The Crimson Crusader was on the prowl once again this week
trying to find its way through the dark streets of Morgan Hill
while not hitting offensive billboards.
The Crimson Crusader was on the prowl once again this week trying to find its way through the dark streets of Morgan Hill while not hitting offensive billboards. Last week, Red Phone callers had trouble seeing red with traffic light troubles. This week callers aren’t seeing anything at all and are wishing there was more light on the streets.
Pimp My Sign, No Way
“Hello Red Phone. I have a concern with a billboard coming north into Morgan Hill that I feel is offensive. It reads: ‘Rather be pimpin’ a PC?’ I feel that it is very inappropriate, and I find the word pimpin’ to be offensive. Is there anything the city can do? Who is in charge of putting that up?”
RED PHONE
The city doesn’t allow any new billboards to be put up in the city limits, but that doesn’t stop them from being constructed on leased land outside the city. In this case, the billboards are owned by Clear Channel Outdoor and are promoting newegg.com’s new slogan for its computer products.
There have been other complaints of billboards north of Morgan Hill primarily because of their R-rated movie content, said Jim Roe, who works in the city’s planning department.
“There is nothing we can do,” Roe said. “That is not in our jurisdiction. They are owned by an independent advertising company. They are bound by decency rules setup by the Supreme Court. The best thing people can do is contact the agency. I’m sure they don’t want the negative publicity.”
The company is based out of Texas. You can call them to leave nasty messages about their poor taste by calling (602) 957-8116 or you can go on their Web site clearchannel.com. If you’d rather take it up with newegg.com, call the Whittier-based company at 1-800-390-1119 or e-mail their PR department at pu**************@****gg.com.
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
“What is with Walnut Grove Drive south of Dunne next to the older Safeway? All of the street lights have been out for months and you can hardly see the painted double yellow and left turn lines in the street.”
Ditto on Darkness
“Yeah Red Phone, let me tell you something. The street lights on Church Street north of Tennant and south of Dunne are out. It is dark, pitch black. I almost drove into three garbage cans and a person, because you can’t see a [darned] thing. What is the city going to do about that?”
Red Phone
The Red Phone contacted Mori Struve, the Deputy Director of Public Works, who said his department would check into it to see if there were lights out and if so said he would have someone fix them. Red Phone will check to make sure they do.
If you observe a traffic light out, Struve said to call the office directly at 776-7337 or fill out the form available on the Web site at www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/html /contact/inquiry.asp, and they will send someone out to fix it.
and …
More Dark and Scary Roads
“My wife was concerned because it is very dark on the old Monterey Highway coming back from San Jose on Blood Alley. There are no lights and no call boxes there. It is really unmaintained. I am just curious why they left that place out cold even though people still use it a lot. What is my wife to do when she is out there with the kids if the car breaks down – wait for a CHP or sheriff? It is dark and dangerous out there. I know its not the main highway, but it is still a usable highway.”
Red Phone
New lights may not be the answer, Struve said, especially without the extra funds available for such projects.
“We can check into it but unless it were a particularly problematic area, there is nothing we can do,” Struve said. “We are not adding new lights right now. There are areas we would like to, but can’t because of budget concerns.”
There currently are no plans to add lights to Monterey Highway. The divider has made it a lot safer, but you should still exercise caution in case a stray fox or water buffalo runs across the road. It may be a good idea to invest in an automobile help service such as the one from the company that includes three of the first letter in the English alphabet. A good reliable cell phone is a must. You may want to invest in a first-aid kit that your wife can carry with her in her car. And you may also want to add an instant tire repair kit.
