Orinda's Anti-Noise Effort Making Some Noise of Its Own

Leafy little Orinda is shaping up to be the latest battleground in a growing movement to ban the proliferation of leaf blowers in suburban neighborhoods.

Peter and Susan Kendall, founders of a group calling itself Quiet Orinda, picked up the banner of noise and pollution-free suburban tracts after Peter, who suffers from sleep apnea, began losing precious sleep because of the whining, whirring blowers.

"It's non-stop now," Peter says.  "One crew will blow for a half hour or hour and then another will start a little farther up the street.  Sometimes it seems they go on all day."

Some residents - and most of the mow-and-blow landscape companies in town - say the high-speed, high volume machines are essential to economic maintenance of local yards.  But a growing number of people are signing the Kendalls' petition to get an initiative banning the machines before the Orinda City Council, and their effort has led to a video and national press attention.

"It's a touchy issue because it does, in some cases, pit neighbor against neighbor," Peter says.  "We just think they do more harm than good and better methods exist for getting essential yard work done."

So sure of their position are they that the Kendalls recently contracted with a videographer to document the excesses of local blowers as well as their neighbors' reactions to the devices.

The video recently debuted at the California Independent Film Festival, to mostly favorable reviews.  That prompted calls from reporters and like-minded individuals, some from as far away as New York.  Other Orindans, however, say they intend to keep their blowers or the gardeners who use them no matter what.

"They're faster and easy to use," said local landscaper Marcelino Ayalo.  "I know people do not like them but I need them for my business."

"Like any critical issue there are people on both sides of the issue," Peter Kendall says.  "We intend to take our argument to city leaders and, hopefully, Orinda will join other Bay Area towns who have banned blowers and benefited as a result."

Okay, Patchers, this issue doesn't seem to be going away.  Where do you stand on the "blow or not to blow" question?