New Port Hueneme homeowners ask council to reconsider approval of 45-foot Wi‑Fi tower near Waimea Bay homes

Two new Port Hueneme homeowners told the City Council on March 3 they believe the city failed to notify them before the Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit to install a 45-foot wireless communications tower adjacent to the Waimea Bay community.

Tim Rubocava said he and his wife, Elizabeth, bought a house at 193 West Garden Green on Feb. 3 and learned only afterward that the conditional use permit (listed in public minutes as CUP PCPHCU241) approved a tower “literally right next to our bedroom window.” He asked the council to revoke the permit and to commission an independent inspection of radio-frequency (RF) emissions, saying he and his wife worried about possible health effects.

Elizabeth Rubocava told the council they had tried to gather information from the homeowners association and sellers before closing and were not informed. She said the tower was presented to the city as the only available option for residents but that other providers — Yondu and Frontier were named in public comments — have alternative services including fiber.

City Manager responded that the project was not a city-initiated project: Waimea Bay (the applicant) submitted the proposal and it went through a full public hearing process before approval. The city manager said his planning staff had called the Rubocavas last week to explain the process and that, because the CUP is a validly issued permit following a public hearing, “there isn't a process for the city to now say a validly issued project after a full legal public hearing is now invalid.” City staff advised the residents that the appropriate next steps would be to pursue the applicant, HOA or the seller on the disclosure question; the Rubocavas said they have engaged an attorney.

Mayor McQueen Lejeune and other council members refrained from discussing the permit on the dais because the item was not on the council agenda. The city manager and the planning team told the Rubocavas staff would follow up with the applicant and with the HOA to clarify notices and to explain appeal rights and available options.

The Rubocavas also requested an independent RF inspection; the city manager said the city would note their request but that health impacts from RF are regulated at state and federal levels and any precise testing and remediation would typically be undertaken by the applicant or by private parties and reviewed by the city under applicable code and permit conditions.

The council did not take any action on the permit at the March 3 meeting. City staff said they would provide follow-up information on the notification history and advise the couple how to pursue any remedies available to them under the permit and association documents.