California SB 649
Update: October 16, 2017 California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB 649. Read California Governor Brown’s Letter.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/Governor-Brown-Letter-VETO-SB649-.pdf” title=”Governor Brown Letter VETO SB649″]California SB 649 would strip the local control of communities to determine wireless facility placement in their rights of way. The State of California Department of Finance has made the recommendation to oppose SB 649 stating, “this bill goes too far by usurping city and county zoning authority for infrastructure development, and it potentially imposes reimbursable, state-mandated costs on cities and counties.”
The AARP, the Sierra Club and the Environmental Working Group oppose this Bill. Over 200 cities, and the League of California Cities are opposed to SB 649. 45 out of 58 California Counties are in opposition to this bill.
This page maintains an updated list of news reports, videos and factsheets related to SB 649. Please scroll down to see the wealth of material generated by this ill advised bill that would streamline 5G cell antennas into neighborhoods and increase exposure to wireless frequencies.
Read SB 649: Wireless telecommunications facilities
On this page EHT is maintaining documentation on letters of opposition sent to the State, videos of news reports and videos of testimony given to the State lawmakers. Please check in regularly.
If you want to join others in California working to stop this bill please contact Californians For Safer Tech.
Click here to download a PDF of over 60 pages of letters on 5G by scientists and organizations such as the Sierra Club, the AARP and Environmental Working group.
Factsheets
Many organizations have issued Factsheets on SB 649 to educate the public. See below several examples.
EHTs One Page Scientific Factsheet on 5G and Health
Read an Issue Brief “State Legislation on Wireless Small Cells” January 2017
Read an 8 point FactSheet on SB649 by California Alliance for Safer Technology
EMF Safety Network One Page Flyer
5th Generation (5G) Wireless Communications Fact Sheet Grassroots Environmental
Read July 2017 League of California Cities Factsheet on SB649 which states SB649:
- Forces cities and counties to lease out their public property for wireless equipment;
- Eliminates negotiated leases, and places a $250 cap on what they call an attachment rate instead;
- Eliminates public input, full local discretion, and ability to reduce equipment blight by using encroachment and building permits instead of discretionary permits;
- Eliminates ability to remove equipment that is blighting neighborhoods.
See more videos of the Senate Assembly testimony/discussion/vote on SB 649 at EHTs Youtube Playlist.
The Editorial Boards of Four Major California newspapers Oppose SB 649
“A brazen cell phone power grab” Editorial Board, San Francisco Chronicle
“An audacious 5G power (pole) grab” Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
“California should butt out of cities’ deals with telecom companies” East Bay Times July 17, 2017
Noteworthy News Coverage
New York Times Op-ed “Why Does Verizon Care About Telephone Poles?” October 3, 2017
“Big Telecom and its allies in the White House have quietly carried out a campaign to secure rapid and cheap access to those poles, at taxpayer expense. Here in California, state legislators recently advanced a bill introduced by Senator Ben Hueso that would allow wireless service providers to install their equipment on public street poles at below-market rates — and to do so nearly wherever and whenever they choose — all in the name of “streamlining” local permit approvals.”
Read the article by Susan Foster in Fearless Parent entitled “Cell Tower hypocrisy: Rescuing firefighters and not kids.”
OPPOSITION LETTERS AND DOCUMENTS
The State of California Department of Finance has made the recommendation to oppose SB 649.
The analysis report defines that SB 649 is likely to create a million dollar unfunded mandate, fails to cure basic wireless digital divide issues; and is fails to address important issues of community aesthetics.
Read the CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE BILL ANALYSIS OF SB 649.
The Environmental Working Group is in strong opposition to SB 649.
Read the EWG post on SB649. “Cellphone Safety: Industry Pushes to Strip Local Control of High-Speed Networks” by Olga Naidenko Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor for Children’s Environmental Health.
Letter from Environmental Working Group June 26, 2017
Letter from Environmental Working Group July 26, 2017
Letters sent to California State in Opposition To 649
Letter from Greenlining Insitute
Letter from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), July 19, 2017 “This bill undermines the authority of local government..”
Letter from the Alliance of Nurses for Health Environments
Law Office of Harry Lehmann“Mass casualties are likely in District 10 from passage of 648, July 6, 2017
Letter From EMF Safety Network and Ecological Options Network
Radiation Research Trust Letter of Opposition
Letter from the Marin California Council of Mayors and Council Members Opposing SB 649
Scientists For Wired Technology, 5/30/17: front and back Scientists For Wired Technology 5/31/17:front and back
Letters from the City of Palos Verdes Estates April 12, 2017, July 20, 2017
American Planning Association Opposes SB 649
Berkeley City Council Opposition Letter
Scientist Letters
Letter from Dr. Lennart Hardell To Governor Jerry Brown on SB649
Letter from Dr. Joel Moskowitz To Governor Jerry Brown on SB649
Beatrice Alexandra Golomb, MD, PhD Lettter in Opposition to SB649
Letter from Dr. Martin Pall in Opposition to SB649
Attachment to Dr. Pall Letter – 142 Microwave Radiation Review Studies
Letter from Dr. Cindy Russell in opposition to SB649
Letter from Physicians For Safe Technology in opposition to SB649
Letter from Dr. Devra Davis to Chair Aguiar-Curry on SB 649
Letter from Dr. Devra Davis to Governor Jerry Brown on SB649
Letter from Dr. Paul Ben Ishai in Opposition to SB 649
Letter from Frank Clegg, former President of Microsoft, Canada
Letter From Susan Foster To Governor Brown About Firefighters
FCC Comments by Susan Foster About Firefighters
8/20 National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy Letter to Appropriations Committee
8/21 National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy Letter to Assembly
8/24 National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy Letter to Governor Brown.
