Hi Menlo Park City Council,
I am a pediatrician at Stanford and homeowner in Menlo Park. Specifically, I'm one of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit physicians at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH), and live near Burgess Park.
I'm writing in support of a ban on gas blowers and encourage you to accept the EQC recommendation. Gas blowers should be panned for a variety of reasons including health, noise pollution, and environmental. As a pediatrician and a MP homeowner with a young 3.5 year old daughter, I believe gas blowers are harmful to young children's health and hearing. Their health is impacted by the gas emissions/fumes and the debris blown, and their hearing is impacted by the noise; all of which are worse than battery powered blowers.
Unlike the ongoing housing element discussion that is ongoing which I recognize is multi-faceted and challenging, the issue of banning gas blowers is clear cut. Gas blowers should be banned.
Please be sure to note the support both in writing and spoken from other pediatricians and physicians at LPCH and Stanford. A number of us have been in touch and all agree that gas blowers should be banned.
Thank you for your consideration,
Kenneth Mah, MD, MS