Irvine leaders plan to revise the city’s noise code to ban gas-powered gardening equipment, voting unanimously on June 13 to move forward with the change.
The issue was brought forward by Councilwoman Kathleen Treseder, due to resident complaints.
“Especially during the pandemic, I think a lot of us experienced the noise from gas-powered leaf blowers. It can be very, very loud, difficult to hear you speak,” she said during the meeting.
City staff was directed to come up with a plan, within 30 days, on how to alter the city’s code to ban gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers—regardless of noise-reducing modifications—and to create a penalty for offenders and determine how such an ordinance would be enforced and present the information at a future meeting.
An incentive program to exchange the gas-powered equipment for subsidies or a cash-in program for the purchase of electric ones is also in the works.
But Vice Mayor Tammy Kim argued such may discriminate against some workers in the city who may want to remain anonymous.
“Something that was brought up to me is that many of these workers may not want to bring attention to themselves by seeking any type of subsidies or cash-in programs,” she said during the meeting.
Councilors ultimately decided to table further discussion of the incentive program until their next meeting.
Several residents spoke in favor of the ban during the public comment. One said the landscaping company his homeowners association works with recently switched to electric equipment.
“They use battery-powered leaf blowers and it’s amazing the difference between gas power and battery power … It is a massive difference. I don’t hear them even if they come right outside the window,” he said.
A representative from the Climate Action Campaign—a nonprofit that aims for a zero-carbon future—said they’re supportive of the city’s change saying gas-powered gardening equipment is harmful to the environment.
“According to the California Air Resources Board small engines such as those in gas-powered leaf blowers are a major source of smog-forming emissions in the state,” the representative said. “It’s great to see the potential here of a policy to ban these gas-powered engines and provide support for small businesses who need that assistance in the purchase of safer equipment.”
In 2021, California lawmakers passed a law that will ban sales of gas-powered yard equipment, like leaf blowers and mowers, in the state by Jan. 1, 2024.
