January 7, 2023 | Zero5G.com | By 5GFreeCalifornia |

CRITICAL ACTION NEEDED NOW!

FINAL VOTE THIS TUESDAY JAN 10!

Dear Friends,

YOU DID IT! 

Thank you for over 8,000 calls and written comments!
The Board of Supervisors postponed the final vote to January 10th.

Your 8,000+ comments to stop the out-of-control roll-out of wireless facilities in our communities gave the Board of Supervisors reason to postpone their anticipated December 6th vote. Their final vote on the Draft Amendments to Titles 16 and 22 is now scheduled to take place on Tuesday, January 10th.

We need to flood them with your input again. 
Let’s get 3 times as many comments this time!
Protect Your Rights!

 

These proposed amendments to Titles 16 and 22 would take away your right of prior notification, opportunity to be heard, and right to appeal on the placement and standards of wireless facilities. A cell tower could be placed in your yard and you would have no say in it!  Let’s stop this unsafe and unnecessary proliferation of wireless telecommunication facilities throughout LA County.

We made PROGRESS!
There is still hope, and more to do before January 10.

The Supervisors need to hear from YOU! 
Let them know you OPPOSE the Amendments to Titles 16 and 22.
Thank Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath for their OPPOSE positions.

Supervisors Contact Info:

If you don’t know what district you live in, the Executive Office can tell you.
Executive Office: 213-974-1411, E-mail: executiveoffice@bos.lacounty.gov

District 1: Hilda Solis, 213-974-4111, E-mail: FirstDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
District 2: Holly J. Mitchell, 213-974-2222, E-mail: HollyJMitchell@bos.lacounty.gov
District 3: Lindsey Horvath (includes Topanga), 213-974-3333, E-mail: ThirdDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
District 4: Janice Hahn, 213-974-4444, E-mail:  FourthDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov
District 5: Kathryn Barger, 213-974-5555, E-mail: kathryn@bos.lacounty.gov

To Support a Fiber vs. Wireless Infrastructure for LA County, we ask you to ACT NOW —  Do as many of these as you can:

1. Ask Everyone — family, friends, neighbors to Email and Call the Supervisors.
2. Call your Supervisor before 8 am on January 10.
3. Email your Supervisor before 8 am on January 10.
4. Write your Supervisor via the Board of Supervisors Online Comment Portal before Noon on January 9.
5. Call in to the BOS meeting at 9 am on January 10 and queue up to give public comment.
6. Donate if you are able to support further outreach, or legal action if necessary.

1. ASK EVERYONE, family members, friends, neighbors to Call and Email their Supervisors:

• Forward our email that went out early Tuesday morning, January 3rd, from 5GFreeCalifornia or Julie Levine.
• Print out the flyer attached to that email and give it to people who might not read the email or this webpage.
• Refer people to this website and ask them to take some of these actions.

2. CALL the Supervisors before 8am on January 10th and simply say:

“I oppose L.A. County’s proposed amendments to Titles 16 and 22 of the L.A. County Code. Please vote NO.
I urge you to adopt Fiber First LA’s Model Legislation for Titles 16 and 22 as submitted to the Board of Supervisors.
I also urge a reversal of the categorical CEQA exemption as it relates to Titles 16 and 22.”

Add whatever other comments you wish to make. * See below for suggestions.

(If necessary, leave a message with the above statements and include your name.)

3. EMAIL the Supervisors before 8am on January 10th:

Please copy and paste the following four paragraphs into an email to the Supervisors. Add any other comments, your own or from * suggested “Additional Comments” listed below:

I request my written comments be part of the public record for Agenda Item #59, County Code, Title 16 – Highways and Title 22 – Planning and Zoning Amendments for the January 10th LA County Board of Supervisors Meeting.

Don’t take away our rights and protections.

I oppose LA County’s proposed amendments to Titles 16 and 22 of the LA County Code. Please vote NO. I do not want a cell tower or small cell facility installed right outside my home or in my neighborhood without any prior notice, public hearing, or opportunity to appeal, and without any fire or safety provisions, and without regard to critical environmental protections.

I want a reversal of the Categorical Exemptions to CEQA in Titles 16 and 22, so the County Code complies fully with CEQA.  I also request the Board of Supervisors adopt the proposed redline changes to Titles 16 and 22 that were submitted by Fiber First LA.

-sign your name here-

Please continue to bcc 5gfreecalifornia@gmail.com on all emailed comments.

Please send written comments via both Email and the BOS comment portal.

4. Write your Supervisor via the Online Comment Portal before Noon on January 9

Written comments to the LA County Board of Supervisors regarding proposed Amendments to Titles 16 & 22 of the LA County Code must be submitted through this portal BEFORE 12 NOON on Monday, January 9th.

Please copy and paste the following four paragraphs into the portal comment section (link and directions below). Add any other comments, your own or from * suggested “Additional Comments” below.

I request my written comments be part of the public record for Agenda Item #59, County Code, Title 16 – Highways and Title 22 – Planning and Zoning Amendments for the January 10th LA County Board of Supervisors Meeting.

Don’t take away our rights and protections.

I oppose LA County’s proposed amendments to Titles 16 and 22 of the LA County Code. Please vote NO. I do not want a cell tower or small cell facility installed right outside my home or in my neighborhood without any prior notice, public hearing, or opportunity to appeal, and without any fire or safety provisions, and without regard to critical environmental protections.

I want a reversal of the Categorical Exemptions to CEQA in Titles 16 and 22, so the County Code complies fully with CEQA.  I also request the Board of Supervisors adopt the proposed redline changes to Titles 16 and 22 that were submitted by Fiber First LA.

