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Residents urge Newman to bolster ordinance as county refers 130-foot Verizon tower near schools
Summary
Residents told the Newman City Council they oppose a proposed Verizon cell tower sited near multiple schools and urged the city to revise its wireless-telecommunications ordinance; staff said planning will review the code but noted federal and state rules limit local authority.
Residents warned the Newman City Council on April 28 that a proposed Verizon cellular tower near city limits would sit close to schools and housing and urged the council to strengthen local rules governing wireless facilities.
At the start of the public-comment period, Denise, a Newman resident, told the council she had provided handouts and cited national concerns about 5G deployment, a petition from Environmental Health Trust challenging Federal Communications Commission regulations that date to 1996, and potential liability and insurance gaps if long-term radio-frequency exposure led to damages. "The cell tower proposal is in the middle of 4 or 3 schools and housing," she said, adding worries about fire setbacks and local emergency-responder capacity.
Natalie Zielinski, another resident, thanked the council for earlier efforts to seek an alternative location and urged the city to proactively revise its wireless-telecommunications ordinance. Zielinski noted Nevada City had adopted a detailed ordinance covering wireless telecommunication facilities (she referenced chapter 17.150) and said community engagement on the issue has grown quickly through a local Facebook group of about 230 members.
City staff member Michael told the council the county had forwarded an early referral for a proposed 130-foot cellular tower on the periphery of city limits and that the city sent a letter opposing that location as inconsistent with future residential zoning. "We do not allow them in residential areas. We don't allow them in parks, and we don't govern schools," Michael said, adding that state and federal laws constrain how far the city can regulate such facilities. He said planning staff will review the city’s current ordinance and, if changes are necessary and legally permissible, bring recommendations through the planning commission and back to the council.
Council members thanked the speakers and encouraged staff to assess whether ordinance updates are feasible within state and federal legal limits. The council did not take formal action on an ordinance at the April 28 meeting.
The council also heard other public comments during the same period, including requests for broader community notice when wireless facilities are proposed and concern about cumulative impacts of multiple nearby towers. City staff noted that while the city can shape where towers sit in many zones, federal and state regulations may limit what local rules can require.
Next steps: planning staff will review the wireless-telecommunications ordinance and report back to the planning commission and council if changes are recommended.
