Glendale Ordinance Maneuvers Within
Federal and State Laws


At last night’s Wireless Facilities Ordinance community meeting, Glendale showed an excellent grasp of federal and state telecom laws and how they’ve been interpreted by the courts.

Those federal and state laws clearly have an excellent grasp over local efforts to control wireless facilities siting.

Glendale public works counsel Christina Sansone, city consultant Jonathan Kramer, and outside counsel Jeff Melching explained how the Telecom Act of 1996, the California Public Utilities Code, and court of appeals rulings have severely limited or left ambiguous how municipalities can regulate placements.

The Glendale ordinance was drafted to give the city more leeway to judge permit applications, but offers limited protection against public right-of-way installations in residential areas. Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers committee members urged the city last night to improve those parts of the ordinance by incorporating setback provisions similar to those in San Diego County (upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals).

Two more community meetings will be held so residents and the community can learn about and comment on the draft ordinance. The Glendale News Press has a report on last night’s meeting here.