Crescenta Valley Town Council nixes proposed cell tower
Cell phone towers near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Ramsdell Avenue.
Officials will have to ditch plans to construct a cell tower in a La Crescenta neighborhood per Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich’s request after dozens of neighbors voiced opposition to the proposal, citing concerns about radio frequency emissions as well as a lack of public outreach.
The tower was slated to be constructed at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station as part of the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, which would connect first responders throughout Los Angeles County during emergencies.
The La Crescenta tower was one of more than 80 towers proposed throughout the county that would allow police and fire agencies to communicate with one another when responding to an earthquake, fire or terrorist attack.
On Friday, however, a day after the Crescenta Valley Town Council voted 7-1 to oppose the tower, Antonovich sent a letter requesting that project officials eliminate the site from their plans and “ensure that the site is returned to its original state if any work had been initiated.”
The letter noted that alternatives have been offered for future consideration.
At the meeting on Thursday, residents, along with council members, complained about the lack of community outreach by project overseers, who they added didn’t explore alternate sites for the tower.
The project has been in the works since 2009, but local residents said they just heard about the proposal for the first time in recent months, leaving council members feeling rushed to make a decision by the Sept. 30 funding deadline.
“When you’re in a rush to get something through, generally, if it sounds like a good deal, it’s not a good deal,” said Councilman Charles Beatty. “For those reasons, I’m out.”
At a meeting last week, project officials said the 45-foot tower, which was initially proposed at 70 feet tall, would emit 1,000 times fewer radio emissions at ground level than the standard set by the Federal Communications Commission.
But neighbors remained concerned about the potential health effects for those who live near the tower and thought that down the line, officials would keep building on the tower. Out of the 41 people who spoke or submitted comments at Thursday’s meeting, just one voiced support for the proposal.
“People around the antenna are afraid ... and I think that’s your fault,” Councilman Mike Claessens told the project representatives at the meeting, adding that they had a responsibility to make residents feel comfortable with the proposal. “Because you haven’t done that, I can’t support the antenna.”
La Crescenta resident Wendy English said her family is emotionally attached to their home, which her father-in-law built and in which her husband was raised.
“It’s our forever home,” English said. “I don’t want to spend forever under the tower, and I don’t want my children to spend forever under the tower.”