The lookout

Leafblower Legislation Raises Local Authority Issues

Nothing worse than a leafblower roaring in someone's yard -- or the churned up cloud of contaminants that shoves a fist down your throat as you walk by.

Doesn't happen in Santa Monica, where leaf blowers are banned entirely. And the City Council wants to make sure it stays that way.

Pushed by Councilmember Kevin McKeown, the council has voted to oppose several bills in the state legislature that would pre-empt local authority on the leaf blower issue - SB 1267, AB 1544 and AB 1609.

The council came out in support of SB 19, however, which requests that the Air Resources Board conduct a health and environmental study on leaf blowers.

McKeown's argument is that it's a city's job - not the state's - to protect its neighborhoods and the health of the people who live in them. The issue itself is interesting. So, too, are the political implications for McKeown.

His support for the leafblower ban, at first blush, might seem to contradict what he stands for. He has been a strong advocate for improving the living standards for Santa Monica's Latino hotel and restaurant workers. Indeed, McKeown's support for workers earned him endorsements in the last election from several unions, including the Hotel Workers and Restaurant Workers, Local 814, and the Los Angeles AFL-CIO.

At the same time, leafblower bans have been fought hard by Latino gardeners, who argue they need leafblowers to earn a decent living. In Los Angeles, some gardeners formed their own union to fight the city's ban. Leafblowers might seem like just the kind of politically sensitive issue that McKeown would want to avoid. Quite the opposite.

McKeown's gone at the issue with the steam of…well…a leafblower on full blast. His reason? Health first. And, as far as he's concerned, gardeners are the ones facing the greatest health risks.

"I don't think it's anti-union," McKeown said. "Even if it were, the fact that I'm supported by unions doesn't mean I'm always going to agree with them. The health issue is compelling and overriding. It's pro-worker. And if it happens to be anti-union, then that's a division that I feel comfortable with."

Of course, there's no denying that taking on the leafblower fight will earn McKeown -- and SMRR -- fans among some Santa Monica homeowners. And there's no denying that their support -- just as much as the union's -- could make a big difference in the next election.