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Leaf Blower Issues
2009 Poll

  1. Should leaf blowers be controlled for noise and pollution emissions in Newport Beach?    If so,
    how (outright equipment ban, more stringent standards, more restricted hours of operation,
    permitting operation only on certain days by neighborhood)?
  2. Should commercial gardeners have different guidelines/restrictions than residential gardeners?  


Background

The City's Environmental Quality Affairs Committee (EQAC) has been studying noise and pollution
issues created by leaf blowers and similar equipment in communities like Corona del Mar where homes
are in close proximity to each other.  They have also been looking at what other cities (Laguna Beach,
Claremont, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Menlo Park, Santa Barbara, Carmel, etc.) have done to curb
and/or control the noise and pollution this machinery generates.  EQAC is in the process of putting
together their findings for a presentation to City Council at a Study Session sometime in the near
future.  Click here to read EQAC's Report.

At this time, it is our understanding that EQAC is limiting their study to residential landscape companies
only.  Any noise or pollution controlling recommendations EQAC makes will exclude landscape
companies working on commercial property, including “common areas” within communities governed
by Homeowner Associations.  What that means is that gardeners working on parks or frontage property
within homeowner communities will not be covered by EQAC recommendations, nor will gardeners who
work in places like Fashion Island, Pelican Hills Resort and City parks.

Therefore, CdMRA feels that our poll should be a two-part question; one which determines whether
and/or what kind of controls might be appropriate and one which determines whether the rules should
apply across the board to all gardeners or only to residential gardeners.

Response Options

In the past, CdMRA has conducted “Resident Feedback Polls” on this topic.  We would like to update
our poll so that we can articulate the current consensus opinion of our members at future Study
Sessions.

We encourage you to circulate this information to other interested residents, and have them email in
their responses and comments.  If they do not have access to email, they may leave a voice mail
message.


Send your email response to:  Info@Cdmra.org
Phone your response to:  949.719.9390

Your name, address and email (or phone number) is required for tabulation purposes regardless of
whether you respond by email or phone.