Editorial:

The story of a group of hillside residents opposing a proposed cellular antenna is, by now, a familiar one. In Pasadena, Hollywood, Glendale and other Southland cities, residents have started asserting themselves against the sometimes ungainly metal poles that have cropped up alongside our appetite for all things mobile.

T-Mobile’s application to build a 35-foot-tall cellular antenna in the likeness of a pine tree at Brace Canyon Park, and the neighborhood opposition that has formed, is not unlike the stage the company set when it proposed a so-called “micro-cell site” in a posh north Glendale residential area last year.

Residents there formed an action group, distributed yard signs and set up a website. They lobbied the City Council and took their case to the media. Adding to their cause was a municipal election season rife with politicians eager to take up constituent complaints.

It worked in more ways than one.

Yes, T-Mobile withdrew its application, but more importantly, Glendale imposed a moratorium and initiated a draft ordinance that should dance around federal restrictions while setting at least some local guidelines for future wireless telecommunications facilities.

So far, Burbank doesn’t appear to be heading in that direction, which could cause bigger headaches down the road.

In nearly every city that’s confronted the issue, a comprehensive ordinance with public input had come out of it. It may not be ideal for either residents or telecommunications companies, but local guidelines at least put everybody on the same stage using the same script.

Without regulations, all parties rely on a discombobulated set of city, state and federal standards that only confuse and inflame arguments. Considering the fact that once one wireless antenna gets a certain amount of attention, others are sure to follow, Burbank planners would be smart to start the process now.