I am caregiver for a woman in Gilroy. She has been having a
problem with some company either through the Internet or through
the phone line that asked her a question.
“I am caregiver for a woman in Gilroy. She has been having a problem with some company either through the Internet or through the phone line that asked her a question. And she happened to answer it incorrectly by saying yes. We’re talking about an 89-year-old young lady. They are siphoning $29 from her credit card. They have done it twice in three weeks. I called for her two weeks ago and they were going to cancel the subscription that she supposedly agreed to. But they are still taking the money out. It is very abusive to the seniors, and I am sure she is not the only one.”
Red Phone: Dear Yes Ma’am, Unfortunately there are many different scams out that prey on both the young and old alike. If you haven’t already, make sure to call her credit card company. Often they remove charges that weren’t specifically agreed upon.
The National Crime Prevention Council recommends getting the offer in writing. If the deal is legitimate, the person should be able to send you information by mail. Never give out personal information of any type over the phone if you have not initiated the call.
Gilroy Police Sgt. Jim Gillio said he doesn’t see many cases of scams involving seniors in the city, but he encourages people to report them to police at 846-0300.
If you have any questions on if a business or nonprofit or want to file a complaint, you can contact the local Better Business Bureau at sanjose.bbb.org or 278-7400. Good luck in getting your money back.
Worn out vehicles
“Recently the city came through my neighborhood and ticketed several vehicles parked on the street. Some neighbors were upset because it was going to cost them a lot of money to move their vehicle from the street to their driveway for whatever personal reason. While sad for this, I also understand rules and ordinances. However, I would like to know why the green ‘piece of crap’ truck on Santa Barbara Drive never gets ticketed, and we in the neighborhood are subject to look at that junk pile every day going in and out of the neighborhood. Why is this vehicle exempt and how can I get rid of this eyesore?”
Red Phone: Dear Why Me?, Don’t worry, that truck is on the city’s watch list. If Red Phone remembers correctly, this was the vehicle that was parked in a front yard.
And parking or storing of motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, boats or trailers in the front yard is definite no-no.
“We receive and enforce complaints regarding this type of violation fairly commonly,” said Code Enforcement Officer Scott Barron. “Life safety issues, when they come up, will take precedence over this type of violation. It does appear that we have received complaints as was mentioned. However for some reason, we have not as yet made contact with them. We will redouble our efforts to get to it very soon.”
How many people per house?
“Hello, I just wanted to find out if there is an ordinance pertaining to more than one family living in a single family home. We have neighbors who have three families living in one home. They have a bunch of cars parked everywhere and have no respect for their neighbors, taking up all the parking spots.”
Red Phone: Dear Neighbors Of Extended Family, As for the number of residents who can live in one house, the city Municipal Code is silent on the issue, but the California Uniform Housing Code provides guidance on limits.
The code says that three people can sleep in any habitable room that is at least 10 feet by 12 feet. An additional 50 square feet is required for each person thereafter. A habitable room is any room that is not a kitchen, bathroom, closet, garage or utility room.
“It does not specify the number of families,” Barron said. “When you do the math, you will find that even if the city was enforcing this difficult-to-enforce area, most of the complaints brought to the city’s attention would not be in violation of these guidelines.”
As for parking issues, the city does occasionally receive parking complaints, Barron said. If the residence is a rental, neighbors may be able to speak with the landlords, but the city currently doesn’t enforce limited parking issues or overcrowding, Barron said.
