As the child of Spanish-speaking parents, Fifth Ward resident Adriana Gomez has served as her parents' de facto translator since she was a child.
When her father, Alvaro Gomez, owner of Al Gomez Landscaping, was struggling to comply with Evanston's 2023 leaf blower ordinance, she offered to help him and other local landscaping businesses, many of whom speak little or no English, work with city officials.
“He needs the help of his children, who go to school here and understand the language, to overcome the challenges he faces in this city,” Adriana Gomez said.
Evanston, April 2023 A ban on gas and propane-powered leaf blowersCiting environmental and noise concerns, the move was made in response to concerns from small landscaping businesses, many of which are owned and employ Spanish-speaking residents, about the cost and effectiveness of power tools. The city considered the idea but ultimately rejected it.will suspend enforcement of the ordinance this spring.
Adriana Gomez said landscaping businesses like her father have been ticketed and “harassed” by local residents who have been photographed and filmed working with banned leaf blowers and told to report them to the city. Al Gomez Landscaping has been so damaged that her father has considered selling the house, she said.
After the city announced it was considering a moratorium on the leaf blower ordinance, many local residents attended city meetings to share how the ordinance had affected their businesses and neighborhoods. Among those in attendance were environmental activists who support a mandate for electric leaf blowers.
Landscape architects like Alvaro Gomez also attended these meetings, but Adriana Gomez said most of the meetings they attended had no interpreters.
“(Other community members) can organize and have a say and influence on the City Council,” Adriana Gomez said. “What about the Spanish speakers in Evanston?”
During public comment at the March 11 City Council meeting, before the council voted 4-5 against suspending the gas blower ban, local landscaper Hector Hernandez said he wasn't told about the blower ordinance when it was introduced. Alvaro Gomez also spoke at the same meeting, with Hernandez translating his Spanish comments into English.
Even when the city offered to provide electric leaf blowers, the application form had to be submitted online and was lengthy, making it difficult for landscapers to complete, Adriana Gomez added.
“It's hard for non-English speakers,” she said.
While the city does not have an official translator, Adriana Gomez said Spanish-speaking city staff, including City Clerk Stephanie Mendoza and Sustainability and Resilience Manager Carla Pratt, helped smooth the distribution of the electric blowers the city purchased.
In a statement to The Daily, city spokeswoman Cynthia Vargas said Evanston is using CityFront Innovations, a technology platform for local governments, to address language barriers, and a group of staff members are volunteering to help where possible.
“We offer several options for language identification, including in-person and video remote interpretation, language identification guides and language access posters that are easily accessible by our customer service teams,” Vargas said.
Vargas said the city covers the costs to ensure language isn't a barrier to receiving city services.
And in an effort to broaden its reach across language barriers and ensure equity in its services, Evanston Public Library's Jeanette Sturgis said her library provides translated materials to many of its users. Marketing and Communications Manager.
Previously, bilingual library assistants translated library information. In 2022, the library switched to using third-party translators to avoid putting a strain on assistants, Sturgis said. That year, 231 people who applied for library cards said they spoke Spanish at home.
More than 7% of Evanston residents speak Spanish at home, making it the second most spoken language in the city after English, according to 2022 Census data.
“What we're really concerned about in libraries is who we're not reaching,” she says. “That's a bit of a hard metric for us.”
Adriana Gomez, who grew up in Evanston, said it was frustrating to see her family and community struggle because of persistent language barriers.
“Unfortunately, the system isn't set up to help people like my father succeed,” Adriana Gomez said.
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Related article:
— City Council maintains gas blower ban, considers alternative support for small landscaping companies
— Possible moratorium on city's ban on gas and propane leaf blowers sparks controversy
— City Council approves $180,000 for purchase of electric leaf blower equipment
