The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday was full of tense words and frustration after a series of back-and-forth exchanges between the board and members of the public.

A group of residents gathered at the meeting to protest changes to the county ordinance that would streamline the process of building new cell towers.

More than 20 people, many from the Safe Technology for Santa Barbara County group, attended the meeting wearing yellow sashes over their shoulders. The group claims that cell towers present a risk to public health.

The board item proposed amendments to make the county’s ordinance comply with Senate Bill 9, the California H.O.M.E. Act.

The goal of the state law is to streamline the process for homeowners who want to build additional units or lots by establishing objective standards and a ministerial review that can skip board approval.

The amendments also would include changes regarding wireless cell towers, making them easier to install.

Under the new law, local governments are not allowed to prohibit the installation of some small cell towers or slow down the process. Counties and cities can impose aesthetic requirements, but they must be objective and reasonable, according to the state.

Last week, members of SafeTechSBC gathered in front of the County Administration Building in Santa Barbara to ask the board to vote against the amendments.

On Tuesday, some of them were frustrated when board chair Laura Capps said their time during public comment would be limited to 90 seconds because of the number of speakers.

It drew anger from the group before Capps asked the audience to respect the county staff’s time and allow them to continue the meeting.

In response, many speakers dropped out to allow others to speak for the full three minutes.

They talked about public health, fire safety and process concerns with the proposed changes.

In response to their concerns, Capps asked county staff about the potential dangers of the cell towers. In response, Fred Tan, a fire marshal for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said the chances of cell towers starting fires are extremely low.

He acknowledged that there are always risks but stated that his team has not seen any sign that cell towers have caused any fires in Santa Barbara County.

“My investigators were part of some of those larger fire investigations, and (it was) not the communication equipment that was the impetus of those fires,” Tan said.

He added that high-voltage lines were usually the issue.  

Alex Tuttle, the deputy director of Planning & Development, said safeguards were in place and that any telecom company installing new towers must comply with local codes.

Building inspectors also review the equipment before they sign off, according to Tuttle.

During the meeting, Supervisor Joan Hartmann from District 3 acknowledged the divisiveness of the issue and the concern of the public.

“This is an issue that generates a lot of concern from the community, and at least, speaking for myself, I’m not an expert in this stuff,” Hartmann said. “I look at this stuff and I’m not quite sure how reliable it is, but I do have confidence in our staff.”

The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the changes.

After the vote, members of SafeTechSBC expressed disappointment. They had hoped that the board would vote only on the housing portions of the amendment.

“It’s not what we anticipated,” said Katie Mickey, vice president of SafeTechSBC. “We anticipated them decoupling the two items. It would have been a very simple procedure, and we anticipated, certainly what we asked for, was for them to pause and allow more time to learn more information because it’s such a huge risk the county is taking.”

Public Comment

Earlier in the meeting, during general public comment for issues not on the agenda, a member of the audience interrupted other speakers and called out Supervisor Steve Lavagnino.

Lavagnino, who represents District 5, was talking with Supervisor Bob Nelson during a phone-in public comment when the audience member yelled at Lavagnino to pay attention. The supervisor responded angrily and told the man he could talk if he wanted to.

Lavagnino then left his seat on the dais and, to the surprise of his fellow supervisors, walked into the audience seats. Lavagnino said, “Do you want some?” and told the man to meet him outside the board hearing room so they could talk.

A short argument occurred before the man was escorted out of the room by county staff. Lavagnino returned to his seat and the meeting.