Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN

Feb 28, 2003

Our canyon is known as a friendly place to live; a close community.
If a neighbor is disturbed enough to mention the use of illegal gas leafblowers on your property, we urge you to Stop, Look and Listen.
STOP ignoring or trivializing this law. The LA City Council listened to hours of debate over a period of years, and were presented with reams of facts before standing up to manufacturers? stiff opposition. Since their final vote, both a random public opinion survey and a thorough report by the California Air Resources Board show support for a ban. Links to each of these reports can be found on www.zapla.org.
LOOK at your neighbor?s point of view. They may not wish to divulge that the dust and particulate matter stirred up by the blower drifts into their home causing them more work, and when inhaled forces them to be medicated. More likely, they will simply say that the noise, emissions and dust bother them.
LISTEN to not only the blower, but other machinery your gardener uses that is probably over the 65 Db maximum allowed by the city?s noise ordinance, and be grateful that your complaining neighbor is not asking you to comply with that law, too.
Consider that the California State Health and Safety Code, Section 41700 nuisance law states, ?No person shall discharge from any source air contaminants that cause injury, detriment, nuisance or annoyance to the public.?