Concerns over the health effects of electromagnetic fields caused the Santa Clara City Council to delay approving a power transmission project.
At its meeting Oct. 7, the Council opted to continue an item that would have added 2.4 miles of power lines between the city’s receiving stations on Kifer Street and Scott Boulevard. The 115-kilovolt line is mostly above-ground.
Many residents of the area, located in District 1, turned out to bemoan the project for its potential health risks.
Manuel Pineda, the city’s chief electric utility officer, said the addition of the line is needed to accommodate the city’s continued power growth. While Silicon Valley Power (SVP) explored other options, he said the proposed route is the only one that allows the city to meet its 2028 schedule and keep pace with anticipated growth.
However, many residents, including two candidates running for election in the district — Satish Chandra and Harbir Bhatia — opposed the project. They said expediency shouldn’t supersede the city’s responsibility to protect residents from harmful environmental hazards.
“The residents, the people — their health, their emotions, their future — they define the city,” said Preetika Tiwari. “The [proposed] option brings a lot of health concerns for families, most importantly our kids.”
Primary among those concerns was whether electromagnetic fields are a considerable harm to human health. Some studies show a higher incidence of adverse health effects, including childhood leukemia, from prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Oliver Bares, associate engineer at Electrical Consultant Inc., said there are no adopted thresholds or standards for electromagnetic field exposure, reflecting a lack of scientific consensus on the matter.
A working group assembled by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a component of the World Health Organization, found that electromagnetic fields are “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” However, evidence is not conclusive.
“Magnetic fields are present everywhere,” Bares said. “It is very hard to isolate what you are measuring out in the field.”
The amount of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the proposed power lines is roughly equivalent to a microwave or a vacuum cleaner.
Several residents advocated for a different proposed route, but Pineda said that route is not tenable because of the easements contained in it. The corridor already hosts four other PG&E 115 kilovolt lines.
Securing all the easements for an alternate route would likely add another five years to the schedule, Pineda said. As an example, he said securing a $400 easement from the water district for a previous project took more than a year-and-half.
“You work with the way things are, not the way you wish there are,” he said.
Council Member Karen Hardy said she felt “very comfortable” with the project, adding that driving also carries with it a statistical risk, but people do it every day. She moved to adopt SVP’s recommendation but withdrew her motion when Council Member Kathy Watanabe, whose district the project is in, made a substitute motion to continue the item.
While many commenters praised SVP’s work and acknowledged the valuable service it provides, they still maintained that the city shouldn’t roll the dice with residents’ health.
“If it takes time and money to avoid these impacts and, you know, provide safety from effects that we don’t even know about, I kind of think that is what time and money are for,” Council Member Kevin Park said. “If it comes down to time and money, I think I’d rather spend the time and money to reduce the effects on people.
In a 5-1 vote, the council bounced the item back to city employees to return with more information on the effects of electromagnetic fields on human health. Council Member Raj Chahal recused himself. Park voted “no.”
Stadium Authority Approves New Contract with Security Provider at Levi’s
The council and stadium authority also unanimously approved a new contract for security service at Levi’s Stadium.
For the next three years, supplemental security at the stadium will be handled by Allied Universal Events Services.
Chuck Baker, assistant city manager, said the new contract, which has an option for two one-year extensions, has more oversight and accountability for training and performance.
The new contract gives the Forty Niners Management Company (ManCo) the ability to do spot checks to ensure compliance. Coupled with regular reports and financial penalties, with possible termination of the contract should the contractor fail to meet requirements, Baker said the stadium authority is better positioned to understand security operations.
While the contract does not have a not-to-exceed amount, the previous two years saw $1.89 million and $2.37 million in security costs, respectively.
However, Baker said the new contract has “different compensation amounts” but noted that Allied scored the highest on cost among the six vendors that submitted proposals to the stadium authority.
Capt. Rich Fitting, with the Santa Clara Police Department, said the detail and care in the training is the most comprehensive he has seen in his 11 years working stadium events.
City Attorney Glen Googins said costs for security for FIFA World Cup games and the Super Bowl, both set to be held at Levi’s Stadium in 2026, will be allocated the same as any other non-NFL or NFL event, respectively.
The stadium authority board unanimously approved the contract.
Consent Calendar Spending
The council approved the following spending in one motion via the consent calendar:
- Two one-year $167,860 purchase orders with CD & Power and Odyssey Power for stationary generator services. These agreements have the option for four one-year extensions for a total of $917,860.
- Three three-year $300,000 contracts with CSG Consultants, Inc. and Interwest Consulting Group, Inc. for plan check review and field inspection, and another with Zoon Engineering for field inspection to support development and utility permitting projects.
- A $1 million three-year contract with ARCOS for purchase, implementation, and support and scheduling and resource management software platform for Silicon Valley Power.
- A six-month $588,266 extension to a contract with Arini Geographics for geographic information system consulting. Total contract amount: $5.85 million.
- A $185,400 extension through January 2027 with Townsend Public Affairs, Inc. for legislative advocacy services.
- A $1 million purchase order, through December 2025, with The Okonite Company for alternative cables for Silicon Valley Power’s distribution system.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1500 Warburton Ave. in Santa Clara.
Members of the public can participate in the City Council meetings on Zoom at https://santaclaraca.zoom.us/j/99706759306; Meeting ID: 997-0675-9306 or call 1 (669) 900-6833, via the City’s eComment (available during the meeting) or by email to PublicComment@santaclaraca.gov.
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