Nikita Sinha is a program manager for the Institute for Local Government; she can be reached at nsinha@ca-ilg.org.

Few neighborhood sounds generate as much frustration as the whine of a leaf blower or the roar of a gas-powered lawn mower. But what many people experience as an unwelcome nuisance is also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions and highly toxic air pollutants that affect both equipment operators and nearby neighborhoods.

In Mountain View, the community and city council view the transition from gas to zero-emission electric landscaping equipment as an environmental and public health priority. The California Air Resources Board provides incentives and educational resources to help Californians make the transition to electric equipment. But the city recognized that some local gardeners and landscapers face barriers to accessing those programs.

In 2023, the city began providing targeted outreach and support to gardeners and landscapers connected to the Day Worker Center of Mountain View. The Day Worker Center is a community-based nonprofit that provides a safe, organized environment for day laborers to connect with potential employers. It replaces informal street-corner hiring by managing job dispatch, ensuring minimum wage standards, and offering vocational training, language classes, and social services, such as a healthy meal program.  

The city provided the Day Worker Center with nearly $20,000 from its dedicated climate sustainability fund to build a zero-emission electric landscaping training and tool lending library program. The city also organized two hands-on trainings for the landscape workers, who learned how to use electric landscaping tools safely and effectively. Since launching in 2023, the program has completed two classroom sessions and one hands-on training. Workers are now applying their training and using the electric tools.

The power of partnerships

When the city first reached out to the Day Worker Center about this idea, they didn’t come to the table with a fully fleshed-out plan. Instead, city officials presented their goal and asked their partner to brainstorm ideas with them, which resulted in the co-developed tool library program and affiliated trainings.

“Because we built the relationship before creating the program, we ended up talking about more than just the landscaping equipment,” says Danielle Lee, the city’s chief sustainability and resiliency officer. “The Day Worker Center had questions about other city-led projects, which has opened up new ideas and a new network.”

For example, the city is now working with another nonprofit to create heat resiliency toolkits to help vulnerable residents protect themselves during extreme heat events.

While the city has long been committed to decarbonization, it is now exploring how sustainability programs can improve community health outcomes or help residents find and keep jobs. Day workers are among Mountain View’s most vulnerable residents, with the highest rates of injuries in the domestic workforce and the least access to health care, food access, and supportive programs. The program with the center helps them protect their long-term health and build new skills, increasing economic opportunities and positioning them as leaders in the clean energy transition in Mountain View.

This collaborative and equitable program is a testament to the ongoing leadership of Mountain View’s city council and community. The next phase in the city’s decarbonization journey includes adopting a five-year plan that will focus on building and transportation electrification. And staff are already working with elected officials to determine what is realistic and possible during challenging times.

“We’ve been able to have those hard conversations with city council,” says Lee. “Their support allows us to move forward with what we can, while keeping our commitment to the long-term goal.”

The Institute for Local Government’s (ILG) Beacon Program celebrates stories like this on a statewide level, while also sharing best practices with other agencies. In 2025, Mountain View received a Beacon Leadership and Innovation award from ILG for innovation in energy. ILG also offers resources and information to help cities understand current grant opportunities and do more equitable climate planning. Learn how your city can participate in the Beacon Program and benefit from all the program offerings by visiting ca-ilg.org/beacon-program.