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available for professional landscapers (capped at $25,000 per eligible purchaser) operated by small businesses or sole proprietors. Previously, the Tri-Valley Air Quality Community Alliance (TVAQCA) had an available grant for commercial gardeners and landscapers, government agencies, school districts, colleges, and non-profits. However, the program has expired and is unknown how soon, if at all, will be renewed. Transition of Municipal Fleet The ban on gas-powered leaf blowers would apply to the City's Public Works Department equipment fleet, which currently includes about 35 leaf blowers. Staff estimates transitioning the City's fleet of leaf blowers to all-electric would cost about $180,000, which includes multi-chargers (to charge several batteries at once), and extra batteries for the maintenance crews to have on hand when out in the field (a battery pack lasts about as long as a tank of gas). This estimated cost includes infrastructural electrical upgrades needed to increase outlet availability and load capacity.4 Some of the concerns discussed among staff in transitioning the City's fleet included compromises such as reduced power, user discomfort (of units with handle-mounted batteries), infrastructure costs, unknown impact on service levels by going full electric, and limited availability for professional-grade equipments. However, as described in this report, there are many positive trade-offs in making the transition. Not least of these is the opportunity for the City to demonstrate leadership and a positive example in supporting a transition to ZEE, in addition to environmental and health benefits, and noise and maintenance cost reductions. Enforcement and Implementation Enforcement is expected to be one of the most challenging considerations in adopting this type of ordinance, particularly due to limited staff capacity. The short-term/transitory nature of leaf blower use also makes enforcement more challenging, since the violation must be personally observed, or documented in a verifiable manner in order to be enforced. While the City would have the power to enforce the ban on gas-powered leaf blowers through the typical code enforcement procedures available through the PMC (e.g., fines and penalties) the enforcement approach is anticipated to focus on outreach and education, rather than strict imposition of fines and penalties. With adoption of the ordinance, staff recommends a robust community engagement strategy to inform the community and landscape maintenance companies that do business in the city about the new regulations and highlight financial incentives available. To allow for such public outreach and education, and recognizing the timelines that may be faced in securing equipment especially for larger scale for commercial operators, staff recommends that implementation of the ordinance begin by June 1, 2024. This will allow time for additional outreach and education that can help to a The City was recently awarded a$7,500 TVAQCA grant that helped offset the costs of a battery powered equipment pilot program in which the City purchased 20 pieces of equipment,as well as chargers and batteries;this included two backpack electric leaf blowers and battery packs. The new equipment arrived in June and went into use after a manufacturer orientation. 5 Larger purchase orders of professional-grade equipment have longer lead times and may take 3 or more months to fulfill. Page 5 of 7