The San Ramon Planning Commission and San Ramon City’s Council are currently attempting to push through deployment of 5G wireless telecommunication towers on light posts throughout the city, including residential street lights. This deployment is focused on creating a dense network of radio frequency (RF) transmitters to broadcast the 5G networks of telecom companies who decide to pay the city for use.  The fees for use are very small (limited to $270/unit per year by the FCC), and the system is designed to allow cellular companies to build towers without paying private interests for the land and building the large “fake tree” towers.

In 2011, RF radiation was officially classified as a group 2B carcinogen (possible carcinogenic risk), joining other substances such as lead and DDT.  There is quickly growing research on the dangers of long-term exposure to RF radiation, and the implementation of 5G means even larger wavelengths and higher levels of radiation.  The most current Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review data (which collect all current data and make an informed consensus on the findings) show serious, and strong correlations with brain tumors (gliomas) and accoustic neuromas (auditory tumors), with prolonged cell phone and RF exposure.  Additionally, fetuses and children are significantly more likely to have adverse reactions to RF radiation due to the increased absorption of pediatric brain tissue and bone marrow (2-3x more in brain tissue and 10x more in the bone marrow of the pediatric skull!).  Keep in mind this isn’t a cell phone that we can put away, keep from our kids, or turn off, it’s 24/7/365 exposure!

If you don’t believe the science of the health risks, let’s talk about the reduced housing values associated with selling near a cell tower.  A June 2014 survey from National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy (NISLAPP) in Washington D.C. (“Neighborhood Cell Towers & Antennas – Do They Impact a Property’s Desirability?”) found that out of 1,000 respondents:

-94% said it would negatively impact their interest
-79% said under no circumstances would they ever purchase or rent within a few blocks of a cell tower
-89% were generally concerned about the increasing number of cell towers and antennas in their residential neighborhood

And we aren’t alone in this initiative! Danville, Mill Valley, and multiple other cities have voted to keep these 5G small cell towers OUT of their communities!  Additionally, hundreds of cities throughout the US, including the League of California Cities and US Council of Mayors, are taking legal action against the FCC after ruling that local governments have little control over this implementation, and are limited in what they can charge telecom companies for the cell sites.

Please join us in opposing this initiative and stopping the the deployment of these carcinogenic devices into residential neighborhoods against our will, where they put our families at risk and bring housing values down!