Yes on Measure V

I am writing to kindly ask fellow Sonomans to vote Yes on Measure V. The City Council acted intelligently when they passed an ordinance that allows battery-powered leaf blowers, while prohibiting gas powered blowers. Voting Yes on Measure V reaffirms their common-sense decision.

The three principal objections against Measure V – lost work/jobs, increased costs, slippery slope—all wither under factual scrutiny. Since many cities in California and elsewhere have enacted similar, and in many cases more stringent, leaf blower restrictions, then the supposed adverse consequences should be apparent in those locations. Yet, there is no evidence whatsoever of any lost work for landscaping contractors or lost jobs for landscape workers in communities with bans. Prices for landscaping services are not materially higher in jurisdictions with restrictions, compared to those with none. Nor has a single leaf blower ban nationwide been expanded to other landscaping equipment, like lawnmowers or hedgers.

Gas leaf blowers are polluting, noisy, and entirely unnecessary. Prohibiting their use will not cause adverse consequences. Our community will be a better place without them. Please join me in voting Yes on Measure V.

Nick Monroe, Sonoma