Welcome back Red Phone readers to another edition of the Crimson
Crusader. Keep those calls coming to 779-4106 ext. 206 or e-mail
redphone@morganhilltimes. com.
Welcome back Red Phone readers to another edition of the Crimson Crusader. Keep those calls coming to 779-4106 ext. 206 or e-mail redphone@morganhilltimes.
com.
Stupid Cupid
“Hello. My sister wrote a letter to the editor yesterday for Valentine’s Day. The letter was written to myself and my husband, Cherie and David Foster. The way the piece reads, it looks like we wrote the article.
The article was actually written by my sister Brenda Joy, who was writing it to us. I am having people calling thinking that my husband is dying of pancreatic cancer, but it is actually my brother-in-law. Could you reprint it or something, so the calls will stop.”
Red Phone
Red Phone spoke with the Times editor about the letter mishap. Though it was admittedly our mistake, he said the Fosters’ name appeared at the end of the letter and appeared as though it was a signature.
Normally, Times staff verifies the identity of all letter writers, but since this letter was given to a member of our staff personally, no call was made. The Times staff ensured Red Phone this was peculiar incident that will not happen again.
What’s with the Cars – a Business?
I called you guys back in August. I had a neighbor who had two boats and whole bunch of other stuff in his driveway. Since then he has put one of the boats in his driveway and has spent a month cutting up another one of the boats after you guys told me to call the police.
However, since then he has kept a trailer and one of his other cars – a truck – parked in front of his house since September. I have called the Morgan Hill Police many times. Sometimes they give them up to four weeks to respond because they know what the guy does. He parks his car in the street. He lets it sit there for three days. I call the police. It is marked. He lets it sit there another 72 hours before he moves it across the street before they tow it. Then the whole process starts over again. Now its turned into a big game.
Two weeks ago he moved a second truck out into the street. Now he has three vehicles out on the street for sale. He bought another truck that he is looking to repair. Looks like he is running a business. I’ve been calling the police since September. It is the broken glass theory. He has been able to get away with it. Calling the police hasn’t been effective. My next question is what do I knew next. Do I go to the city council? Do I sue him or what? The guy knows how to dance back and forth across the line. What are my next legal options?
Red Phone
Unfortunately, caller your pesky neighbor repairman can legally move his vehicle every 72 hours. As long as it is driven around the block and then moved, police can’t do anything about it. If an attached trailer is cited five times for being in the same spot, it can be towed. But police don’t actively patrol the streets looking for violations. They only respond to complaints.
However, more than likely your neighbor is in a residential area where city zoning regulations to do not permit a home business. You may be able to file a Code Enforcement Complaint with the city (www.morgan-hill.ca.gov/html/DocCenter.asp?category_id=240000023). Home businesses have several requirements for them (see Municipal 18.56.090).
Nonworking vehicles are not permitted to be stored in the front yard (see Municipal 18.56.140). Only temporary repairs are allowed to be done on public streets (Municipal 10.40.130).
Also a tip to the IRS if your neighbor is truly running an illegal business might be the solution. Chances are that if he is selling illegally, he has no plans of giving Uncle Sam his fair cut.
Either way, you’ll want to have documentation. You may be able to use a camera with a time stamp to show the vehicles in the yard and the work that is being done.
