Assembly Passes Bill to Lift Ban on Gas Leaf Blowers

A bill that seeks to undo Los Angeles’ ban on gas-powered leaf blowers made its way through the Assembly on Tuesday.

The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar), was approved by a vote of 45 to 17, with 15 members abstaining.

The proposed legislation would allow the use of gas-powered blowers but would place restrictions on their noise levels and times of use.

The blowers would be allowed to operate during what Cardenas terms “normal business hours,” roughly 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and could emit no more than 65 decibels of sound. Current gas-powered blowers average between 67 and 69 decibels, according to Afrack Vargas, a Cardenas aide.

Cardenas’ bill would trump existing ordinances in 13 California cities--including Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Malibu--that ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.

Earlier this year the Legislature approved a bill, sponsored by Sen. John Burton (D-San Francisco), calling for an environmental impact study on leaf blowers by the State Air Resources Board. Last year, Burton opposed Senate legislation similar to the Cardenas bill.

The Assembly-approved leaf-blower bill may have difficulty getting through the Senate, said Burton’s spokesman, Dave Sebeck.

“The sense in the Senate right now is to just wait and see what the environmental study holds” before passing any other leaf-blower laws, he said.

Cardenas is undecided whether to submit the bill to the Senate, which he could do as early as next week, or hold it until the impact study is released, Vargas said. The deadline for the study is Jan. 1.