Despite our many trips
to wine country, Will and I had never been to the town of Sonoma. Our bed and breakfast was a quick walk
to the lovely town square, where we enjoyed browsing the boutiques, tasting
rooms, and farm-to-table restaurants.
I would be shocked if a single processed food dared exist within 15
miles. Well-dressed families
strolled and picnicked, children rode their bicycles, and perfectly groomed
dogs led their owners on leisurely walks. Just a block or two from where we stayed stands the original
Williams Sonoma. Shoppers exited the store radiating
sunbeams and song. I admit I even
squealed with delight.
And yet, behind its
idyllic façade, Sonoma is a town with some real problems. I refer to its struggle against the
tyrannical leaf blower lobby. For
the last six years,
the Sonoma City Council has weighed the critical issue of leaf blower legality. These vile instruments
of lawn maintenance have pitted neighbor against neighbor. Lawn signs proclaiming “LEAF BLOWER
FREE ZONE” demarcate the battle lines.
Could there be greater threats to their community than the noise,
greenhouse gases, and particulate matter that leaf blowers spew into the
air? Still, some residents and
their landscapers selfishly cling to these tools of destruction. (When will they think of the children?) Thankfully, Sonoma Neighbors Against Leaf Blowers, or SNALB (pronounced similarly to the word “snob”), is on the
case. In March, largely thanks to
SNALB’s advocacy, the city council voted to ban gas-powered leaf blowers and
restrict the use of electric blowers.
Refusing to give in, however, pro-leaf blower activists gathered the
necessary signatures to overturn the ban and place the issue on the November
ballot. (And you thought Hillary
v. Trump was the crisis of our times.
Sad!)
Will Sonoma succeed in
removing this menace from their streets?
Will this election finally spell doom for the leaf blower? Or will the leaf blower continue its
reign of terror… Only time will tell. I'll keep you posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment