I just witnessed my neighbor's gardener with his gas powered leaf blower blowing clouds of dust 20 ft. high.
We cant have a fire on Christmas Eve or any other time on the spare the air day. How can a gardener blow clouds of dust into the air and get away with it.
Any Idea of how to stop this?

Jean S.
Los Altos has an anti-gas leaf blower ordinance.
I have spoken to two officers and it is basically unenforceable.
If they get a complaint from a resident and if they can catch the operator in the act of blowing (rare) and going (and there are no other pressing enforcement issues right at that moment) they confiscate the blower. Then the culprit goes to the police station, pays a small fine to retrieve his equipment, takes it to the next job and continues on with his day.
Three things might help.
1. Do not return the blower. Period. Gas blowers are fairly expensive. Then make the operator go to court or pay a substantial fine.
2. Fine the homeowner or business owner that the operator is working for. They should be responsible for allowing the law-breaking. Increase the fines for subsequent offences.
3. Ban the operator from doing business in town.
Perhaps a code enforcement person driving around with the power to do these things and relieve the police until the ordinance has some real teeth in it would be a step in the right direction.