GOACT Advocates Cell Tower Moratorium for Los Angeles County 1

Local residents prevailed against T-Mobile at the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission today. Members of Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers spoke at the hearing in support of View Park/Windsor Hills (unincorporated Los Angeles County) residents protesting a proposed T-Mobile cell tower installation in their neighborhood. This was the sixth hearing on the proposed tower; the matter first came up in January 2008.

GOACT urged the commission to action, noting that the View Park community had come in force for hearing after hearing, only to have the matter postponed. At the last hearing, residents presented evidence that the tower wasn’t needed, that the location presented legal problems for the property owner, and that T-Mobile had provided incomplete and inaccurate information on its application. Today, strong evidence was presented again, and individuals representing a new California coalition of community groups fighting cell towers (including GOACT) showed up to support View Park/Windsor Hills.

One resident complained that a tower was installed on the parkway in front of his house, with no advance warning. Commissioners seemed confused as to how this could have happened without them knowing about it. GOACT members knew from their own case that the permit application must have gone through the public works entity of the county or city for installation on the right-of-way, which doesn’t require public hearings or planning review.

Commissioner Bellamy criticized T-Mobile’s property value report, with its appraisal estimates from a San Diego company, referencing an Escondido neighborhood. He wanted a local appraiser, who would focus on View Park, Los Angeles County. GOACT representative Elise Kalfayan told the commissioners that in Glendale, local real estate brokers in the immediate neighborhood were contacted, and all of them sent letters to the city council saying that a cell tower in front of a home would lower its property value.

Marguerite Lincoln described GOACT’s effort to canvass its neighborhood, and its discovery that there were few T-Mobile subscribers and almost no one was dropping their land line. GOACT member John McMahon urged the commission to focus on smart planning, taking a forward look at this issue. GOACT as a group recommended that the commission enact a moratorium to create a solid wireless ordinance for the county.

Commissioner Valadez echoed GOACT’s call for creating a comprehensive plan to address the growing number of wireless installation permits. The final vote to deny T-Mobile’s application was 3-2.

The commission chair commented that the applicant had until March 4, 2009 to appeal the decision, in which case it would be heard by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

The situation of cell tower proliferation requires changes in the laws at the state and federal level, and a change in attitude on the part of cell carriers. Carriers need to get the message, as they have in Glendale, that they must work with communities to find acceptable sites for towers.