”
I live by the railroad tracks south of San Jose and every day I
watch six empty train cars go by six times a day and at night. I
watch more empty trains going to Gilroy that are not even on the
schedule.
”
“I live by the railroad tracks south of San Jose and every day I watch six empty train cars go by six times a day and at night. I watch more empty trains going to Gilroy that are not even on the schedule. What a waste. No wonder there’s a deficit.”
Red Phone: Dear What a Waste, Red Phone’s not exactly sure how to respond. Sure, Caltrain has to close a $2.3 million deficit this year, and eliminating service to South County is one of the options to bridge that gap. But doing so will eliminate the service that hundreds rely on to get to work. Not doing so will mean other cuts, such as eliminating weekend service, cutting staff at ticket offices and raising fares. This economy has wreaked havoc on counties, cities, school districts and public transportation agencies such as Caltrain. It sure puts the Caltrain board in a tough position. If you want your voice heard, a public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Sept. 2 at the Caltrain office, 1250 San Carlos Ave., San Carlos.
Good caller, since you didn’t ask a question, hope that answer sheds some light on the situation.
Resident questions PG&E SmartMeter
“Hi Red Phone, the other day PG&E folks showed up in front of my house and installed a SmartMeter collection point (base station) on the light pole right in front of my house. Needless to say, I’m quite unhappy about the eyesore and concerned about the radio waves going through my kids’ bedrooms (the pole is right in front of our second floor bedrooms). Neither PG&E or the city informed me or asked me about these plans. I have two questions: (1) The lightpole is located on my property – even though PG&E has the easement. Does it mean they can install or do anything they please on my property without my consent? and (2) Who should I contact at PG&E or the city to discuss relocating this base station to another lightpole, preferably one that borders a common area, like a park or pool, and not behind someone’s bedroom windows? Thanks!”
Red Phone: Dear Quite Unhappy, Red Phone contacted Matt Nauman in PG&E’s media relations department, who said they put a high priority in answering customer questions and addressing any concerns.
“We encourage this customer to call us at 1-866-743-0263 so we can get the address and investigate this issue,” Nauman said. “We do install SmartMeter devices within our utility easements.”
He also said all the SmartMeter devices fall far below limits set by the Federal Communications Commission for radio frequencies.
Hope that helps, good caller.
