2014: San Marcos Residents Accused Jim Desmond Of Bending To Pressure From AT&T When As Mayor, He Opposed A Proposed Ordinance To Prevent Cell Tower Farms

2014: San Marcos Residents Criticized City Council For Backing Away From A Proposed Ordinance To Prevent Cell Tower Farms

2006-2018: Desmond Was Mayor Of San Marcos. “Desmond was a member of the San Marcos City Council from 2004 to 2006 and the city’s mayor from 2006-18.” [Times of San Diego, 7/29/25]

  • In San Marcos, The Mayor Sat As A Member Of City Council. “(b) The Governing Board of the City of San Marcos is the City Council consisting of the Mayor and four Councilmembers.” [San Marcos Municipal Code, Chapter 2.08 - City Council, accessed 5/22/26]

2014: San Marcos Residents Criticized City Council For Backing Away From A Proposed Cell Tower Ordinance. “San Marcos leaders are backing away from a proposed cell tower ordinance that would be among the county’s strictest, saying the new law would be inflexible and might go too far. Residents who’ve spent several months lobbying for the new law are criticizing last week’s retreat by the City Council, saying the ordinance is needed to prevent ‘cell tower farms’ from dominating the city’s hillsides. The residents also said the council appeared to be bowing to pressure from telecommunications companies, but council members disputed that.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

  • The Proposed Ordinance Would Prevent “Cell Tower Farms.” “San Marcos leaders are backing away from a proposed cell tower ordinance that would be among the county’s strictest, saying the new law would be inflexible and might go too far. Residents who’ve spent several months lobbying for the new law are criticizing last week’s retreat by the City Council, saying the ordinance is needed to prevent ‘cell tower farms’ from dominating the city’s hillsides.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

Desmond Criticized The Proposed Ordinance And Called It “Overreaching”

Desmond Criticized The Proposed Ordinance, Calling It “Overreaching” And Saying There Might Be Instances Where It Would Be Better To Have Multiple Cell Towers Together. “The council voted unanimously last week to put a moratorium on new cell tower permits while the proposed ordinance is rewritten to be less restrictive. Council members said city staffers got carried away based on unclear direction in October, when resident complaints prompted the council to ask for a new law to prevent large groups of antennas from being erected in conspicuous clusters. ‘It’s overreaching,’ Mayor Jim Desmond said of the proposed 35-page law. ‘There are a few things in this particular ordinance I can’t support.’ He criticized the ordinance for requiring that all cell towers be at least 1,000 feet apart, saying there might be instances where it would be better aesthetically to have multiple towers together instead of spread out.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

Desmond Said He Wanted To Prevent “Eyesore” Clusters Of Cell Towers, But “We Don’t Want To Be Too Restrictive.” “Desmond also complained that the ordinance would limit cell towers to one per property, regardless of acreage, unless a cell phone company could prove a second antenna was required for coverage purposes. And in those instances, the maximum per property would be two antennas. […] The mayor said he still wants to prevent the ‘eyesore’ clusters residents oppose, but that the new law must be more flexible. ‘We don’t want to be too restrictive, but we don’t want to have unsightly things happening either,’ he said.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

Residents Suggested Mayor Desmond Changed His Position After Lobbying From AT&T, Which He Denied

Residents Who Lived Beneath A Hillside Property Where Multiple Antennas Were Proposed Suggested Mayor Desmond Changed His Position After Lobbying From AT&T. “An AT&T spokesman said in December that the company was eager to work with the city on revisions because ‘one-size-fits-all’ regulations tend to have negative repercussions on the needs of the community. The residents, who live in southern San Marcos beneath a hillside property where multiple antennas have been proposed, suggested that Mayor Desmond changed his position after lobbying from the company. ‘AT&T has obviously gotten to you,’ said John Signorino, leader of the resident group.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

  • Resident Group Leader John Signorino: “AT&T Has Obviously Gotten To You.” “‘AT&T has obviously gotten to you,’ said John Signorino, leader of the resident group.” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

Desmond Denied Talking To AT&T. “But Desmond said he hadn’t talked to AT&T and that he simply wanted to make sure the city gets the new law right. Residents called the council’s move a ‘betrayal’ and ‘a 180-degree switch.’” [San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/20/14]

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