New developments!
9-4-2010

After over 9 months of community organization and action with a balanced and thoughtful response from Culver City Council and Planning Department, a new application to place the T-Mobile facility at the Studio Village shopping center is in the works! This is the solution proposed by the 'Stop Sawtelle Tower' group based on the existing Culver City guidelines and represents a true win-win-win for the city, telecommunications interests and the community.

Instead of being located at the 'Cash' n Carry' store adjacent to homes and across from El Rincon school, the new facility will be co-located with existing cell phone transmitters in a commercial area far away from homes and schools.

We have to wait and see as the permit process is completed, but as Culver City residents, we should all be proud and comforted by the  way our community and city responded to the challenge of finding a suitable place for this facility.

see 'Map and Images' page for the public announcement.

The situation
A notification from Culver City on Dec. 13, 2009 states that the owners of the Cash'n'Carry at the corner of Sawtelle and Stevens Avenue, Aaron Anderson, working as a consultant for T-Mobile, is helping Dan and Zahava Israely, owners of the store, to obtain a permit to install and collect income from powerful T-Mobil cell phone transmitters on the roof of their store. This building is located in a residential area fifty feet away from homes and a few hundred feet from El Rincon grammar school. There are better places to put this transmitter. With the addition of an eleven foot tall box on it's roof. The resulting building will be thirty seven feet high. The 'box' is a screen with hidden antenna emitting EMF radiation at adjacent homes and El Rincon school. See 'Map and Images' page

See the 'Medical; Research' page of this website for more links to research. Health risks associated with these sites are frightening. Unfortunately the Federal government in the Telecommunications  act of 1996 eliminated the ability of local governments to restrict the placement of these types of antennas on the basis of health concerns.

Federal law does not allow the city  to restrict placement of these transmitters to protect our health. However, the city government does care about the community, and we are certainly not restricted in expressing any of our concerns. We did so on January 19 2010, at City Hall, and we will need to again and again if neccessary, in greater numbers.

As far as the Culver City Planning Department is concerned, our petitions, comments and complaints should include the alarming appearance of the building (11 feet higher than existing) . Consider how it will look being thirty seven feet tall amongst the existing small homes. Go to 'Map ' to see images of the existing building. Consider how it will affect our quality of life and the subsequent drop in property value associated with these installations.

The city needs to require T-Mobile to locate the site at one of two other locations T-Mobile itself has identified. These other locations are far from schools and homes and better comply with the Culver City Municipal Code. T-Mobile has told the city and community that the other locations were not available because the owners weren't interested or they couldn't negotiate a lease. These statements  are  patently false. Both locations have indicated that they would like to house the cell site. We have now learned that T-Mobile  wants to maximize profit by locating at Cash'nCarry simply because it will be
CHEAPER RENT.

Get email updates and stay informed! stopsawtelletower@gmail.com
Sign the email petition:  just click 'Contact Us' and state your position! It will be forwarded to the city.

Why you should care:

T-Mobile and other cell phone companies are placing hundreds of towers dispite the  protests of communities all over. (See 'RECENT EVENTS & NEWS' )
It can happen in your neighborhood.

The evidence indicating that EMF radiation from cell towers is detrimental is growing. Cancers, especially brain tumors and leukemia, damage to cell tissue and DNA are all linked to even low levels of radiation over long periods of time, especially in children. Short term effects include suppressed immune function, depression, miscarriage. Go to the 'Links & Research' page to find out more. However, you  don't have to accept this conclusion. Please, do your own research!

Despite the misguided federal 1996 law, local governments and those of many other countries recognize the detrimental health effects of cell phone transmissions. Eventually ours must as well. But it may take decades for the cancer and other problems to occur in sufficient numbers to become irrefutable evidence, meanwhile our families are going to be irradiated now, 24 hours a day. In the near future the link between EMF radiation and cancer will be an accepted fact of life, like smoking and lung cancer. (Recall the link between cigarette and lung cancer was challenged by some in the scientific establishment until 1964) By the time that the laws do change, our kids will have absorbed radiation for years, causing increased health problems and cancer. 

Due to these health concerns, property values decline in areas close to cell phone towers. Some studies indicate as much as 20%. (check Links & Research)  If the cell tower gets built, we will see the values of our homes decrease, as potential buyers are hesitant to take on these risks themselves. 

To stop the building of the cell phone base station, it is essential that we organize as a community and become a voice that the Culver City Government cannot ignore. Sol Blumenfeld is required to make a decision by the end of April 2010.

Please contact the city and state your opposition, again!:

Dir. Community Development
Sol Blumenfeld Sol.Blumenfeld@culvercity.org

City Council-
Andrew Weissman: andrew.weissman@culvercity.org
Christopher Arment: christopher.armenta@culvercity.org
D. Scott Malsin: scott.malsin@culvercity.org
Micheal O-Leary: micheal.leary@culvercity.org
Gary Silbiger: gary.silbiger@culvercity.org

City Manager  P. Lamont Ewell city.manager@culvercity.org
Assistant Planner Christina Rios P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell P. Lamont Ewell christina.rios@culvercity.org

  PLEASE HELP.