Using leaf blower a misdemeanor in Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach City Council voted unanimously last week to amend municipal code to make using a leaf blower a misdemeanor in Manhattan Beach and to allow violations to be prosecuted as either a misdemeanor or an infraction. The amendments will go into effect in October. Someone charged with an infraction is not punished by imprisonment nor entitled to a jury trial or public defender, whereas someone charged with a misdemeanor could face jail time or a fine. The original ordinance – passed in 1998 due to the high noise levels and environmental effects, according to a staff report – ruled that using a leaf blower would result in an infraction, unless the person had previously violated the ordinance twice in the past year. That violator then would be charged with a misdemeanor. Councilmember David Lesser questioned how practical enforcement would be of an already existing law. Eve Irvine, chief of police of the Manhattan Beach Police Department, said eliminating the sliding scale of violations will lift a burden off of the police department. “It lessens the tracking system, which is kind of a nightmare,” she said, adding, “We don’t have to worry about somebody violating this…
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