to provide information to the residents and landscapers about the ban and the rebate program when the code enforcement officer is not available,” she said. “Our goal is always voluntary compliance, with enforcement as a last resort.”
‘Our goal is always voluntary compliance, with enforcement as a last resort.’
Atherton Code Enforcement Officer Lisa-Marie Daley
While the state banned the sale of gas-powered lawn equipment in January, and neighboring jurisdictions have begun bans on other forms of gas-powered lawn equipment, Roderick said that “at this time there are no plans to do the same in Atherton.”
Atherton has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 49% below 2005 levels by 2030 (or, 40% below 1990 levels) and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. Besides the electrification of lawn equipment, the town is working on multiple initiatives including the electrification of buildings and vehicles to achieve this goal.
More information
Details for the reimbursement can be found on the town’s website, ci.atherton.ca.us.
Reimbursements can be expected within four to six weeks of submission. Residents with questions can contact Christabel Soria Mendoza at 650-752-0577.
Residents who wish to report the use of a gas-powered leaf blower are asked to call the Atherton Police’s non-emergency number at 650-688-6500, as response to violations that are time-sensitive, but are not considered emergencies. Daley explained that calls to this number regarding gas leaf-blowers will be treated the same as other town ordinance concerns and complaints.
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As a resident of Menlo Park, I welcome this new ordinance and hope that it will help spread awareness of the ban in neighboring cities. The more jurisdictions that recognize and address the harms of gas powered landscaping tools, the sooner we will see them disappearing from our neighborhoods. I urge anyone with concerns about the costs of transitioning to electric equipment for small landscaping businesses to consider purchasing a small electric blower for use on their own property. Homeowners can keep a blower charged for their gardening crew to use when servicing their property and thusly reduce the need for the crew to use up the battery reserve of their own equipment.