Copyright ( 1997 The Seattle Times Company Wednesday, July 2, 1997 What's that quiet? L.A.'s leaf blowers fall suddenly silent by Jodi Wilgoren and Jocelyn Y. Stewart Los Angeles Times LOS ANGELES - Rakes and brooms made their grudging appearance in lawns and gardens throughout Los Angeles yesterday, as a new citywide ban against gas-powered leaf-blowers took effect. More than 500 angry gardeners swept into downtown to City Hall to demand a one-year moratorium on the new law for further study of its impact. Noise-weary residents were more enthusiastic - even though homeowners are subject to the same stiff fines as gardeners if anyone uses a blower on their property. "I hate them," said Lea Friedman, admitting that her gardener uses a blower, though she has urged him to swap it for a hose. "They make too much noise and they smell." Said Joel Busch: "It's been loud. It's a reminder of human insanity every time they do it. It blows everything in the air. "I'm so glad it's over." Not so fast. As Los Angeles joined 40 California cities to restrict leaf blowers because of noise and air pollution, city officials acknowledged yesterday that they have no plan in place to enforce the ban. The law prohibits use of the blowers within 500 feet of a residence, and imposes fines of up to $1,000 and jail terms of up to six months for both gardeners and homeowners who violate it. A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said written guidelines for enforcement and officer training regarding the ordinance - which was passed in December - are being prepared. Office Eduardo Funes of the LAPD press office said no one would be cited until training and enforcement guidelines are complete. Even then, only the four officers in the department's Noise Enforcement Unit will be equipped with decibel meters for measuring noise. The gardeners who protested at City Hall said they hoped the city would repeal the law before enforcement begins, saying it will comprise the quality of life in Los Angeles. "If you want clean lawns, L.A. - if L.A. wants beautiful gardens - you have to accept minimal disturbance," said Adrian Alvarez of the Association of Latin American Gardeners. "Many people have the nerve to say gardeners are lazy," Alvarez added. "I dare any City Council member, for one day, to perform the job of a gardener and see if they have time left for Happy Hour." Gardeners throughout the city had already begun to enter a new world - one of push brooms and garden hoses, rakes and silence. Without the leaf-blowers, relatively simple tasks had suddenly grown more demanding and time-consuming. Gardeners said yesterday was their longest workday in recent memory. "We're behind about an hour and a half," said Alfredo Gomez as he hosed down a driveway (hosing sidewalks is also illegal in Los Angeles, a law left over from the drought). Contemplating the first day of life without the leaf blower, Gomez estimated that he would have to work an hour extra on each lawn. With 10 houses to mow and tend each day, the outlook was grim. "We're going to lose money," he said. "If not, eventually the customer is going to lose money because it's going to take us longer and we might have to raise the price." Councilman Mike Hernandez said he would consider asking his colleagues next week to invoke a moratorium of at least six months on the ordinance. That would give gardeners more time to work with manufacturers to develop alternative tools - including a $35 gadget than converts the offensive blowers into the more accepted leaf vacuums - and also give the city time to ready an enforcement plan, Hernandez said.__