The Malibu City Council on Wednesday last week unanimously struck down an appeal by Crown Castle Communications to reopen a public hearing on installing a new T-Mobile wireless cell phone antenna node in Western Malibu, in a meeting otherwise focused on Earth Day celebrations and environmental awareness.
City Councilman Lou La Monte chastised the applicants at Wednesday’s meeting, citing unpreparedness by Crown Castle as a reason to not allow for further appeal.
The council rejected in March the installation of what would have been the 10th T-Mobile cell phone antenna node onto an already-existing utility pole in Point Dume, after more than 30 residents expressed concerns about overloaded utilities and radiation emissions.
Many noted a risk in the “piecemeal” add-ons, with more and more communications equipment being added to utility poles and little scrutiny being given.
“We need to take a look at the way we do cell towers in this city,” said Councilman John Sibert.
Carver Chiu, a representative for antenna applicant Crown Castle, said at the time that the installation on Grayfox Street would fill “an important void” for coverage in Point Dume by servicing 44 homes and a beach access pathway in the eastern peninsula of the neighborhood.
“There’s a growing demand for the infrastructure to support our societal craving for technology,” he said.
But residents argued adding another antenna to a pole already seemingly overloaded by other communications equipment was a huge safety risk.
“There’s all kinds of people working [at that utility pole] all the time. We’ve had a lot of new loads put on those poles,” said Madelyn Glickfeld, a Grayfox Street resident, at the March meeting. “I don’t think anybody’s looking at the weight of those poles.”
City officials agreed, even calling for a citywide assessment of cell towers and equipment.
When the council struck the item down in March, Chiu protested that it had requested information from him and Crown Castle that he did not have time to prepare for, and asked that the council open the item up for public discussion at a future date.
Yet La Monte complained that responses prepared by Crown Castle arguing in favor of the node were only submitted to the council hours before last Wednesday’s meeting, leaving council members little time to absorb them.
“When I got this thing this afternoon … most of it was discussing the fact that you only had a couple of hours to prepare an answer, and that was March 10, and now it’s April 16, and you send it in to us at 2:45,” La Monte said to Crown representative Chiu. “So we’re supposed to go over all of this, and the reports that go with it, in the two hours before the meeting.”
“It’s ironic,” said Chiu.
“Ironic is exactly the word,” responded La Monte.
Council member Laura Rosenthal opened the appeal for a vote and all five council members voted to close the case.
LA County Older American Recognition Day Award Nomination
Before the close of the meeting, the council unanimously nominated Dolphin Award-winning community member Ron Merriman to be recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as Malibu’s Older American honoree. The honorees are selected based on commitment to community service and involvement.
“Ron has been very involved in this city for 40 years, 50 years,” said Mayor Pro Tem John Sibert, before going on to praise his work in the Optimist Club, serving in the Fourth of July Parade at Point Dume and years of service as a Malibu teacher.
“He may even drive his 1926 Ford truck down to the event,” added Sibert.
“That’s one of the most awesome vehicles in the City of Malibu,” said Mayor Skylar Peak.
The event that will recognize Merriman and other representatives from local districts is to be held on May 27, at Dorothy Candler Pavilion, Music Center Grand Hall.