See PSA’s below created by organizations calling for a veto to SB 649
Californians for Safe Technology have created a PSA video below.
Read more letters from cities below.
Guest Blog: ‘Health Exemption for Firefighters sends a Message to the World’ by Susan Foster
[pdf-embedder url=”https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/A-sample-of-today_s-81-tailored-Assembly-letters2.pdf” title=”A sample of today_s 81 tailored Assembly letters(2)”][pdf-embedder url=”https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/SB-649-UPDATE-7_6_2017.pdf” title=”SB 649 UPDATE 7_6_2017″]
City of Azusa Letter of Opposition
City of Humboldt Letter of Opposition
City of San Bernardino Letter of Opposition
City of Palos Verdes Estates Letter of Opposition
California Contract Cities Association Letter of Opposition
The City of Long Beach Letter of Opposition
Westside Regional Alliance of Councils Letter of Opposition
Groups Working To Halt SB649
California Alliance for Safer Technology
Go Fund Me Californians Against SB 649
Action Alert Documents
City of Placerville ACTION ALERT!! SB 649 (Hueso) Small Cells
Memo From RCRC California Council of Rural Counties to Oppose SB 649
News Stories
Fox 5 La Jolla residents battle Crown Castle cell phone tower in yards.
The Union: Nevada City opposes state effort to control cell phone infrastructure, May 3, 2017
San Francisco Gate: Antenna permitting bill sparks clash between state, local officials
Letter to the editor, The Mercury News, Sep 19, 2017 Governor should veto cell antennas bill
Los Angeles Times Editorial on 5G Small Cell Streamlining Bills “An audacious 5G power (pole) grab”
CBS News Story “Cell Phone Towers Outside Your Window – Why You Don’t Have The Right To Fight”
Cities fight bill to streamline cell antenna installations, July 5 2017, Mercury News
[pdf-embedder url=”https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/SB-649-to-Sen.-Hueso-7-26-17-pdf-1.pdf” title=”SB 649 to Sen. Hueso 7-26-17 pdf (1)”]
In the Press
- Times Standard, Capitol tracker: Cities, counties oppose telecom bill, July 17, 2017
- East Bay Times Editorial, California should butt out of cities’ deals with telecom companies, July 16, 2017
- UCLA Daily Bruin Editorial, SB 649 needs to be vetoed to preserve local government power, July 16, 2017
- CBS 13 (Sacramento), Cities, Counties Line Up Against Bill Removing Limits on Cell Transmitters, July 12, 2017
- KCAL 9 (Los Angeles), story on SB 649, July 12, 2017
- ABC 7 (San Francisco), story on SB 649, July 12, 2017
- KERO ABC (Bakersfield), story on SB 649, July 12, 2017
- KPIX CBS (San Francisco), story on SB 649, July 12, 2017
- Op-Ed, Rosemead City Council Member Sandra Armenta, San Bernardino Sun, Telecom bill would hurt California’s poorer, inland cities, July 11, 2017
- KQED, Morning Edition story on SB 649, July 11, 2017
- KFI Radio, Coast to Coast AM story on SB 649, July 11, 2017
- KNX Radio, story on SB 649, July 10, 2017
- Public News Service, Hearing Wednesday on Spread of High-Power Cell Towers, July 10, 2017
- Pleasanton Weekly Editorial, Wireless facility bill will circumvent local control, July 10, 2017
- George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, AT&T and Verizon want free rein to put up new wireless transmitters in your neighborhood. Here’s why that’s a bad idea, July 10, 2017
- 48 Hills, Cell-phone companies try to ram through bill blocking local control of transmitters, July 10, 2017
- Sacramento Bee Editorial, Democratic legislators take bold stands, except when they don’t, July 9, 2017
- San Jose Mercury News, Cities fight bill to streamline cell antenna installations, July 6, 2017
- Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor represented the 180 cities and dozens of counties opposed to SB 649 on Southern California Public Radio’s Air Talk with Larry Mantle, July 5, 2017
- Editorial, An audaious 5G power (pole) grab, Los Angeles Times, July 5, 2017
- League Executive Director Carolyn Coleman, CSAC Executive Director and RCRC Executive Director Greg Norton op-ed, Why wireless industry bill is a triple rip-off for Californians, Sacramento Bee, June 27, 2017
- San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board, California lawmakers must reject telecoms’ cell phone power grab, June 27, 2017
- San Diego Union Tribune, Proposed state law would shrink control cities have over cell tower installations, David Garrick, June 27, 2017
- Sacramento Bee op-ed, Why wireless industry is a triple rip-off for Californians, League of California Cities Executive Director Carolyn Coleman, California State Association of Counties Executive Director Matt Cate and Rural County Representatives of California Executive Director Greg Norton, June 27, 2017
- San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, Bill seeks to bypass city controls on where telecom equipment goes, San Francisco Supervisor Mark Farrell and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Harlan L. Kelly Jr., June 26, 2017
