Community Perspectives on Sutro Tower -
San Francisco, California, USA

This web site is privately sponsored, and not associated with Sutro Tower, Inc.

Check tpiasf.org for the latest community information from the Twin Peaks Improvement Association, which is more recent than the information on this site.

The SutroTower.com web site contains current information.

There's an additional site SutroTower.org which contains more interesting background and technical information.

The contents of this (sutro.org) web site are primarily a record of the process until 2006.

Former planning chief fired from PUC—Agency won't say if action due to flap over Olympic Club; in San Francisco Chronicle, Saturday October 29, 2005

"Former San Francisco planning chief Gerald Green was fired from his new post at the city's public utilities agency Friday after The Chronicle reported that while in his former job, he accepted a $12,000 gift membership to the Olympic Club at a time the private club was lobbying him to approve an expansion of its downtown athletic facility.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Susan Leal made the decision to oust Green, effective at the close of business Monday, her spokesman, Tony Winnicker, said. He declined to provide an explanation for why Green was being relieved of his duties, citing confidentiality in personnel matters.

A year ago, Green was pushed out of his previous post as city planning director by Mayor Gavin Newsom, but was kept on the city payroll at $146,000 a year in a new director's job at the public utilities agency, where he worked on the real estate rights-of-way needed for the pending rebuilding of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct.

Green could not be reached to comment Friday.

In its Friday editions, The Chronicle reported that in 2000, Green accepted an honorary membership to the private Olympic Club, which was seeking city permission to expand its property downtown. The Olympic Club's lobbyist, Robert McCarthy, also had another client at the time embroiled in a dispute before the city over the placement of antennas on Sutro Tower. In that case, Green, in a move that favored the consortium of media companies McCarthy was representing, overturned a subordinate's decision."

Ex-planning chief took gift while being lobbied... in San Francisco Chronicle, Friday October 28, 2005

"Former Planning Director Gerald Green accepted an “honorary membership” worth $12,000 to the San Francisco Olympic Club while being lobbied to help the private club obtain permits for a major addition to its downtown athletic facility." ..."Just before Green accepted the membership, McCarthy also was lobbying him on behalf of a consortium of media companies regarding 177 antennas for television, radio and telephone communications, installed without permits on Sutro Tower.

The issue was whether the city had to hold hearings about the antennas and any hazards posed by the 975-foot tower. The consortium contended the hearings were not necessary.

On Dec. 17, 1999, city zoning administrator Mary Gallagher ruled that the permit hearings were required.

The lobbying firm GCA Strategies, which operates out of McCarthy's office, had been paid more than $100,000 to lobby on behalf of the tower's owners to avoid the hearings. McCarthy told The Chronicle in 1999 that he had called Green to ask that the decision be rescinded.

Gallagher suddenly resigned her post on Dec. 22. The next day, Green said he was stepping in as acting zoning administrator to reverse the decision. Sutro Tower's owners were exempted from the hearing process."

Planning Commission discretionary review May 22, 2003

A Discretionary Review of Sutro Tower's permit application will be held by the Planning Commission on Thursday, May 22, 2003, beginning around 6:00pm, in room 400, City Hall (San Francisco). Official information is online at the San Francisco City Planning web site.

Land Use Committee Hearing May 5, 2003

Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee hearing Monday, May 5, 2003. Official meeting information is online at San Francisco city web site.

FBI probes approval of Sutro Tower expansion

(San Francisco Examiner Apr 30, 2000) (this file is no longer available-there is no explanation—the article just disappeared)

Tempers Flare At Panel Meeting Over Sutro Tower - Structure's lobbyist thrown out

(San Francisco Chronicle, January 20, 2000)

Sutro Tower Ruling Prompts Struggle in S.F./Lobbyists call -- official resigns

(San Francisco Chronicle)

Planner leaves post after making controversial ruling

(San Francisco Examiner)

Board of Supervisors Resolution establishing the Sutro Tower Health and Safety Task Force

Text of Resolution 992082. See also the San Francisco city web site.

Commentary

Jon Ridenour, Midtown Terrace resident, comments before the Board of Supervisors on November 8, 1999.

Christopher Beaver, of Noe Valley Families, reviews the July 20th, 1999, meeting of the Public Utilities & Deregulation Committee (of the Board of Supervisors).

In The News

Board of Supervisors Resolution 992082.

We also have a press reports page containing press releases and links to all of the news coverage we've tracked. This includes a new article by Supervisor Leland Yee in the Richmond Review.

The San Francisco Chronicle, the Bay Guardian, The Examiner and The Independent occasionally report new developments which can be found on their web sites.

Local efforts to support US Senate action regarding a local voice in placement of communications facilities and antennas.

Don't miss this 1973 press "blast" at Sutro Tower showing what people thought of the tower before it was constructed.

Why is "www.sutro.org" here?

This site is privately funded and maintained as a community service. The opinions expressed here are solely those of its sponsor, or of the community groups or publications cited.

See additions to the Frequently Asked Questions regarding the community lawsuit.

RFR and EMR

Information on EMF and current research and publicity related to EMF exposure.

People are also concerned about the many effects of Radio Frequency (including television) Radiation (RFR or EMR) - more than 20 million watts from Sutro Tower, for example. See our link to THE EMR NETWORK   and see our Opinion page for more on this.

Board of Supervisors

Supervisors' telephone and FAX numbers, and their email addresses are kept up to date on the City of San Francisco web site. We used to keep them here, but the city's site keeps them up to date.

Dynamic Analysis Results

See press reports on the Structural Advisory Committee's (SAC) meeting regarding Sutro Tower, during which committee members expressed a desire to see a full dynamic analysis of the tower. Outrageously, they were not allowed to express their professional concern in any official way to the City!

What it's all About

See our briefing page.

Who's in charge here? You may think this is a local issue, but is it?

Facts and Figures

We have a map showing Sutro Tower's proximity to residential neighborhoods.

Stations broadcasting from Sutro Tower.

Sutro Tower is located in the center of San Francisco.

Information on Radio Frequency Radiation (RFR)

People are concerned about RFR in many places around the world. See our link to THE EMR NETWORK on our Opinion page.

Sutro Tower emits radio frequency radiation (RFR) at both television and FM radio frequencies. This section contains information about stations broadcasting from the tower as well as plenty of links to information about RFR.

Digital Television (DTV), or High Definition Television (HDTV) will replace today's NTSC television some time after 2006.

During the public comment period, over 300 individuals expressed concern, in writing, about various safety-related aspects of Sutro Tower's presence in a residential neighborhood. Many of these dealt with the question of what would happen to the tower in a sizable earthquake.

Two noted experts on seismic safety urge dynamic analysis of Sutro Tower.

Other Information, Stories and Sources

See your favorite search engine and search on "Sutro Tower."

Personal opinions and links to other interesting sites are available on this page. Check this out for some personal observations.

A good source of what's happening in DTV, including recent FCC regulatory actions, is RF Current.

Dielectric Communications points out that DTV peak radiated power is 5 times greater than standard NTSC (existing) signals. "The interference that extreme power will bring to adjacent channels and mobile radio has not been fully researched. For example, the protection ratios published by the FCC should be applied at the receiver, not at the transmitter. Nor has the issue of average and peak RF hazard levels been adequately researched. The actual RF hazard levels may yet prove to be in conflict with the FCC’s own guidelines. Once understood, the interference and RF levels may well impose additional constraints on service replication."