If laws are not enforced, they do not exist.
We have no leaf blower laws and no dog/leash laws... not that I can see anyway.

Mountain View doesn't have any leaf blower laws so there's nothing to enforce.

and they also have no leash laws.

SEC. 5.50. - Restraint of dogs.
The owner of any dog shall keep and maintain such dog under their own physical restraint by use of a leash not to exceed six (6) feet in length, or shall keep such dog sufficiently confined behind a fence of reasonable height.
(Ord. No. 4.14, § 1, 4/8/14.)

There are exceptions, but that seems pretty clear to me.

No no, its about how lack of enforcement = lack of law.
No leash laws are enforced in MV so in reality there is no leash law in MV, despite what someone wrote in a book one day calling it a law. It really does not exist.

between the air pollution and the noise pollution why can't we stop the leaf blowers…I have actually been wondering if the city of Mountain View pays the leaf blowers in our neighborhood to clean the streets because they always seem to be blowing stuff down the streets. We have lots of rats and other critters in our neighborhood and the amount of poo that is blown in the air must be amazing. Can't we improve the quality of life in Mountain View with a little less noise and a little less air pollution by banning the blowers. At the very least ban them on the weekends and give us all two days of peace.

I would love to see an end to leaf blowers. The noise and air pollution is unacceptable. Gardeners can sweep and rake. Home owners can pay extra if it takes more time.

This article needs to go viral ... but the Title needs to be changed to include the subject matter,
"leaf blowers" and "causing pollution".

Yes, leaf blower dirties up places real quickly especially in the summer time with windows open all day long.
Good to know it also pollutes the air we breathe which we cannot see until we get health problems.
We should ban the leaf blower, forever.

kj, You're right about the headline. It's now changed in the news story this thread is linked to. Thanks.

What is so terrible about brown leaves on the ground that they have to blown and swept up EVERY SINGLE WEEK? This obsession with manically and fastidiously spotless yards is a very Californian phenomenon. In other parts of this country, people are more chill about their yards. Some even appreciate the small reminders of the cycles of nature lying here and there. We rake twice a month. My yard may not be pristine 24/7, but my neighbors can take lots of peaceful, uninterrupted naps -- and, it seems, breath cleaner air too.

What bothers me are the landscaping crews at apartment and condo complexes who use multiple blowers at the same time, on city sidewalks and streets. They often blow debris out into the street and leave it there, which I saw yesterday morning on Devonshire Ave.

It's very annoying when we're trying to take a walk and have to change routes to avoid the blowers. At a minimum, I think the blowers should stay within the property where they're working and not be out in the street.

I also see this occurring in Sunnyvale in the area where I work when folks are trying to walk during the lunch hour, so it's a problem in a lot of places.

Time for a leafblower ban in our fair community?

I'm all for a ban. Tied of the noise (I now have planes to contend with), tied of the dirt/dust that comes in my house when they're blowing three house down.

Ban them.

I'm fine with blowers. Once a week for a few houses in the neighborhood. Big deal. Let gardeners efficiently do their work and make a living.

There are plenty of other things that are more noisy and irritating.

All 2 stroke motors should be banned from California. They are terrible for our health and the health of the planet.

It would also be great if leaf blowers were banned.

I want peace and quiet our residential neighborhoods. I'd like a strictly enforced ordinance that 1) allows only electric blowers and that bans all non-electric leaf blower use in MV, 2) limits hours of use to 9 AM to 3 PM when most people aren't home to be disturbed, and 3) bans ALL leaf blower use on weekends, when people want quiet weekends. I'd extend the same rules to all non-electric chain saws and also to noisy construction power tools, like table and circular saws, nail guns, hammers, rototillers, tractors, and wood chippers.

I agree with OldMV, at least on point 2 and 3.

I don't really care if the blowers are gas or electric, but I can't stand the noise. Limiting it to between 9 and 3 on weekdays would be great. I would also limit mowing to after 9:00am.

My neighbors are great, but they have a yard guy who blows and mows starting at 8:00am on Saturday mornings, which is my only morning to sleep in or enjoy my house early in the day. My house borders Palo Alto, which DOES have a blower ban and it also seems unfair that they should have tolerate the disturbance as well.

Until there is a law, how about people have a little consideration for their neighbors and make sure your gardeners don't cause noise before 9:00, especially on weekends?

I have long wondered why we ignore the health risks posed by leaf blowers, since it is evident that they cause particulate air pollution (you can SEE the cloud of dust they leave in the air), regardless of whether or not they are electric. Small particulates, when inhaled, accelerate progression of lung disease (think asthma and emphysema) and also affect cardiovascular disease. People die of heart and lung disease. There are also organisms in the soil--bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites--that can cause serious infections when inhaled. I cross to the other side of the street to avoid leaf blowers and the air pollution they cause; but the pollution they cause lingers in the air for long after they have finished the job, so there is no avoiding it entirely.

Bring back rakes!

We should also ban windy days.

Pollination ticks me off too!

This has the air of faulty analysis and sloppy scientific methodology about it.

