FREE AIR AND WATER?
“I’d like to make a comment on some of the gas stations that don’t provide free air and water. The air is supposed to be free by means of a token given by the attendant. I think it’s a state law.
“I went to a gas station to get air for my bicycle tire and the attendant said it was 50 cents and I told him it was supposed to be free. He said he didn’t know anything about that. I was hoping you could put something in the paper so people would know about this.”
RED PHONE
You are correct, caller. There is a state law related to service stations, Assembly Bill 531, authored by Sen. Nell Soto, D-Ontario, in 1999. The law states that “Every service station in this state to provide, during operating hours, water, compressed air and a gauge for measuring air pressure, to the public for use in servicing any passenger or commercial vehicle, as defined.” If the station fails to do so they can be fined if the situation isn’t corrected within five consecutive days.
However, according to the state’s Division of Measurement Standards, gas stations are required to provide air and water for no charge, but only to customers who are buying gasoline or diesel. The state’s Web site posting indicates you may have to ask the attendant for a token or to turn the equipment on for you. If he doesn’t, there should be a phone number posted on the equipment to call and file a complaint. The number is 1-800-356-7057 or you can fill out a
complaint form online at www.cdfa.ca.gov/egov/dms/aw/
airwater.asp.
So in actuality, nothing is free. You have to buy fuel to receive “complimentary” air and water and if you’re not a gas guzzler, I guess you’ll have to pay to peddle.
TOO MANY NEWSPAPERS
“I have been receiving two Friday Morgan Hill Times newspapers for awhile now, and I have noticed that everyone seems to be getting them whether they want one or not. This may seem like a good idea, but in rural San Martin, it’s creating a trash problem. There are about a dozen Friday papers stacking up on the street near San Martin and New avenues, because the papers are being delivered to houses that are vacant. One house is being renovated with no one living there and the newspapers are piling up. As I drove around the area, I noticed extra newspapers just laying on the street. I think if the Morgan Hill Times wants to deliver free papers, they should make certain people actually want to receive the papers in the first place. Many people do not, so they won’t even retrieve them from the street and this creates litter. Please either stop this practice, or put the free newspapers in mailboxes instead of throwing them on the side of the road.
Thank you.”
RED PHONE
The Times is delivered to about 10,000 additional homes on Friday besides our normal home-delivery subscribers. The goal is to get readers to notice the value of having the newspaper delivered to their doorstep and the trustworthy content found in the newspapers, from news to advertisement.
Those people not wishing to receive the newspaper should call the circulation department at (408) 842-2327 to discontinue the delivery of the complimentary Friday paper.
GRAFFITI ON THE STREET
“I have lived in Morgan Hill off of East Dunne Avenue near Thomas Grade for at least 20 years and for most of that time, someone has been spray-painting ‘deer crossing’ on the roadway with flourescent orange paint. What can be done to stop this graffiti?”
RED PHONE
Sounds like the paint-sprayer’s heart is in the right place in trying to protect the deer on this busy road, but unfortunately, he is breaking the law by painting the road surface.
The city has a Web site address that can be used to report graffiti and other crimes. The URL is www.morgan-hill.ca.gov. There are online forms that can be accessed from that page. Just click on the e-Service Center button, select online forms, then click on Citizen Inquiry/Feedback and choose a topic … Graffiti Reporting in this case.
Morgan Hill Police Cmdr. Joe Sampson informed the Red Phone that this vandalism should be reported to the police department at (408) 779-2101. If there is a specific pattern as far as time of day when this is occurring, or time of month, it would help the police in trying to apprehend the perpetrator.
The Red Phone also talked with Police Chief Bruce Cumming about this subject. “We need citizens’ help in reporting graffiti, we certainly want to eradicate it as quickly as possible, and I say that not because I’m chief but because I can’t stand graffiti,” Cumming said. “We do appreciate the help of residents. I deplore graffiti, and I do everything in my power to get it removed. It’s a blight on the city. If your town starts to look like garbage, it only gets worse.”
The Crimson Crusader needs more opportunities to be of service to the loyal readers of the Morgan Hill Times. Please call to report your problems, concerns and issues and he’ll offer his expert advice.
Contact us at (408) 779-4106, ext. 206, or e-mail re******@*************es.com. Remember to leave a name and phone number when you call or e-mail. The Red Phone will not publish this information and will only use it for verification purposes.
