The Daily Decibel

Today we got word of a Leaf Blower Ban in the California town of St. Helena, but the ban is only a "partial" one. In other words, it only bans gas-powered blowers that do not have a manufacturer's sticker label indicating that it will not blow in excess of 65 decibels at a distance of fifty (50) feet from the source.

By JESSE DUARTE for the ST. HELENA STAR

ST. HELENA — The City Council voted 3-1 Tuesday to introduce an ordinance cracking down on noisy leaf blowers, but none of the councilmembers were too enthusiastic about it.

“It feels so watered down, like some ridiculous remnant of something we were trying to do,” said Councilmember Anne Nevero.

Other councilmembers agreed that by trying to compromise and satisfy everybody, they’d produced an ordinance that satisfied nobody. Nevertheless, they passed it 3-1, with Councilmember Catarina Sanchez in dissent and Councilmember Sharon Crull absent.

[. . .]

Read the full report here.

According to St. Helena Star Reporter Mr. Jesse Duarte this afternoon, Councilmember Sanchez voted against the ban because she believed it did not go far enough; i.e., she favors a complete, outright ban on all blowers. And according to Reporter Duarte, enforcement activity will be up to the St. Helena police force, which may be stronger or not as strong, depending on subsequent resident complaints regarding blower activity.

Visitors can comment at their website here.

Thank you to Mr. Jesse Duarte for speaking with us.

Quiet Regards,
The Daily Decibel

We leave you with these images of leaf blowers. Notice that stickers are not visible in these photos.