“The best thing we can do is come up with a moratorium and work on a stringent ordinance,” Councilman Frank Quintero said.
The impetus for the proposed moratorium gathered steam recently against a backdrop of mounting protests after residents learned of plans by T-Mobile to install a new antenna.
Residents of Cumberland Road and beyond objected to the installation based on a number of concerns, including fears of falling property values, detrimental health effects and aesthetics.
In November, neighbors formed Glendale Organized Against Cell Towers, quickly building websites, handing out lawn signs and giving away T-shirts.
They coalesced Wednesday night where much of that paraphernalia was present during the council meeting, which was pushed back a day due to the Armenian Christmas holiday on Tuesday.
A sea of white T-shirt wearing residents — with messages such as, “No cellular antennas in our neighborhood” — filled nearly every row of the council’s chamber, while others watched the proceedings in the lobby downstairs.
“If we allow T-Mobile to do this now, we allow anyone to do this under the Telecommunications Act of 1996,” said Marguerite Lincoln, a main organizer for the group. “We need to make sure we make the right decision now.”
The federal law Lincoln referred to is one of the many legal obstacles standing in the neighbors’ way.
The 1996 law generally bars local municipalities from prohibiting cities or states from interfering with intrastate telecommunication service with courts mostly siding with phone carriers in recent years.
La Cañada Flintridge lost a legal battle opposing a cell antenna there several years ago, while other communities in Woodland Hills, Pasadena and Hollywood are in varying stages of their own fights against T-Mobile or Sprint-Nextel.
