CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Leaf Blower Issue Remains Alive Despite Economic Concerns

Concerns that a leaf blower ban could be a drain on Newport Beach employees who have to draft the regulations and then enforce them nearly killed the idea. But after listening to members of the public who testified at a City Council Study Session on Tuesday afternoon, the issue instead will get more exploration before any decision is made.

The Corona del Mar Residents Association was a major force behind a proposed leaf blower ban.

“Our recommendation would be an outright ban,” said Karen Tringali, the CDMRA’s president, citing a poll and concerns about allergens and water quality from dust entering the ocean.

Other residents from Corona del Mar and Lido Island testified that leaf blowers not only created illegal noise levels, but caused dust problems.

“I suffer terribly from allergies,” said Jennifer Rogers of Lido. “I for one am so opposed to these leaf blowers. They are killing me.”

A few citizens testified that a leaf blower ban would cause problems because they no longer can use water to hose off their property.

City Councilman Mike Henn said he’d received many emails on the topic, and they ran 10-1 in favor of restrictions.

But City Councilman Steve Rosansky said he heard from only four or five residents, and he thought that the city’s budget situation was too dire to spend staff time on a topic that could ultimately create a bigger drain on staff who had to enforce the ban.

“We’re talking about further cutbacks,” he said. “I look at this as a want, not a need.”

Councilman Ed Selich agreed. “I’m also concerned about the enforcement,” he said. “We’re in tight budget times.”

City Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said it did not make sense to have a partial ban of some models of leaf blowers, or a ban based on hours. “Are you going to have someone run around all the time with a meter?” she asked. But she added that in Laguna Beach, where there is a total ban, the city receives only about three complaints a year.

In the end, the Council decided to have staff send a letter to homeowner and resident groups beyond Corona del Mar to get more input, and to ask some landscapers whether a ban would create an economic hardship. The issue will then be discussed again.

City Manager Dave Kiff said he also might create a poll to put on the city’s website.

Read our earlier stories here and here.