Sebastopol Council denies EMF antenna appeal: Split vote does not support appeal

In a meeting that lasted long into the chilly night, Sebastopol
City Council reelected Mayor Guy Wilson, voted to support Occupy
Sebastopol and declined to overturn the planning commission’s
decision to allow the installation of three new antennas on city
property.
The bulk of the meeting was a 3 and ½ hour hearing concerning an
appeal filed by Sandi Maurer on behalf of the EMF Safety Network –
which achieved prominence through its efforts to stop free
city-wide Wi-Fi and the installation of PG&E’s SmartMeters –
over plans to install three new antennas on an existing unit
located behind City Hall at 7120 Bodega Ave.
The Planning Commission approved the project on Sept. 13 with a
6-1 vote.
Crown Castle, International has a lease with the city until
2031, and will install the antennas on behalf of Verizon
Communications in order to handle 4G networks. The project was
described as a “minor modification of a telecommunication facility”
that already exists on city property and has been in use since
1996.
The appeal was filed on Sept. 21 claiming the planning
commission had insufficient information on which to base its
decision.
It went on to claim that Sebastopol already has “adequate
wireless coverage,” that FCC radio frequency (RF) standards “are
not health standards” and that “RF safety claims are inconsistent
with current science and public opinion.”
Maurer also thought that the EMF Safety Network should have been
better informed on the issue.
The appeal requested a full environmental impact report and
cited the proximity of the Laguna de Santa Rosa and the possible
effects that EMF could have on wildlife, citing a World Health
Organization study that designates EMF as a “possible
carcinogen.”
About a dozen members of the public spoke and Maurer, who was
joined by fellow EMF Safety Network member Nancy Hubert, presented
her case as Crown Castle representatives defended their
position.
Hubert, who is a local realtor, cited economic reasons to
overturn the decision in addition to the other issues on the
table.
“Property values are going down in communities where cell towers
exist,” she said, adding that Sebastopol is a “health and wellness
destination” that could be hurt economically as a result.
Crown Castle representative acknowledged “the rights of …
citizens to voice concerns,” but said that the project was in
compliance with city and federal codes.
As to public notification: “We relied on the city to do
that.”
The majority of speakers were against the project.
“It’s shocking to me that the planning commission knows so
little” about the project, David Hubert said. “There was no looking
at the numbers.”
Linda Berg said that the city had “total disregard for public
health,” and Buffie Harrison asked council to show more concern for
the birds.
Local business man Chris Wagner was a lone voice speaking out in
favor of the technology upgrade. Wagner operates a mobile computer
repair business and said that the upgrade would have a positive
economic effect.
“I support the denial (of the appeal),” he said, adding that
“there’s a huge fusion reactor in the sky that produces
exponentially more” radioactive material than cell towers.
Councilmember Sarah Gurney questioned the reasons for the new
antennas and said that the “profit motive” seemed to be the impetus
behind the upgrade.
But Joe Barker, representing Crown Castle, said the upgrade was
necessary due to the changing nature of communications where more
data is being transmitted than voice communications.
“Data over voice burdens the networks,” he said. “(The upgrade)
increases coverage and speeds.”
Vice Mayor Michael Kyes said that the planning commission should
have provided more complete information, adding that council’s job
was not to revisit the issue, but to address the appeal.
“All the results are inconclusive. No one knows if (EMF) is safe
or not,” he said. “This meets FCC requirements.”
Councilmember Slayter produced an article from a local newspaper
reporting that studies show that EMF is detrimental to health, but
added next week he could produce an article that says exactly the
opposite.
“I wholeheartedly applaud the EMF Safety Network, but all we
have is what’s in front of us,” he said.
In the end, council voted 2-2 – Councilmember Kathleen Shaffer
was absent – which meant that there were insufficient votes to
allow the appeal.
Earlier in the meeting, Wilson was elected to his second term as
mayor, with Michael Kyes maintaining his position as vice mayor.
Slayter nominated Shaffer for the mayor spot, but was unable to
garner support for the nomination.
In other news, council unanimously passed a resolution to
support the Occupy Sebastopol movement brought forth by Gurney.