Tree in question
“Hi Red Phone. I want to start of by saying thank you very much. This is probably my third time calling and every time I call you find out the real and true answers to my questions. This time my question is if a tree in the park strip in front of your house, the spot between the street curb and sidewalk, if that tree is dead, is the city responsible for cutting and removing it? Or is the homeowner responsible? It’s a city tree. Like I said, thank you for doing such a great job. Thanks.”
Red Phone:
It contacted Gilroy’s Public Information Officer Joe Kline, who put Red Phone in touch with Todd Barreras, operations services supervisor for Gilroy’s Streets, Sewers and Trees Department.
Barreras said if the tree is dead, the city will remove it and replant with the designated species. What he needs from you, good caller, is the address, as he’s currently creating a list of removals for the contractor.
Either call the Red Phone back with the info or contact him at 846-0444.
Numbers don’t add up
“In the Saturday Food & Family section, the ‘Black and White’ article, the ethnic makeup of the City of Gilroy adds up to a strange 124.3 percent. I’m wondering if someone needs to look at those numbers again and maybe print a revision. I’m a little curious about that. Thank you.”
Red Phone:
That is strange, caller.
It caught up with Lifestyles Editor Katie Niekerk – who said the error had already been brought to her attention. However, take note that the numbers came directly from the U.S. Government Web site, factfinder.census.gov.
Missing info
“I noted in reading about the unfortunate death of Brayan Trejo, we’re doing benefits and things and it’s a very charitable thing to do. It’s unfortunate thing that it requires a death for us to do something like this, but I’m noting that the $20,000 helicopter bill for the Trejo family. And unless I have missed it, I don’t get to read the paper everyday, I’ve never seen the name of the individual that was responsible for that child’s death. … Surely it was an adult that killed the child and why isn’t his name in the paper? I think there’s a lot of people who’d be interested in finding the answer to that. Thank you so much.”
Red Phone:
You must have missed a few issues along the way. The Dispatch has on several occasions mentioned the driver of the truck that hit and killed 5-year-old Brayan.
Robertina Franco, 49, was driving her silver Dodge Ram truck southbound on Church Street the afternoon of June 27, when she made a left turn to head eastbound on 10th Street, hitting the child in the crosswalk. Police have said Franco, of Gilroy, was cooperative and released at the scene. They are investigating the accident and will forward the case to the District Attorney’s office once the investigation is complete.
The police have confirmed through Verizon records that Franco was not using a cell phone at the time of the accident, as some originally thought.
