Some residents have expressed concern that the facilities pose health risks, while others object to them on aesthetic grounds.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration maintains that exposure to telecommunications facilities — such as antennas and cellphone towers — is well within safety margins for nearby residents, but some contend that the relevant science behind the safety of wireless communications is inconclusive.
But perhaps most frustrating to opponents of the facilities, especially cellphones towers, is local governments’ apparent helplessness to do anything about them.
The city of La Cañada Flintridge’s attempt, starting in 2001, to deny a tower on aesthetic grounds was quashed in court by a judge who ruled that the local ordinance conflicted with the California Utilities Code.
And the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 prohibits local and county governments from denying cell towers for health reasons.
While the Los Angeles County Regional Planning Commission typically grants conditional-use permits to projects only if they do not pose adverse health risks, that caveat is trumped by the federal mandate, said Paul Novak, planning deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, whose district includes La Crescenta.
“I’m not necessarily in support of what Congress did . . . but that is the law, and it does preclude cities and counties from considering [electromagnetic field] issues,” Novak said.
“Under federal law, we’re precluded from considering those issues, so that’s created a lot of unhappiness in many communities and my guess would be probably across the country.”
