How Did This Mess of a Bill Make it to the CA Senate Floor For a Vote?
The backstory for CA SB.649 – Wireless Telecommunications Facililities Bill, unfortunately, reads like a science fiction disaster movie. Have you ever noticed that every disaster film starts off with someone ignoring the scientists. This is true of SB.649, as well. We will be living out this real-life disaster on May 30, May 31 and June 1, 2017 — and we will have a permanent record of how many CA Senators blindly vote to pass SB.649 — despite each of these Senators being fully aware of the following . . .
- Obvious and already-admitted errors still exist in the bill language.
- The subcommittee of Senators Mike McGuire, Ricardo Lara and Robert Hertzberg have failed to follow Senate rules in crafting SB.649 bill language that is inconsistent with what was voted on in the 4/26/16 Governance of Finance Committee.
- Despite many late-night meetings with Wireless Carriers, Senators Mike McGuire, Ricardo Lara and Robert Hertzberg have failed to correct the obvious errors in the bill — errors about which that they were noticed on 5/12/17.
- The Senate has consistently ignored that SB.649 bill violates the California Constitution
- The Senate has consistently ignored that SB.649 bill violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- SB.649 is illegally forcing local cities and counties to accept below market rents for access to locally-owned and controlled public property.
- The State of California has no legal basis to violate the 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act by attempting to preempt any additional local control over local cities and counties for matters that are not necessities.
The Senate Voting SB.649 Though by June 1 “As-Is” Forces California Cities and the California Public to Take the State of California to Court To Stop This Disaster
Over 80 Ohio Cities sued the State of Ohio for a very similar bill and for very similar reasons.