CAN’T SEE THE SIDEWALK FOR THE CANS
“Sometimes when I am out walking my dog early in the morning, I am constantly having to maneuver around trash cans that have been placed in the middle of the sidewalk.
“Isn’t it more appropriate to leave the cans further out by the curb instead of blocking people trying to walk by? It seems to me it would be a better solution for both pedestrians and the waste management company to have the trash in a more accessible area for pickup.”
RED PHONE
Well, caller, we here at the Times would not like to detour around stinky trash cans during our morning walks either, and we sympathize. As a matter of fact, so many people feel this way that we have passed laws concerning not only the placement of trash receptacles, but also when they can be placed by the curb and when they need to be removed. If you are interested in the specifics, John Amos, code enforcement officer for the city of Morgan Hill reminds us that municipal code covers this subject quite specifically, stating that the trash cans cannot be placed in any public street, alley, sidewalk or footpath. Clearly, the intent here is to keep people from impeding both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Some properties have what is known as a mowing strip, a narrow area between the sidewalk and the curb. This serves as a perfect spot for trash can placement. Unfortunately, with the price of land the way it is, this strip is found less frequently in newer housing developments. Residents need to walk a fine line keeping trash cans out of the way of people and cans using the street. We are confident that common sense will prevail. If not, there’s always that call to Amos at 779-7241 to bring down the letter of the law.
DEAR TELEMARKETERS: STOP!
“I am a dispatcher and I work the phones nine hours a day. On average, I receive at least five calls a day that ask me to “please hold for an important message” or “Hey … did you know that you can now blah blah blah.” I really don’t know what they say because the very second that I can tell it is a recorded message, I hang up.
“What gives? I thought there was a bill passed years ago that required phone solicitations to be handled only by a live person. I understood that this bill/law would prevent persons from being assaulted by these recorded, “please stay on the line” type messages.
“I have my personal phones on the ‘do not call list,’ and have recently had my home phone turned off. Many of my friends and family have made the same decision, as we have all become cell phone owners.
“I finally realized that the only calls I was getting at home were usually phone solicitations and annoying recorded messages, and the whole time, I was paying the phone company for their access to me.
“Can you shed some light on the current phone solicitation rules and who to contact when companies blatantly ignore them?”
RED PHONE
Dear Caller, telemarketers have become the plague of modern civilization. We feel your pain. Laws governing what marketing types can do vary from state to state. You can go to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, www.dca.ca.gov/r-r/telemarket.htm, to learn what your rights are. But Red Phone drilled down a little deeper on the site and found this nifty piece of advice:
You can get your name removed from many telemarketing lists through a free service offered by the Federal Trade Commission. Simply register at the Commission’s Web site, www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to add to the Do Not Call database. For you, dear caller, the next paragraph should be of particular interest:
“Once you have been on the Do Not Call list for three months, if you receive calls from a telemarketer that you believe is covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, you can file a complaint online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222. However, you must know the name or phone number of the company that called you.”
If you have a problem, a question, or simply want to praise a job well done, please pick up the phone or get on the Internet about any issue that needs attention. Red Phone is here to help you, always.
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