Nextdoor: Comments include banning leaf blowers and adding street lights

A Midtown neighbor posted a question on NextDoor asking about support for a proposed ban of leaf blowers for the midtown area. He supported the ban by stating, “Leaf blowers give off more exhaust than a diesel truck and the particulate that comes in a plume from a leaf blower has been shown to cause cancer.” At this writing, the nonrandom results (Nextdoor is not a random sample of voters), 45 percent are in favor of banning the blowers and 55% opposed.

The interesting part was that many parts of Sacramento responded with over 130 comments, indicating a strong interest in the subject.

Proposals included restricting blowers to electric powered equipment and restrict to certain hours and days of the week. Others in favor of the ban suggest adding the noise pollution argument and increasing the ban to larger areas of Sacramento, not just Midtown.

Some suggested returning to the use of brooms and rakes, without discussion of the increased time and costs for gardeners and landscape workers handling the leaf volume in our City of Trees. While the electric equipment received some support, other neighbors pointed out that portable high-capacity battery powered equipment is not yet commercially available and affordable. A simple plug-in for electric blowers at the customer’s home is not feasible for gardeners.

• • •

Some Curtis Park neighbors asked about the process to get street lights installed where they are not currently available. This was also one of the questions submitted at the city council candidates’ debate on May 9 at Curtis Hall. Councilmember Jay Schenirer provided a short overview of what the process is for their installation.

First is the formation of a special lighting assessment district and a vote of the homeowners who benefit from the new lights. If the vote is successful, those owners would be responsible for paying the upfront design, installation costs and maintenance of the street lights.

A senior engineer in the City Public Works Department, Sompol Chatusripitak, wrote in an email, “In addition to the up-front costs to create a district, there are also the design and installation costs which could be over $15,000 per light.”

NextDoor.com is a social media app used by neighbors to share information with other neighbors. It is often used for reporting crime to neighbors, lost pets, contractor or handy-person repair recommendations. It is free to use and supported by advertisements.

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