Cell Phone Emissions Ordinance Ruling

by John Pestle, Cell Tower Attorney

A Federal court has struck down in part and upheld in part a San Francisco ordinance requiring cell phone stores to warn customers about the issues and possible dangers from radio-frequency emissions from cell phones. 

A copy of the order, a summary of it, and a link to our paper which has suggestions on how municipalities should respond when RF emissions issues are raised in cell tower zoning proceedings can be found on our website.

In brief, the court found that requiring stores to put stickers on their displays and a poster on the wall, both warning about RF emissions issues, unduly infringed on the stores’ First Amendment (freedom of speech) rights.  But it upheld a requirement that stores give cell phone purchasers a fact sheet about RF emissions, if the current sheet was revised in certain respects.

The Meaning of Being Green – San Francisco

by Bruce Goodman

Last weekend I was in San Francisco visiting my daughter. Even the casual observer cannot ignore signs that this city takes environmental issues far more seriously than elsewhere. The number of Prius vehicles on the streets is astounding and, in fact, they look like giants compared to the vast majority of small cars on the San Francisco streets. Then there is the three-container trash disposal areas: one for composting, one for recycling, and one for whatever is left over. I could not help but notice that the leftover bin always seemed to contain the smallest amount of material.

I found myself riding public transportation frequently and the use of GPS technology to make a less uncertain experience. Knowing when the next bus or packed train was arriving at least gives a sense of control for planning one’s trips and arrival times. Cell phones gave access to the same information that appeared on numerous bus stops and train kiosks. Isn’t this a kind of “smart grid” for transportation?

Finally, the ZipCar availability within the city made the idea of private automobile ownership “almost” obsolete. We used one to visit the San Francisco dump, not a typical tourist attraction. It was well organized and consistent with the reduce, recycle, reuse (reinvent?) aspect of this green California city.

No wind turbines in San Francisco Bay or on Angel Island, yet.