I would like to advocate for banning leaf blowers during school hours while the shelter-in-place requirement is in effect.
Many Gilroy homes have schoolchildren and college students relying on distance learning, and the noise of leaf blowers operating outdoors within a few hundred feet makes it difficult to hear the online tutorials. Not every student has cup-style earphones, and no earphones are being supplied with the Chromebooks supplied by Gilroy Unified School District.
Unlike vehicle noise, leaf blowers typically are operated for 10-30 minutes; this is a significant amount of time during which the instructor’s voice could be unintelligible or unclear.
I recognize that landscapers rely on leaf blowers and might face hardship rescheduling their work to non-school hours or using manually-intensive tools. However, I believe that anything we can reasonably do to foster an environment conducive to distance learning is worth serious consideration. I would appreciate it if the Gilroy Dispatch addressed this issue and stated a position.
Girish Apte, Gilroy
