Debate Over Cell Phone Tower
LOS ALTOS, Calif. (KCBS) _ The Santa Clara County Planning Commission is expected to reject a call to deny the approval of another cell phone tower in an unincorporated Los Altos neighborhood.
Many homes on Whitman Avenue near Magdalena have signs posted in their front yards that say "No 4th Tower."
Los Altos resident Marshall Jackson and his wife Nadja want to allow Verizon to put up a 55-foot tall cell phone tower on his property.
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But many neighbors, like Ruthann Herendeen don't like the proposal.
"We're afraid it's going to compact and compound the traffic and noise," she said. "It's not what you would expect in a residential neighborhood. We have been here 33 years and we're also concerned about the health consequences, if any, especially for the children."
But Jackson points to an 88-page county report supporting his position.
"You'll see in the report that there's letters from paramedics, there's letters from battalion chiefs of the fire department that all say that any gaps in cell coverage are potential life-threatening gaps that in an emergency, can cause a delay in reaching emergency services," said Jackson.
Jackson also disputes claims that the taller fourth tower would be an eyesore.
