Meet José. He’s a landscaper who works hard 8-hours a day, 6-days a week. At the end of the day, his eyes burn, his ears ring, he takes pills to alleviate pain in his shoulder, and he’s losing feeling in his right thumb. Why? He uses a gas-powered leaf blower to remove every leaf from the ground. José is hurting, and so are we.

Gas-powered leaf blowers are harmful to our health and our environment – and they are everywhere, all the time. (1) The loud, low-frequency noise penetrates walls and protective ear devices causing permanent hearing loss. (2) Exhaust emits greenhouse gases that pollute the air, worse than automobiles on our roads. (3) Blowers thrust air at hurricane force (200-mph) releasing animal feces, mold and spores that wreak havoc on lungs and airways.

Many cities across the U.S. have already banned them, ahead of CA bill 1346. The CA bill bans the sale of new gas-powered blowers starting in 2024, but ensures continued use until at least 2034. The effect of this new law will be an increase in sales of gas-powered blowers to landscapers over the next two years. So it is vital that we ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers today.

This petition is for the Santa Rosa City Council to ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. We have the power to make our community more healthy. Please join with our neighbors to make Santa Rosa a more peaceful place to live and visit. Sign this petition now and share it with others.