There are two sides to every story. What appeared to be
cut-and-dry lousy driving, shocked the Red Phone. We were sure this
call was going to get the driver of a shop truck for South Valley
disposal in serious trouble, maybe even canned
– that is, until we knew (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of
the story.
There are two sides to every story. What appeared to be cut-and-dry lousy driving, shocked the Red Phone. We were sure this call was going to get the driver of a shop truck for South Valley disposal in serious trouble, maybe even canned – that is, until we knew (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of the story. Suddenly, his erratic driving became a heroic effort to save a garbage truck from going up in flames.
“Boy, I really like this Red Phone. Yesterday, Wednesday, as I was heading home on Tenth Street, heading west, it was around 3:30 or so, as I’m coming up there was a large white truck coming up behind me with its amber lights on the roof flashing round and round. He’s darting in and out of traffic all of the way westbound on Tenth Street even to the fact of going into the right-turn only lane at Tenth and Church to get around traffic and he’s darting and heading west. He gets up to me, and I notice it’s the South Valley Disposal. It must be their repair truck for the big garbage trucks. He gets up to Tenth and Princevalle. It’s red in his direction. He stops, sees there’s no traffic and proceeds west. My question is does this amber yellow light on top of his roof give him the same privilege as say an ambulance, a police car. Hmmm … good question.”
The amber lights on top of vehicles like this pick-up truck are only “caution” lights. They do not give vehicles the same privileges as the lights atop emergency vehicles, which include ambulances, fire trucks and police cars.
“I’m sorry but garbage is not an emergency,” said Sgt. Kurt Svardal, at the Gilroy Police Department.
This time, the driver was actually in a hurry because materials in the back of a South Valley Disposal and Recycling garbage truck caught fire near Christmas Hill Park during Garlic Festival preparations. The fire was likely started when someone disposed of hot coals in a garbage bin. Folks, that’s a big no-no, if you don’t already know.
Phil Couchee, general manager of South Valley Disposal and Recycling, commended the driver for arriving in time to save the truck but agreed with our caller. Couchee isn’t going to take away this mechanic’s keys to the truck but he is grounded from running red lights.
***
Now to fight fire with fire.
“I agree with your editorial today and think the charge to publish the ballot statements is ridiculous. So my idea would be is why doesn’t our local paper do that free of charge, where they can put it on the Web site or even have the candidates pull together for a display ad which is a lot cheaper than the ballot statement. Perhaps, you might even find some local volunteers to translate them into the various languages needed. Just an idea. Have a great day.”
Caller, that’s sort of an unorthodox idea, but the Red Phone is ready to jump on board. The editor of The Dispatch said we would be happy to publish the ballot statements in the paper and/or online. It seems like the Democratic thing to do because, as this next caller says, some people could be priced out of school board candidacy due to outrageous fees.
“I’m responding to the article on the Dispatch’s Voice on Wednesday, July 21. If I understand it correctly, it takes about $3,000 just to submit an application. I think that is a huge disparity if you’re asking for a volunteer position. You have candidates that are interested, but the $3,000 sure is going to hold a lot of people back. I myself would love to run. I’m a school teacher, and $3,000 is just a ridiculous amount to submit. I just want to confirm that I have that information correct.”
Actually, it will cost those running for the Gilroy Unified School Board $1,710. And the fee isn’t to submit an application. The fee is to have a 200-word statement printed on the ballot. However, those running for the Gavilan Board of Trustees will need to pay $3,030 to print their statements on both the Santa Clara and San Benito County ballots.
We urge you, caller, to file by the deadline this Friday at 5 p.m., if you’re truly interested in running for a school board seat. Don’t be grounded by the candidate statement fee. Either don’t submit a statement or you can call The Dispatch and get in on the previous caller’s suggestion.
Lastly, fact or fiction: did Red Phone really take a leisurely vacation to Florida last week? The answer is the latter. Fiction can sometimes be more fun that facts … but that’s the way it is in the newspaper biz. Facts, facts, facts.
