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Buena Park council backs phased ban on gas lawn equipment, adds rebates and drops citation enforcement
Summary
Council adopted a three‑year ordinance to transition city equipment, contractors and residents to electric lawn equipment, authorized a $50,000 rebate program and $88,000 in city allocations, and amended the measure to remove administrative-citation enforcement before approving it unanimously.
The Buena Park City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance to phase out gas-powered lawn equipment citywide and approved a city rebate program intended to ease the transition for residents and businesses.
Sustainability Manager Lotus Tai told the council the Climate Action Commission recommended a multiyear rollout that begins with converting city equipment, then commercial small equipment, residents and finally large commercial equipment. Staff aligned the schedule with state action (Assembly Bill 1346) and recommended a rebate structure totaling $50,000 (allocated $20,000 for residents, $20,000 for local businesses, $10,000 for nonresident-but-licensed businesses) to supplement the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) rebate.
Tai outlined a phased timeline: small commercial equipment under 25 horsepower would be targeted after roughly 18 months, residential small equipment after two years, and all equipment within three years. The staff proposal included $88,000 from the undesignated general fund for the rebate program, education/outreach and new city electric equipment.
Council and staff discussed costs for commercial contractors (staff cited one vendor’s transition cost of roughly $36,000 annually) and the AQMD application process, which staff said takes about three to four weeks. Tree-service owner Eduardo Nunez Padilla said small firms worry the upfront cost of electric equipment could make work in Buena Park uneconomic for crews based elsewhere.
Vice Mayor Trout moved to adopt the ordinance with an amendment removing Section 2(d) — the administrative citation enforcement clause — arguing the city should “incentivize not penalize” during a phased rollout; the amendment was seconded and the amended ordinance passed unanimously.
Council directed staff to implement an education-first approach, translate outreach materials into English, Spanish and Korean, and to start the rebate program immediately; staff said the city rebate would be processed after applicants receive AQMD confirmation.
