Hybrid hoopla
”
Hi Red Phone. I’m calling because I read about the city
purchasing hybrids and I noticed they’re buying them from Santa
Cruz, which seems very silly for us to be spending our taxpayer
dollars to support the tax base in another city. I’d appreciate it
if you could check out for me why our city would purchase from an
out of town dealership. Thank you.
”
Hybrid hoopla
“Hi Red Phone. I’m calling because I read about the city purchasing hybrids and I noticed they’re buying them from Santa Cruz, which seems very silly for us to be spending our taxpayer dollars to support the tax base in another city. I’d appreciate it if you could check out for me why our city would purchase from an out of town dealership. Thank you.”
• “Good morning, this is a local dealer here in town expressing some concern in respect to the City of Gilroy purchasing Toyota hybrids from a Toyota dealer in Santa Cruz. Why are we going out of town to buy cars when we sell the same cars here locally?”
Red Phone:
Never fear callers, the city does make efforts to give its own car dealers first dibs on vehicle contracts. As part of the city’s normal bidding process, local dealerships can exceed the lowest bid by up to 3 percent and still get the award, according to City Administrator Jay Baksa.
Notice was sent to the dealerships about the latest round of city purchases of hybrid cars, but dealers either failed to submit the information in time or did not submit the information correctly, Baksa said. He added that the city has sent reminders on the bidding process to local dealerships in hopes of keeping profits at home in the future.
tiresome Barking
“Hi Red Phone. I’ve lived in Gilroy for over half a century. My parents met here while in their teens and were wed here. In regards to the barking dog saga, I’d like to see if there is any California civil code dealing with barking people. I’m barking about the ones who bark because they have no neighborhood park, or bark because they didn’t want a skate park in their neighborhood, or bark because they didn’t want a transit stop in their area, or bark because the police won’t patrol their private community to stop the speedsters, or bark because the tractors are creating too much dust while working the fields, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Thank you Red Phone for giving me the opportunity to bark too.”
Red Phone:
Caller, though Red Phone believes your call was intended tongue-in-cheek, it’s going to give you an answer. There is no civil code against people who complain – everyone, barking people included, can thank the First Amendment for their freedom of speech, which includes their right to complain.
The Red Phone got a kick out of your call. But just between you and it, be glad you’re not the Red Phone – it listens to barks daily, with an occasional ‘happy thought’ call thrown in the mix. But, it has to admit, it loves every moment.
Word of Warning
“Red Phone, I just wanted to give people a heads up. I feel a little guilty, but thought people should know. Last week, I was in the Target shopping center and was leaving and there was a man sitting on the center median with a sign. The sign said something like he’s a hurricane survivor and he’s $17 short of a ticket to Seattle. I thought I might be getting bamboozled, but he tugged at my heart strings and I gave him a $20 bill. He seemed appreciative and said now he could grab something to eat and head out on the next bus. I didn’t think anything about it until I was out that way again today, and Red Phone, guess what? You got it. There he was, with the same $17 short sign. I’m sure he needed my $20 more than I did, but to do it in a dishonest way is a shame. Just a word of warning for anyone who sees him and believes he really is a Katrina victim. If you want to give money, go ahead, but he’s probably not a victim. Thanks”
Red Phone:
Your call caught the Red Phone by surprise, as it too saw the man this week and gave him a few bucks. Unfortunately, some take advantage of bad situations. But, as you said, perhaps he needs the money more than yourself or Red Phone does, but it is sad he’s using others misfortune to do it.
