Bvneighborhood's Blog

Former ATT Broadband Pres joins Walnut Creek budget committee

bvneighborhood — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 04:58:16 +0000

More cozy relationships.

Walnut Creek has chosen former AT&T Broadband Western Division President John Kopchik as a key member of the budget oversight group for the City. Kopchik is currently retired from AT&T, however his relationship to the company and its key members at least raise the question of undue influence upon the City of Walnut Creek.

Are these close relationships between AT&T and the City of Walnut Creek a mere coincidence or do they indicate a distinct business advantage that AT&T has leveraged from the City of Walnut Creek, and from San Ramon. (See prior blog post re: Ken Mintz of AT&T serves on Walnut Creek & San Ramon Chambers of Commerce) Is the City of Walnut Creek complicit in these dealings?

Shouldn’t we be taking a closer look at campaign contributions from At&T and what kind of ethics. conflict of interest, and open government laws that Walnut Creek may or may not be following. Clearly, a key decision before the City of Walnut Creek right now, to hire an independent consultant for analyzing the least intrusive location for a proposed AT&T cell tower on a scenic neighborhood hillside is NOT being made free from the influence of AT&T.

This sphere of influence by AT&T currently affects the Larkey Lane neighborhood where a key meeting to decide upon an independent consultant at the request of the City Council was held behind closed doors without any public input or oversight.

All future decisions regarding the placement of cell towers in Walnut Creek neighborhoods will be affected by these cozy relationships between AT&T and the City. Ask not for whom the cell tolls, it tolls for thee. Fiber optics remain a viable alternative to increasing the proliferation of cell towers in our neighborhoods. Today Google chose Kansas City to build the first fiber optic cable infrastructure as an example for the future. Many cities are choosing to preserve and protect their neighborhoods by enforcing regulations that place the towers in the least intrusive location until future options become available. Sadly, the Buena Vista neighborhood in Walnut Creek will not have the opportunity to have a truly independent analysis conducted to look at other options or locations, because AT&T has weighed in heavily with their influence on the City of Walnut Creek in particular the City Attorney, formerly employed by the wireless industry.

If you would like more information regarding this story you may contact the Buena Vista Neighborhood Group at: responsibleplacement@gmail.com

Cozy relationship AT&T & City of Walnut Creek?

bvneighborhood — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:58:57 +0000

Introducing the new Chairman of the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce, Ken Mintz. He will be installed April 13th, 2011. Just in time to weigh in on the decision to place an AT&T cell tower 80 feet from Walnut Creek neighborhood homes. Coincidence? Cozy relationship? Oh, he is also on the board of directors for the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce where AT&T proposed a 65 foot cell tower in the Danville Station, San Ramon, neighborhood in early 2010.

Considering other locations for the cell tower

bvneighborhood — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:46:11 +0000

I received a call today from a neighbor that lives in the neighborhood and he raised some questions about his concerns about not having adequate cell phone coverage at his house. We talked about a residential neighborhood being an inappropriate place for a cell tower. In this particular instance our neighborhood group of 200 plus neighbors signed a petition against locating the tower in a residential zoned area. Our group asked AT&T many times at the WC Planning Commission meetings about placing the tower just a half mile away at Office Max or on the East Bay Municipal Water District property or on the AT&T billing office that is on North Main Street. Every time we were told that the tower would not work there without being told why or given any analysis of other sites that would place the tower where it belongs, in a commercially zoned area not in a residential area. It is important to understand that our group is not opposed to a cell tower placed outside of the residential area. A radio frequency analysis must be prepared by an independent 3rd party to ensure that the location is not a threat to the health of nearby homeowners. Doing so would provide coverage without asking a neighborhood to bear the burden of long term health effects, including an increase in cancer and leukemia, that Bayville New York and Denver Colorado are experiencing.

Why should I care about mobile phone and cell tower radiation?

bvneighborhood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:10:02 +0000

Why be concerned about health effects from mobile phones and from the proposed wireless tower? Why should we care? What harm does it cause exactly? This clearly written article tackles these questions.

“…any statements indicating that the use of mobile phones has been shown to be safe might be premature. After all, we also need to remember that the mobile phone radiation is not a natural part of human environment and evolution did not prepare our bodies for such exposure. The last 10-20 years are the first years in the history of human species when our brains are being closely and directly exposed to this, novel to them, radiation. The current safety standards might be the best what can be done using the presently available scientific evidence and they should not be altered arbitrarily, without scientific justification. However, these standards are not yet sufficiently supported by the science and can not be considered as scientifically reliable.

