Santa Clara County’s 13 law enforcement agencies say Halloween
is a particularly deadly night because of drunk drivers. As a
result, they plan to crack down on drunk drivers.
Police out to keep Halloween safe
Santa Clara County’s 13 law enforcement agencies say Halloween is a particularly deadly night because of drunk drivers. As a result, they plan to crack down on drunk drivers.
At least six extra officers will be patrolling Gilroy that evening and the Anti-Crime Team also will be in force, Sgt. Jim Gillio said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween last year involved a drunk driver or motorcyclist. In California, 462 individuals have been killed or injured in alcohol-involved collisions during the past five Halloweens.
“One foolish decision can turn a fun Halloween into a real-life horror story,” San Jose California Highway Patrol Captain Cathy Wayne said. “There are simple precautions partygoers can take such as designating a sober driver in advance or taking a taxi.”
Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies will be deploying additional DUI patrols beginning at 6 p.m. thanks to funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In addition to alcohol-related traffic concerns, Gillio said that parents should ensure their children stay on sidewalks and walk within crosswalks and watch out for cars. They should also carry flashlights, wear brightly colored clothing and refrain from wearing masks that obstruct their vision, he said.
Revenue department expands office hours
Santa Clara County’s Department of Revenue will stay open two extra hours to 7 p.m. every Tuesday. County officials say they hope to make it easier for residents to make payments and calls for court-related fines and bills owed to county agencies, such as Valley Medical Center.
The expanded hours are part of a one-year pilot program that will run until August. Normal hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. will continue on other weekdays.
“The County must strive to meet its residents’ needs as efficiently and effectively as possible,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, chairman of the board’s finance and government operations committee. “Increasing collection services hours one day per week is a simple solution that maintains cost-effective operations while better serving residents who are hard-pressed for time.”
The Department of Revenue provides agencies and departments within the County with professional billing and collection services. Services include explaining client charges, negotiating payment arrangements, issuing delinquent notices, pursuing collections, small claims action and lawsuits, and accounting and distribution of revenue.
The Department of Revenue office is at the County Government Service Center, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, First Floor, San Jose. Last payments are accepted at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and 4:45 p.m. all other weekdays.
Clients also may pay by mail, and a non-cash payment drop box is available outside Building 2 to allow for payments during non-business hours.
Details: 282-3200 or www.sccgov.org/portal/site/dor.
Sunrise fire station could close some days
A north Gilroy fire station may have to shut down certain days starting Sunday as the city aims to reduce its budget.
Sunrise Fire Station, 880 Sunrise Blvd., will undergo occasional “brownouts” on days when there are staffing vacancies at Gilroy’s Chestnut or Las Animas fire stations. The brownouts are a result of a cost-savings agreement this spring between the City of Gilroy and Local 2805, the union that represents local firefighters.
The Sunrise station will only shut down on days that the other two stations do not have at least four firefighters available to staff an engine. Sunrise now only has two or three firefighters available at a time. The Sunrise station will remain open as a three-person engine company or two-person medic facility whenever possible.
Sunrise became a two-person unit on most days and occasionally a three-person station after the city laid off four firefighters and eliminated two vacant firefighter positions late last year. After that, the city and Local 2805 reached a “concession agreement” this spring in which they agreed on further personnel costs including furloughs. Cost-cutting measures within that agreement included occasional brownouts at the Sunrise station.
The Sunrise station receives a substantially lower call volume than the Las Animas and Chestnut stations, according to city officials. In 2008, the station received 343 calls, compared to 1,647 calls at Las Animas and 1,586 at Chestnut.
The Las Animas fire station will respond to calls in the Sunrise district during brownout periods, although city officials say response times may be longer.
