BURLINGAME CITY COUNCIL
Approved Minutes
Study Session on June 5, 2023
1. CALL TO ORDER
A duly noticed meeting of the Burlingame City Council was held on the above date in person and via Zoom at 6:15 p.m.
2 . ROLL CALL
MEMBERS PRESENT: Beach, Brownrigg, Colson, Ortiz, Stevenson MEMBERS ABSENT: None
3 . REQUEST FOR AB 2249 REMOTE PARTICIPATION
There were no requests.
4. DISCLOSURE OF SB 1439 CONFLICTS (GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 84308)
Councilmember Beach stated that she is unaware of any contributions she has received that are in conflict and therefore need to be disclosed. She noted that if any member of the public is aware of a conflict, they should write the City Clerk.
5. STUDY SESSION
a. DISCUSSION OF GAS LEAF BLOWERS
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that the purpose of the study session was to discuss whether amendments need to be made to the City’s leaf blower ordinance and explore policies to reduce the use of gas leaf blowers.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that in July 2012, the City Council passed an ordinance regulating leaf blowers. She explained that the ordinance addresses the health risks of high decibel noise pollution and particulate matter blown into the air by leaf blowers by reducing the number of days blowers may be used in each neighborhood. She reviewed the following regulations included in the ordinance:
• Commercial blowers are permitted one day per week, per area, with an extra day for R3 and R4 buildings on Fridays
• Residents may use their own blowers on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• No blowers operated in any of the zones on Mondays or Wednesdays • Fine of $50 for violations
She noted that staff recommends that the City leave the schedule as is.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that pursuant to the ordinance, commercial blowers are required to display a sticker on their leaf blowers, issued by the Public Works Department, that certifies that the machinery is no louder than 65 decibels. She explained that staff found enforcing the 65-decibel requirement infeasible. She added that the City’s Code Enforcement Officer and Public Works Department do not have the capacity or resources to verify every commercial leaf blower, and commercial landscapers are not aware of the ordinance requirement nor interested in getting their machinery verified. She noted that staff recommends removing the decibel limit.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael reviewed the number of complaints that the City has received from the community about leaf blowers:
• May 2022 to May 2023: 31
• May 2021 to May 2022: 8
• May 2020 to May 2021: 22
• May 2019 to May 2020: 9
• May 2018 to May 2019: 8
She explained that when a resident registers a complaint, the City’s Code Enforcement Officer issues a letter of violation to the homeowners notifying them of the correct days leaf blowers are permitted to be used and, when possible, offers the commercial landscapers informational flyers in English and Spanish.
Mayor Brownrigg stated that he believes that there are more complaints than what is registered with the City, but that the complaints are handled amongst the neighbors.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that gas leaf blowers emit particularly high levels of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions that impact public health. She explained that the California Air Resources Board (ARB) estimates that the cumulative volume of emissions from small off-road engines exceeds pollution levels from passenger cars in California. She added that one hour of leaf blowing is equivalent to driving a 2017 Toyota Camry for one thousand miles.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael explained that pursuant to AB 1346, beginning in January 2024, no new gas leaf blowers can be sold in California. She commented that ARB recently introduced the Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Program (CORE) under which commercial landscapers can receive a voucher of up to $400 for new electric leaf
blowers. She added that six vouchers have been issued to individuals in the County, and the program is currently closed as it reached its funding cap.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that the City of San Mateo launched an electric leaf blower rebate program in 2021. She explained that the program provides a rebate of up to 75% (maximum rebate of $500) of the purchase price of an electric leaf blower for commercial landscapers and up to 50% (maximum rebate of $100) of the purchase price for residents. To date, San Mateo has issued six rebates to commercial landscapers at an average of $319.00 and 27 rebates to residents at an average of $76.00.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that several Bay Area cities banned the use of gas leaf blowers including:
• Town of Portola Valley in January 2021
• City of Oakland in April 2021
• City of Alameda in January 2023
• City of Novato in July 2023
• City of Los Altos in 1991
• City of Palo Alto in 2005
She stated that Oakland was having a hard time enforcing the ban, as they did not have resources or staff time to dedicate to enforcement. She noted that the City of Palo Alto has a full-time code enforcement officer dedicated to leaf blower education and enforcement.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael stated that the City’s Parks staff have experimented with electric leaf blowers. She noted that the technology is not quite there yet and that staff mentioned the following issues:
• More labor intensive
• Problems during rain
• Battery charging takes time
• Harder to repair
• Heavier
Sustainability Program Manager Michael reviewed some of the challenges of making the ban/switch to electric leaf blowers:
• Affordability
• Equity considerations
• Battery life
• Noise and dust
• Code enforcement
• Outreach to landscapers and homeowners
Sustainability Program Manager Michael reviewed the topics that staff wanted input from the Council on, including:
• Leave time of day restriction as is
• Remove decibel requirements
• Considerations for a gas leaf blower ban
• Considerations for creating a rebate program for commercial and/or residents • Incentives such as electric equipment gets increased days of operations
Councilmember Ortiz stated that he was interested in giving individuals extra days if they utilized electric leaf blowers.
Councilmember Beach asked about the labor intensity of electric leaf blowers. Sustainability Program Manager Michael replied that the batteries add more complexity and are less powerful than the gas blowers. Parks and Recreation Director Glomstad added that it takes Parks staff an additional 45 minutes to blow the same surface area with an electric blower as it does with a gas blower. She added that Parks staff would be interested in utilizing electric blowers if it allowed them to leaf blow on more days of the week. She explained that it is tough for staff to get through their current schedule in the allotted time.
Mayor Brownrigg opened the item up for public comment.
JoAnneh Nagler spoke in favor of banning gas leaf blowers. She noted that she wouldn’t be in favor of expanding the number of days that individuals with electric leaf blowers could utilize them.
Jay Kershner spoke in favor of banning gas leaf blowers.
Former Mayor Terry Nagel voiced support for banning gas leaf blowers.
Mayor Brownrigg acknowledged that the following individuals sent in emails regarding gas leaf blowers and that the Council read each email prior to the meeting: Paula Crosatto, Don Donoughe, Pete Roddy, Kim Bentley, Amy Flanzer, Doug Bojack, and Steven Cady.
Mayor Brownrigg closed public comment.
Mayor Brownrigg spoke in favor of working on the next steps to facilitate a phase out of gas leaf blowers.
Vice Mayor Colson suggested that staff review what other cities and entities are doing in the switch away from gas powered leaf blowers. She favored an incentive program, potentially working with Peninsula Clean Energy. She noted she has an electric leaf blower for her gardener to use. She also suggested education and outreach to property owners in order to work with them on purchasing equipment for their gardeners to use.
Councilmember Ortiz stated he would be in favor of a gas lead blower ban. He agreed with the Vice Mayor that the ban shouldn’t be immediate, and time is needed for transition.
Councilmember Beach stated she would be in favor of a gas leaf blower ban. She agreed with the Vice Mayor on incentives. She noted she wanted to hear from the gardening community as they would be most impacted by a ban. She added that she would be interested in seeing how the City could financially assist with the transition.
Councilmember Stevenson stated he is in favor of a ban on gas leaf blowers. He echoed the need for community education and the need for a transition period.
Sustainability Program Manager Michael thanked Council for their feedback.
6. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Brownrigg adjourned the meeting at 7:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/
Meaghan Hassel-Shearer
City Clerk