-sign your name here-

HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE BOS COMMENTS PORTAL

1. Complete information at the top of the comment page. NOTE: The only required fields are First and Last names.
   Optional: You can upload a file with your written comments. * See suggestions below.
2. For “Agenda Item,” put in:  #59, County Code, Title 16 – Highways and Title 22 – Planning and Zoning Amendments
3. Scroll down and click on Agenda Item #59
4. Select “Oppose”
5. Type or Paste your comments into the comments box
6. Scroll to the bottom, complete the captcha, and click on “Next”
7. Verify the information is correct and select “Acknowledge” when you are ready to submit

 

5. Call In and Speak to the Board on Tuesday, January 10th at 9am

Here is the link to the Board of Supervisors Call-In Details

Click the Blue Button for How to Participate, then scroll down to How to Call In and Speak on Regular Agenda items.

Call-In Phone Number = (877) 226-8163
Participant Code = 1336503 #

Wait to give the Call Operator your name and the item number you wish to speak on: Agenda Item 59.
If asked for the Conference Name, it’s “Board Meeting“

You will be able to hear the meeting through your phone while you wait.
Press 1 then 0 to be added to the queue to speak to the Board.
Remember to mute your speakers to prevent feedback when it’s your turn to address the Board.
Comments for each agenda item will be heard between the items, so this could be a long wait.
You could multi-task while keeping the line open and checking back periodically to see what agenda item they’re up to.

If you speak on only one agenda item, you get 1 minute.
If you speak on two or more agenda items, you get 2 minutes.
We suggest you write out what you want to say (* suggested comments below),
and we suggest this at minimum:

“I OPPOSE LA County’s proposed amendments to Titles 16 and 22 of the LA County Code. Please vote NO.
Due to the lack of safety requirements, I also urge the Supervisors to REVERSE the categorical CEQA exemption as it relates to Titles 16 and 22.
I do not want a cell tower installed right outside my home without any prior notice, public hearing, or opportunity to appeal, without any fire or safety provisions, and without regard to critical environmental protections that keep us all safe.”

* Here are some additional comments that can be inserted into your email or comment box if you choose:

• The proposed amendments will increase Fire Risk. Four of the last major local fires have been caused by telecommunications equipment.
• In the last 15 years there have been 4 major Southern California wildfires initiated, in whole or in part, by telecommunications equipment.  With California’s unique and rapidly changing climate, any revision to our Code must include strict safety standards to protect our homes and neighborhoods; placement too close to homes or schools may not allow enough time to escape in the event of fire. The revisions/amendments proposed by L.A. County contain nothing about fires.
• I urge the Board of Supervisors to adopt the proposed redline changes to Titles 16 and 22 that were submitted by Fiber First LA, and to prioritize future-proof fiber to the home for everyone in Los Angeles County.
• The redline changes from Fiber First LA provide critical fire safety protections for LA County.
• The claim that hundreds of new small cells are required for 911 calls is false. With loss of electricity, all 911 calls will depend solely upon the macro towers that have already been backed up per the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) Order.
• Do not remove our long-standing protections of CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act, NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act, and NHPA – National Historic Preservation Act, that protect us and our neighborhoods.
• The LA County Planning Department must be required to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to consider potential environmental impacts, including increased fire risk and impacts to historical resources, on ALL telecom permit applications as they relate to Titles 16 and 22 of the County Code.
• The radiation emitted from cell towers is not safe for humans or our natural world; therefore the placement of these antennas is a matter of urgent public interest.
• Wireless broadband uses ten times as much energy as fiber-optic broadband, therefore significantly increasing our carbon footprint. The Board of Supervisors should prioritize fast, reliable, and secure future-proof fiber to the home for everyone in Los Angeles County.
• I want the Supervisors to invest our time and resources in superior Fiber-Optic Broadband Infrastructure that will last 15 to 20 years. I do not want the Supervisors to pursue a build-out of inferior Wireless Broadband that has a short 5-year life span. Plus, we have already paid the telecom companies for the installation of fiber-optics.
• The Supervisors should be investing resources and taking advantage of federal dollars to provide superior fiber-optic broadband connections rather than slow, unreliable, expensive, unregulated, and hazardous wireless broadband that requires hundreds of new antennas in our residential neighborhoods.
• I urge the Board of Supervisors to prioritize future-proof fiber to the home for the reasons outlined by our federal government agency, the NTIA.
• The LA County Board of Supervisors are citizens’ first and only line of defense against any irresponsible placement and construction of telecommunications equipment; it is not true that your hands are tied. This is supported by Congress, the FCC and the Courts.
• It is not true that the FCC requires these amendments to be made to our existing L.A. County Code; that lie is being perpetrated by the telecoms and echoed by our own uninformed Planning Department. Why are other cities and counties adopting much better and more protective codes than these?
• These Amendments would give away the County’s ability to decide whether a proposed facility is necessary and in a proper location.

For more talking points and sample emails, go to https://www.fiberfirstla.org/take-action

6. Please Donate if you are able

For legal fees – 501(c)4 – NOT tax-deductible:  https://www.fiberfirstla.org/take-action
For education and advocacy – 501(c)3 – Yes, tax-deductible:  https://5gfreecalifornia.org/donate

 

 

Current LA County practices do not protect people.
Model legislation has been drafted to address this.

Here is the link for the Proposed Redline Changes for Titles 16 and 22 submitted by Fiber First L.A. which will revise these amendments to be more protective for LA County.

 

 

Link To Source

 

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