Burbank Wireless Ordinance Up for Review; Residents Forward Health Effects Research for Consideration


Several research studies cast doubt on the safety of cell tower microwave emissions; Burbank residents sent this list of studies and news reports to the Burbank City Council last month.

Background: shortly after Glendale’s draft wireless ordinance was released for public and industry review, controversy over a proposed T-Mobile cell tower at Brace Canyon erupted in Burbank.

Residents petitioned the Burbank City Council, which held a December 8, 2009 study session on current telecom laws and whether to update its wireless ordinance. The session featured some of the same wireless industry representatives seen at Glendale hearings: Clark Harris of T-Mobile, and Patti Ringo of the California Wireless Association.

The residents’ group Burbank ACTION published a report on the meeting (excerpt below). It also sent a follow up package (link above and at the end of this post) to the city council to rebut the wireless industry claim that no evidence links cell tower emissions with health effects.

Council member Dr. David Gordon asked some very important questions about cell antenna directionality, and brought up an important case about a group of residents in Los Angeles who became ill because the antenna was pointed at their house. Most of the Council members expressed their desire to update Burbank’s wireless ordinance like the City of Glendale is currently doing. They want to follow Glendale’s efforts to protect the character of the residential neighborhoods and schools by setting up preferred and non-preferred zones. Council member Jess Talamantes also said he’d like to have the City make it a policy to inform residents in advance about proposed wireless facility installations so they can provide the city with community input. Thanks to Planning Board Member Vahe Hovanessian for requesting this study session several months ago, due to his concerns regarding emissions from the cell tower that’s up and running next to Jordan Middle School. (It originally had 12 antenna on it, and in July 2009 had 3 more antenna and other equipment added onto it.) And thanks to Deputy City Planner Michael Forbes for including the proposed Brace Canyon cell tower project in his presentation to our City officials, raising awareness about it.

Two downsides to the Joint Study Session?

The public was not allowed to provide any counter points to the statements made by the wireless industry reps during this one-hour study session. For instance, Patti Ringo, Secretary of the California State Wireless Association (CalWA) said: “There are no studies available about cell towers and emissions.” Her colleague, Julian Quattlebaum, chair of CalWA’s regulatory commission, made similar statements, holding up a thick stack of papers he wanted to present to City Council for review: “The evidence that’s out there show no evidence of any link between RF emission from cell phone antennas and any human illnesses.”

So Burbank ACTION will send its list of studies disproving those statements to City Council for review. If you want an idea of the studies that have been done, just look at our Health Effects: Science & Research page.

The Glendale News Press published an update on the status of Glendale’s draft ordinance last week. An upcoming post will analyze industry comments on the ordinance.