Committee supports Crescenta Valley cell tower for emergency personnel

A group of local residents said they are concerned about the potential health effects of a proposed cell tower in La Crescenta that would be part of a system connecting first responders throughout Los Angeles County during emergencies.

The Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System, known as LA-RICS, would be used solely by first responders, allowing police and fire agencies countywide to communicate with one another when responding to an earthquake, fire or terrorist attack. The La Crescenta tower, slated to go up at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station, is one of 83 towers proposed throughout the county.

“Without this communication system, we’re going to be competing for data, just like you are,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Scott Edson said at a community meeting Thursday that drew roughly 30 people. “When there’s a large number of people, [and] an earthquake, you often lose that data. And that means we will, too.”

But residents who live near the proposed tower said they are worried about the health effects from constant exposure to radio frequency emissions, especially with an elementary school a few blocks away. They urged officials to install the tower elsewhere, like in the Verdugo Mountains.

La Crescenta resident Eric Sherman pointed to his son, a student at Mountain Avenue Elementary School, who was born with eye cancer. After multiple procedures, including the removal of one of his eyes, his son is now “thriving,” Sherman said.

“We’re very, very careful and want to preserve his health,” Sherman said. “He’ll just be bombarded with whatever this is for all of his life, every day, 24/7.”

But 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.

“The period of time you’re exposed doesn’t matter as long as the intensity is low enough,” said Jerrold Bushberg, a clinical professor of radiology at UC Davis who was hired by LA-RICS to speak with the public. “The energy does not accumulate.”

Some residents still worried that down the line, officials will keep building on the tower without notifying neighbors.

Others who supported the project said they felt it would give first responders much-needed tools to fight fires and mudslides in their neighborhoods.

“This is another big step to make this a safe place to live,” said longtime La Crescenta resident Kent Woodward. “And our property values will respond accordingly.”

In a 5-3 vote, the Crescenta Valley Town Council’s Land-Use Committee recommended approval of the tower’s construction.