|
Greetings!
This is our most important call to action since the January 2024 call for public comments on the draft ordinance. (That effort was so successful it is still being mentioned, as in this recent Economist article: “When Portland, Oregon, passed a restriction on leaf blowers last year, 800 people left public comments—more than for almost any other recent topic.”)
We now need another flood of comments as the ordinance’s Jan. 1 start date approaches and the city’s draft administrative rules around enforcement are up for public comment. We need to show the city that we still care about the leaf blower policy and want it enforced properly from the very first day.
Please respond to this call-to-action and encourage others to do so as well. If you submitted one of the terrific comments last week, you can still submit a new one this week. Even a brief comment is helpful! In the words of Dr. Seuss’s Lorax - “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.”
Our Request
Laws are only as effective as their enforcement. This is our best chance to strengthen and simplify the proposed enforcement before the gas leaf blower ban takes effect on Jan. 1. Tell the City what you think about the draft administrative rules.
Here are our main concerns, as outlined in the last call-to-action. Feel free to draw on these as you compose your comments:
1. START THE PENALTIES IN 2026!
The draft rules delay civil penalties (fines) for the first two years, until 2028. This undermines the ordinance’s chances of success and conflicts with the language in the code. Laws must have teeth. From day one – January 1, 2026 - civil penalties for repeated violations should be issued as outlined in the code. The city has had nearly two years to inform property owners of the approaching start date of the ban. Volunteers (Thank you!) have distributed notification postcards and flyers in every neighborhood, and put the word out in local media. There is no reason to delay full enforcement from the start. As we all know, empty threats do little to change behavior.
2. SEPARATE GAS LEAF BLOWER COMPLAINTS FROM NOISE COMPLAINTS. The leaf blower ordinance is not about noise, but about prohibiting the use of a harmful tool. That’s why it’s located in Title 17 Public Improvements, not Title 18 Noise Code. Putting the complaint form in the “Report a Noise Concern” section on PP&D’s website is confusing and inappropriate. The policy needs its own complaint form for reporting the unlawful use of a gas blower, regardless of decibel level. While noise complaints about gas leaf blowers may still be submitted during fall 2026 and 2027 (the last times GLBs will be allowed), that complaint process is well spelled out in the Noise Ordinance. The rest of the year, and year-round after Jan. 2028, gas leaf blowers are simply not allowed. They are a prohibited tool and a prohibited noise – illegal at any volume.
3. SIMPLIFY THE RULES
The rules around enforcement are weak and needlessly complicated, contrary to the simple intent outlined in the penalties section of the code. Compare that clear language to the tortuous language of Sec. 6B in the draft rules. And note that the various actions that trigger warnings, notices, and violations change each year for the first three years (2026, 2027, 2028) – a sure recipe for confusion. This is bound to frustrate property owners and complainants alike.
A sincere thank you for your time and dedication to this important cause, every step of the way. We couldn’t do it without you!
The Quiet Clean PDX Steering Committee
Michael Hall, Albert Kaufman, Tamara Olcott, Stanley Penkin, Brian Stewart, and Judy Walton
P.S. We have lots of postcards like the ones below - want some? Contact Albert
| 