This is why we should continue research in this area. The reason for continuation of research is not just science for the science’s sake. The reason is that our scientific evidence is insufficient to support the notions that there will be no health effects and that the safety standards are sufficient to protect all users. The present situation of scientific uncertainty calls for both precautionary measures and for further research.”

To read the full article click on the link below:

Mobile phone radiation controversy (PDF)

Welcome to our BV neighborhood Blog.

bvneighborhood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:01:47 +0000

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

We now have a blog and are ready to take our action group to a new level. This is the place where we can stay up to date on how our group is doing, post new ideas and information. Anyone is welcome to add comments. Please be polite and neighborly even if you have a completely different view of cell towers, life, religion, radio frequency, whatever. Let’s go and welcome aboard.

Your BV neighbors

BV Neighborhood Group Speaks Out. No Cell Tower.

bvneighborhood — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:55:31 +0000

BV Neighborhood Group speaks out. No Cell Tower!

Denver Post article re: Lookout Mt. increased cancer rates

bvneighborhood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:07:35 +0000

This Denver Post article is from 2004, and talks about 2 studies done that show an increase in the cancer rate in the Lookout Mt. area where cell tower antennas have been located for years. Residents now are trying to prevent more towers from going in.

This is an issue in Walnut Creek, because city policy is once one tower goes in, the preference is to locate additional towers there so that they do not have to go through the permitting process in each new neighborhood. They call this co-location.

Copyright Denver Post Jul 23, 2004

Three weeks before public debate reignites over whether to add another tower to

Lookout Mountain, a state study has found higher cancer rates around the

mountain’s existing broadcast towers – but no conclusive evidence the towers

caused the cancers.

Deb Carney, attorney for Canyon Area Residents for the Environment, which

opposes construction of the proposed tower, said the findings left her ‘very

concerned.’

In a report that echoed findings of a 1999 study, a statewide panel of

researchers found that people who live near the towers have a higher rate of

brain and central nervous system cancers.

‘Now they’ve found the same things, and it’s troubling,’ Carney said.

The research team, from Colorado State University, the University of Colorado

Heath Sciences Center and the state health department, found the increase

‘statistically significant.’

But ‘this type of study cannot produce conclusive evidence about the cause of

cancers,’ the researchers wrote.

One reason, they said, is that there just isn’t enough knowledge about the

effects of long-term exposure to the kind of radiation the towers shoot into

the atmosphere.

Numerous health organizations, including the World Health Organization, have

called for better understanding of how such radiation affects health.

Still, Carney said, the findings bolster her clients’ arguments against the

tower.

‘It’s not wise to increase the radiation under these circumstances,’ she said.

Carney represents an umbrella group that includes several neighborhoods around

Lookout Mountain.

On Aug. 12, Jefferson County commissioners are scheduled to reopen the long

debate over whether the Lake Cedar Group should be allowed to build one large

broadcast tower that would replace some of its current towers. Lake Cedar Group

is a consortium of several of Denver’s major television stations, including

KCNC-Channel 4; KMGH-Channel 7; and KUSA-Channel 9.

The commissioners approved the tower once, but the city of Golden and CARE

challenged the decision in court.

As a result of that suit, commissioners have been ordered to revisit the topic

and conduct additional hearings.

When commissioners approved the new tower, about a year ago, they said it would

decrease overall radiation and reduce the visual impact of the towers. Lookout

Mountain, south of Golden, began sprouting a garden of broadcast towers in the

mid-1950s.

Staff writer Karen Auge can be reached at 303-820-1733 or kauge@denverpost.com.

Chicago Tribune Article Cell Phones Blamed for Kindergarten Cancer Cases

bvneighborhood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:51:00 +0000

A Chicago Times January news story reports the death of 3 elementary students in Bayville, New York from cancer. In a small school that is an alarmingly high rate of cancer. Yes, it is not conclusive but the school has 4 of these towers around and this surely raises questions about the constant exposure.

Cell Phone Antennas and Kindergarten Cancer Link

Harper’s Article

bvneighborhood — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:30:08 +0000

This is a good, comprehensive article on cell phone use and health effects. People are asking why we should be concerned about cell phone health effects when our concern here is about a wireless cell tower.

The short answer is that they are both powered by radio frequency or what we commonly call microwave radiation. Yes, the cell phone exposures are higher when talking on the phone because the power is boosted to receive the call, and the phone is held to the head. These effects can be reduced by using a head set, using the speaker phone function. Exposure to radio frequency that is pulsed from antennas mounted on a tower also has adverse health effects to persons living nearby because the exposure is 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for many years. Check our other posts for info on an increase in cancer rates in Bayville, NY and at Lookout Mt. in Denver, Colorado.

Harpers article