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Council,
Thanks to the efforts of code enforcement and other members of the police department in enforcing the City's ban on gas powered leaf blowers (GPLBs) on spare the air days. The new fires are making it likely that we will be under spare the air alerts for
the foreseeable future.
It would be very helpful if the City would alert the Menlo Park community to this ordinance. I find that the vast majority of residents and gardeners are completely unaware of the ordinance. Most, when informed, are happy to comply by either postponing using
the GPLBs or switching to electric. I find that many gardeners are already in possession of electric leaf blowers due to GPLB bans in neighboring jurisdictions and/or requests from homeowners.
In addition to Menlo Park's ordinance banning the use of GPLBs, the Air District prohibits wood burning and encourages people to limit driving and other polluting activities. It would be helpful if the City were to let residents know (through the newsletter,
social media postings, website, ...) when spare the air alerts are in effect and what steps are required and encouraged to limit emissions. Please let me know if there is anything residents can do to put this into action.
The Council also needs to address the larger issue of GPLBs and other gas powered gardening equipment. These highly polluting and noisy devices have no place in our community. Its time for the Menlo Park to join other cities in enacting an outright ban on
their use. I look forward to hearing from you individually and/or collectively on what steps you intend to take to make this ban a reality.
Respectfully,
Heyward Robinson, former Mayor
