By Khalida Sarwari
Nearly five hours of testimony by dozens of residents pleading with Saratoga’s elected officials to overturn the planning commission’s approval of proposals to put in several new Verizon antennas appeared to be in vain. The Saratoga City Council, by and large, agreed that the antennas will do residents more good than harm.
Residents, many of them parents of children who attend schools in Saratoga, and some who’d come from neighboring San Jose, walked away disappointed by the city council’s 4-1 decision to reject their appeal on Aug. 19, but seemed determined to continue fighting future cell tower installation projects.
Councilman Rishi Kumar cast the sole dissenting vote, preferring to side with his constituents on the issue. He called for a rehaul of the city’s wireless communication ordinance.
“New cell phone towers may be necessary [to] address the capacity needs that more and more electronic devices are demanding,” he said, “but it is important to establish a framework of how we make changes in Saratoga.”
Continued Kumar, “We should consider adding setbacks and other parameters consistent with the aesthetics and quality of life expected by Saratoga residents. Working in piecemeal manner creates hodgepodge inconsistencies and uncertainty.”
His colleagues on the dais disagreed.
“If we don’t want cell towers in our city we need to throw away our cell phones; we need to quit using cell phones,” said Mayor Howard Miller. “You can’t show up and say, ‘Not in my backyard, but I want to use the service.’ You can’t be on both sides.”
Adopting the stance taken by the planning commission a few months ago, the council reiterated that it cannot make decisions based on health or safety, only on design and aesthetics.
Three of the proposed sites are on Prospect Road, one is on Douglass Lane and a fifth is near the Saratoga Presbyterian Church on Herriman Avenue, close to Saratoga High School. Verizon representatives say the antennas address a demand for data capacity, but residents aren’t buying it.
Speaking on behalf of the 900-some people who signed a petition, Jerry Gao urged the council to reject the planning commission’s rulings, saying that they were based on fear.
His arguments to the council were met with loud applause from the audience, some of whom wore yellow T-shirts bearing the words “No cell towers in school” and a photo of a tower with a cross across it. Others held a single yellow rose in their hands. They were asked to bring the flowers as a symbol of unity, Gao explained.
Some residents argued that cell service in Saratoga isn’t as big of an issue as Verizon makes it seem and that they’re only putting in the antennas to give them a competitive edge. A number of residents pointed out inconsistencies in Verizon’s reports pertaining to radio frequency emissions. They called for a third-party to re-evaluate the reports, while Verizon says both reports show that the emissions are well within federal guidelines.
Some residents, such as Esther Chan, argued that the antennas would be too close to their backyard and that they’d prevent them from adding a second story or doing any other expansions on their homes in the future.
The majority cited safety and health risks associated with the installation of the antennas and the exposure to radio frequency emissions. They questioned whether the wooden poles to which the antennas are being attached are sturdy enough to hold them.
“How long did it take the government to figure out cigarettes are dangerous?” posed resident Bruce Barnes. “We don’t know what cell towers are going to do. Remember who you represent. You represent your constituents: the people of Saratoga. The majority of the people here are against it.”
The projects were controversial from the start. When the planning commission held public hearings in May, dozens showed up then, too, to express their concerns and object to the proposals.
Soon after the planning commission approved the projects, a group of concerned residents filed a petition to appeal the commission’s rulings on the grounds that they violate municipal code and state and federal regulations.
A Verizon representative at the meeting assured the council that the antennas will be placed on existing utility poles above high voltage wire lines, at least 30 feet in the air, and will be well disguised. The one on Prospect, in particular, will serve the more than 18,000 drivers that cross that road daily, according to the representative.
The council’s decision means all three projects will go forward as planned.
Link: Residents, Can you hear them now? Council approves cell antennas
