Gas-Powered Blowers – World Class City?
By C.V. Beck
I
wonder, sometimes, what would be happening here if those words, “world
class city” had never been applied to Los Angeles? Seems to me since this
“buzz phrase” has been bandied about for years now, that quality of
life conditions for PEOPLE have been on a steady, sharp decline.
When I think of this phrase, I think of
places like Rio, Singapore and Honolulu; or over-built, too-tall Miami, with too
many people, too crowded together and not enough greenery, parks or places to
relax and to breathe...
I came to LA to
get away from tall buildings, cement and congestion. LA used to be a pretty
nice place, with ubiquitous palm trees, lawns and views and lots and lots of
room to move about freely. Except for the freeway, of course, which was, even
then, becoming majorly gnarly. Now, I avoid it at all costs, preferring instead
to take “surface”, and getting where I was going to at about the
same time but avoiding the incredibly unpleasant racetrack syndrome of the
freeway, which, of course, bleeds on to the adjoining exit streets, where I
routinely see people driving as fast as on the freeway, being apparently not
able to use the brake and simply slow down to the speed limit. Speaking of
“speed limits”, we don’t seem to have these anymore, do we?
Not only that, we have no enforcement there either. Which -- finally -- brings
me to what I really wanted to talk
about.
Since 1998, there has been a law
against the use of gas powered leaf blowers within 500 feet of any residence
within the City of Los Angeles. This includes Venice, naturally. Every day,
as I go about my “going about”, I see and hear gas powered blowers
all over, being used illegally, with impunity. I HAVE contacted the police, the
city attorneys, the owners, the owners of the landscape businesses, the
operators of the equipment, held together with various colors of duct tape...for
YEARS, NOW. And nothing else has happened except my blood pressure continues to
rise...
On occasion, I have been
“treated” to the incredible noise and stench of the illegal gas
powered blower, a legal gas-powered edger and a legal gas-powered lawn mower,
all being operated at the same time and place, ALL DAY LONG, (8 hours non-stop
‘cept for lunch) in the interest of “efficiency” for the owner
and the perps and not for an “occupant”/resident/tenant/person/. To
me, it is like having a jet preparing to take off, right outside your windows.
I did buy some large hearing protector-ear-muff-like contraptions several years
ago, to defend my health against this outrage and I do wear them in the house.
It helps a little, but really not enough and, legally, I shouldn’t have to
do this at all! But I do.
I have
attempted to engage law enforcement, who never have shown up, who barely have
the energy to address my concerns on the phone -- being consumed with ennui as I
speak to them and letters and email all resulting in NOTHING, years of
NOTHING... except what I now consider to be both noise pollution, lead and
particulate deposition poisoning and people, child and pet abuse. None of this
equipment is ever properly “tuned up”, clouds of blue heavy metal,
shiny, scary gases are emitted and blow around the ground and into our windows
if they are open...AND seep under our doors...poisoning us and maybe giving us
cancer...or respiratory illnesses and gratuitous, needless stress.
Speaking of noise stress, I also
understand the decibel levels on the Ocean Front Walk are incredibly
high.
One landscape company owner who
I had the misfortune to attempt to communicate with, asked me which bothered me
more, “the noise or the stench”! Naturally, I was non-plussed at
the bizarre inappropriateness of this comment.
Frequently, they or their minions have
asked me what apartment I lived in. I was not sure why they wanted to know this
altho’ they seemed to think that if they skipped my immediate area, it
would magically be OK. It wouldn’t, though. I was afraid, however, that
they might CONCENTRATE on my unit’s environs...to my further detriment.
Or even come back later and harass me. Or send goons or thugs to assault me.
Who knows? Needless to say, it has never improved or gotten better.
Everywhere I go, I see this illegal
equipment being used, over and over again. What up? Seems to me that if I was
a business person, in this line of business, I would have fallen all over
myself, to get some battery powered electric, or plug-in electric equipment
ASAP. And if it were against the law, I’d cooperate. For some reason I
don’t quite understand, this doesn’t happen. I have a neighbor who
mows his lawn quickly, efficiently and QUIETLY with an electric mower and from
across the street, I can barely hear it. How sweet that is! Wish more people
would do the same.
So, now that we
have a new councilperson in the district, why can’t we have enforcement of
the ordinance against gas-powered leaf blowing
equipment?
For those interested, call
311 which will refer you to the Bureau of Street Services 800.996.2489 and they
will take a report. Gas-powered Leaf blower ordinance is: LAMC SECTION 112.04
(c), effective February 13, 1998.
Posted: Mon - August 1, 2005 at 05:19 PM