The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday tabled a proposed ordinance that would have prohibited the use of gas-powered leaf blowers in the unincorporated parts of Santa Cruz County.
It is not clear when the item will return for reconsideration.
Under the ordinance—which was set to begin in July 2025—property owners would have faced fines of up to $500 for using the leaf blowers. Most businesses would be exempt.
County officials said the rule was created to help curb air and noise pollution, with many groups agreeing that the noisy machines are harmful to the environment.
According to a December 2022 report by the Public Interest Research Group, using a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour can generate the same emissions as driving a Toyota Camry 1,100 miles.
The state of California in 2021 passed Assembly Bill 1346, which prohibits the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers.
In temporarily halting the ordinance the supervisors pointed to an existing program by the Monterey Bay Air Resources District (MBARD) that offers financial incentives to residents and businesses to shift to more environmentally safe electric blowers.
That program—the Landscape Equipment Exchange Program—has a total of $217,312 for commercial equipment exchanges and $38,644 for residential exchanges for Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz counties.
But the ordinance would have made Santa Cruz County residents ineligible for those incentives.
Supervisor Zach Friend, who serves on the MBARD Board, explained the organization doesn’t fund compulsory rules.
“This is about changing behavior through an incentive, and if the behavior is already being mandated, there is no incentive at that point,” he said.
While the ordinance won’t return for the foreseeable future, the supervisors did direct county staff to create an outreach program to alert the public about the MBARD program.
“That should be our first step within this process,” board chair Justin Cummings said.
Even before the supervisors voted unanimously to table the ordinance, they expressed skepticism about the proposed rules.
Friend said it unfairly targets people trying to earn a living through labor.
“If at the end of the day the board believes in equity and not punishing low-income residents and small business owners, I think this isn’t the right time to enact this,” he said.
Becky Steinbruner of Aptos agreed.
“I think it’s ridiculous to impose more rules and penalties on people who are trying to make a living doing that kind of work, barely making it and to insist that they can no longer use gas-powered equipment that they’ve been able to purchase that they can maintain themselves,” she said.
So let me get this right… people are getting shot and KILLED at SC restaurants and the supervisors are worried about leaf blowers? Kids dying from fentanyl and they are worried about leaf blowers
It’s like keeping Supervisor Hernandez away from the buffet table at the VFW
Try that one see how it goes. And the hits just keep on coming
Leaf blowers can rattle a persons nerves. noise pollution is a community problem. I would rather see leaves on the ground than be awakened from my sleep. What ever happened to the broom and dust pan. Leaf blowers move debris from on spot to another. They are the Lazy mans solution to gardening debris.
I cannot agree more -Blowing the leaves to another property is CRAZY … just like the people who hire them. “Friend said it unfairly targets people trying to earn a living through labor” — so pay them to rake up the leaves and put them in YOUR green can! GIVE ALL OF US A BREAK FROM YOUR NOISE POLLUTION!
Do we live in a great area or what, where leaf blowers are one of our bigger concerns…
And does anyone really believe a broom can do the work of a blower???
Dave
Did you move? I’m loving Florida. When I come out to Watsonville to check on my properties I can’t wait to get on that plane and come home and be away from the loonies
It’s been quiet from our old friend the trustee. Guess he is laying low these days. Quiet is good!
Hi John
Still here- my kid’s all live here- I ain’t going nowheres….
I hear you my friend. Many of my good friends from Long Beach to Livermore are in the same boat. I find many people living in Fla start as snowbirds from the northeast to get the kids used to traveling to see them.
My kids and grandchildren are in Pennsylvania. If they come down for the winter they get a great winter vacation driving our golf cart to the various pools. Just some thoughts life is too short to live in California fiery age 60
Be well my friend stay safe out there