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I. A -S NEW TASK FORCE ENCOURAGES LOCAL INVOLVEMENT IN CELL PHONE TOWER SITING LEAGUE SEEKS INPUT FROM CITY OFFICIALS A new approach to siting wireless cell phone towers on state property has been negotiated between the League, AT &T Wireless Corp., and Assembly Members Levine and Firebaugh, the co- authors of an AT &T Wireless- sponsored bill, AB 855. am unwilling to thwart the discretionary review of IoL'al govemments." The new approach, reflected in AB 855, repre- sents a vast improvement over the earlier mea- sure. As amended, AB 855 would direct state agencies to make excess property — perhaps a rooftop — available for lease and create new lease payments for use in providing key State programs. This bill does not preempt existing local land use authority. Part of the agreement reached through nego- tiations calls for the League to work collaboratively with AT &T Wireless to create a Wireless Tele- communications Incentive Program. Still in its preliminary stages, the plan is for details to be developed with a task force of local officials working with wireless telecommunications com- panies. Local agencies would have the ability to offer possible locations within the city's jurisdiction for cell tower sitings in an effort to generate additional revenue for the city. AB 855 a Big Improvement Over Last Year's Siting Bill The approach taken in AB 855 represents a significant improvement over a cell tower siting bill carried last year by Assembly Member Firebaugh and sponsored by AT &T Wireless. That bill would have preempted local land use authority for wireless cell tower sitings and allowed the.state to have exclusive authority of sitings on state -owned property regardless of the city in which that property is located. This measure was vehe- mently opposed by the League of Cities and was subsequently vetoed by the Governor. In his message, the Governor stated: By requiring approval of the applicable state department, the location of telecommunication facilities is then exempt from local land use review. In some communities the location of cell towers is a matter of great community interest. l The Incentive Program proposes that cell towers would be categorized into three groups. The first group would include large cell towers that could be easily seen from freeways and have a specific minimum height requirement. This group of cell towers would generate the highest revenue for local agencies. The second group would include medium sized towers with certain aestheti- cally pleasing features or "stealth" sites. Lastly, the third group would include small towers that are camouflaged, which would generate the smallest amount of revenue out of the three groups. City Input Needed Would your city be interested in promoting and shaping this program? Would this particular kind of program benefit your relationships with wireless telecommunications companies? Questions still unanswered: " How the data would be collected, specifi- cally for smaller agencies? " How the information would be distributed to the wireless telecommunications companies? " What types of revenue payments will be received from local agencies (e.g. increased access to rural areas, cash payments, etc.)? Comments? Please contact League Lobbyist Amy Brown (browna(c)cacities.ora., telephone 916.658.8279). Visit the League's Official Web Site -- www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS /PAGE 3