Leaf blowers could be banned in Newport Beach — but before the issue goes before the City Council, an environmental committee will beef up a report to include more information on air and noise pollution.
The city’s Environmental Quality Affairs Committee met Monday and reviewed a draft of a report that discussed the pollution problem that leaf blowers bring to the community, as well as examples of other cities that have full or partial bans on blowers.
Laguna Beach was named as a city with a full ban, which has good community support and few problems with compliance, the first report draft said.
“I don’t agree with Laguna very much,” said Hunter Cook, a Corona del Mar resident who attended the meeting to voice his concerns about leaf blowers. “But this is one thing that is magnificent. I just implore you to recommend to the council to take action.”
Stephanie Hager, a Corona del Mar resident, also attended the meeting. She said that within an hour, she was able to collect 60 signatures on a petition asking for a total ban. She said the noise of leaf blowers has been proven to break concentration and even raise blood pressure. “It zaps your concentration,” she said. “It cuts right to the core.”
There are quieter leaf blower models available, but Hager said those would still be too loud.
“I think the full ban is the only way to go,” she told the group.
The original document mentioned the noise issues from leaf blowers, as well as the pollutants. It quoted a report from the Environmental Protection Agency that stated leaf blowers create dust clouds that contain fecal matter, pesticides, fungi, street dirt and more.
A few committee members asked about the financial impact on gardeners. Some said that using a rake and broom took the same amount of time as blowing; others said that gardeners might charge more, or refuse to work in Newport Beach if there was a leaf blower ban.
“I think people will say, ‘Let’s think of a better way to garden,’ ” said Laura Curran, a committee member.
“There was gardening pre-leaf blowers,” said committee member Kristine Adams. “Somehow, it all got done, and it all looked nice.”
The committee also discussed how most of the leaf blower concerns came from residents of Corona del Mar and the Corona del Mar Residents Association, and whether other neighborhoods had similar problems.
After about 20 minutes, City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner told the group that she thought the report would benefit from more data — about noise, pollution and other cities’ bans — before going to the City Council. Three members of the committee agreed to meet and add to the report.
The group will consider the revised report at its next meeting, and if it is approved, it would then go before the City Council for more discussion.