Did they compare against any control such as testing how much particulate matter sweeping, or a wind storm, kicks up? Did they consider that, say, a driveway that is cleaned up every week doesn't accumulate massive piles of particulates to be available to be kicked up into he air?

Even if the Air District program wildly succeeds, it will only reduce pariculate pollution by 0.12 tons per day when about 115 tons are generated by other sources. That's insignificant.

So if the only effect of the AQMD program is to remove the 2 stroke gas powered leaf blowers, that will have a massive effect on the non methane hydrocarbons. I.e., it's not the actual sweeping but the inefficiency of the powering motor's fuel source that is a big problem.

Also aiming at 4 stroke newer gas powered motors can't hurt as well.

I don't which kind it is, but you can smell the burned gasoline in the air for quite a while after these things are used. Electric motors don't do this.

HOT AIR = AIR CONDITIONINGS WORKING 24/7 BLOWING HOT SUPER HOT AIR CONTINUOUSLY FROM AIRPLANES, CARS, HOUSES, APARTMENTS, BUILDINGS, BUSINESS RESIDENTIALS INDUSTRIALS,

Love to see blowers banned in MV. The dust they produce is bad for health and I don't understand why they are not banned already.

Let's learn from the fantastic Los Gatos! And asap
Web Link

I live in the community behind Walgreens on the corner of grant and el Camino. The Gardner's start blowing leaves at about 5:30 am! This morning 5 and not at 6:30 the garbage truck is going at 6:30. I have gone out in my jammies to ask him to stop but no habla. When our council is done stroking each other's ego's and destroying what's left of our town maybe they will follow Palo alto, los Altos, Sunnyvale and ban these things.

if a non-existant law gets enforced, does it become real?

I live in Walnut Creek, in a small cul de sac. Every Thursday 8am gardener comes with all his trucks and takes over for four to 5 hours blowing 7 houses with a loud monster blower He used to come at 7 which is against ordinance until we fixed that. We have leaf blowers surrounding us 5-6 days a week. It is non stop and We are starting to feel the health and mental effects of this constant noise and dirty pollution. Head ringing, sneezing for hours after they leave.
They refuse to change their ways and it is time for a Gas Leaf Blower Ban to protect our environment and homes. The City does nothing about it. Anyone have thoughts on next step?

Although today is the 2nd anniversary of this leaf blower article, the issue remains a concern. In multi cultural, multi unit housing in Santa Clara with no ordinance, our respiratory health is affected (as well as our hearing).

If anyone is still pursuing limiting/eliminating leaf blower use, I would appreciate hearing from them. Also, I wonder if anyone has translated this great article into Chinese or Spanish . . . if so, please let me know.

Thanks!

Jean

I don't think there's any action or discussions on this issue at any level that would make a difference. It's business as usual. Respectfully, if you want change, it won't come via the comments section, but I would support a limit on these blowers if the issue gained any traction.

Mark - Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. Sounds like you are pretty discouraged about anything disrupting "business as usual". I believe that change begins with communication, enabling like minded people to organize, strategize and act in the real world to attempt to improve things. I appreciate your support should I find "traction" elsewhere - but how to let you know?

"Sounds like you are pretty discouraged about anything disrupting "business as usual"

Is that how it sounded? I'm sorry, I must not have been good at communicating. To clarify, I'm a huge proponent of change. Biz as usual when it makes no sense is not good. I'm just not that passionate about the issue compared to other local issues. I was simply stating with lack of passionate interest shown by residents at the council meetings, it very likely will not garner much change and things will go on as before.

The perfect example can be seen by the lack of action or discussions since this topic was first posted. It simply died out. Communication on issues is good, but most effective when done in places that make a difference. Otherwise it's just wasted efforts. Maybe this time is different though. I don't mean to discourage, only inform, so have at it as you wish. I just wouldn't expect much change until the discussions expand to more than the msg boards.

I also observed that after a flurry of concern about the noise and stench of leaf blowers (especially 2-stroke), interest waned. Compared to Climate Change or carnage from gang wars or a nuclear threat, I suppose leaf blowers are almost inconsequential. I wonder what your local issues are that are of more concern to you. As an activist, you are probably aware that people who organize around one activity often have other concerns and sometimes work together to tackle them.

My original post was to see if anyone remained involved in the issue and had access to that article in Spanish and Chinese for use in my own Santa Clara area. Apparently not.

I am curious about how you even noticed my post. You may well be a representative of the leaf blower industry assigned to monitor this topic and subtly discourage others, an effective business tactic. Care to say?

If this issue seems like it is not important, please consider the residents who must endure gas powered leaf blower noise constantly outside their windows. Weekdays, weekends, the noise is constant and extremely disruptive to sleep. Electric blowers exist; there is no reason why people's sleep should be disturbed every morning just so some landscapers can loudly blow dust into the air. A leaf blower exchange program coupled with a ban on small gas powered engines such as those used in leaf blowers would work really well for everyone. Or just ban them and throw them all into the recycling. I don't care how it is done, let me sleep.