Council wants leaf blower enforcement

Leaf blowers are prohibited in Laguna, a prohibition often ignored and rarely enforced.

The council approved at the Sept. 15 meeting a policy to pump up awareness of the prohibition and the penalties for violating it.

“Enforcement is difficult because the violators are gone by the time [police] arrive,” Councilwoman Verna Rollinger said.

Property owners may not be aware that their gardeners are using the leaf blowers, city officials said.

Rollinger proposed notifying the property owners of the violation in a cordial letter, seeking their compliance in the prohibition against blowers that are prohibited under the city’s real property maintenance noise regulations.

Gardner Avi Michael contended that electric blowers don’t make an objectionable noise.

Environmental Committee member Scott Sebastian, who was present when the council approved the ban, opined that it started out as a noise issue, but ended as a dust issue.