One and a two and a …

Why does the city allow three families to live in one house? The
problem with that is they take up all the parking because they
have, like, four cars. Why does the city allow one single family
home with three families?
One and a two and a …

Why does the city allow three families to live in one house? The problem with that is they take up all the parking because they have, like, four cars. Why does the city allow one single family home with three families?

Red Phone:

Dear Because this is America:

It seems your complaint is centered on the parking issue. Gilroy Code Enforcement Officer Scott Barron said many complaints about overcrowding are prompted by parking problems, and this seems no different. What Red Phone learned, though, is that trying to enforce occupancy laws is a slippery slope.

“Most people feel that they should be able to use the parking spaces in front of their own house,” Barron told us in an e-mail. “Where the offending residence is a rental unit, the impacted neighbors may be able to speak to the property owner about the problem. State law does allow landlords to establish reasonable standards for the number of people that may occupy a residential unit. The City of Gilroy on the other hand does not enforce overcrowding. The Municipal Code is silent on the issue; however, the Uniform Housing Code Sec 503.2 provides brief guidance on what it may constitute.

“It does not specify the number of families; it just mentions the number of persons. It says that two persons may sleep in a sleeping room that is at least 70 square feet or larger with 50 square feet added for each additional occupant. That means three people could sleep in a sleeping room that is at least 10-by-12 feet. A sleeping room could be considered any “habitable room” in the house; that generally means any room that is not a kitchen, bathroom, closet, garage or utility room (with a few qualifiers).

“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.”

So there you have it, dear caller, and Red Phone would like to echo Barron’s suggestion of talking with your neighbor and informing them of the problem. It’s all relative, though. If you lived in San Francisco, and found a parking place on the same block you live on, it would be a glorious day.

Those rebel church-goers

Every Sunday the church-goers from St. Mary’s church jaywalk on First Street. They stop traffic, and one of these days someone is going to get hit and whose fault will that be? Why not have someone go out and show them where the crosswalk is and how to use it.

Red Phone:

Dear Annoyed:

Red Phone contacted Sgt. Jim Gillio of the Gilroy Police Department, who cited section 21955 of the California Vehicle Code, which defines jaywalking as: “Between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices or by police officers, pedestrians shall not cross the roadway at any place except in a crosswalk.” This section does not apply to the area of First Street in front of Saint Mary’s as there are no “adjacent intersections controlled by traffic control signal devices” (Eigleberry does not have a signal). So as long as pedestrians are not darting out in from of vehicles, it is legal for them to cross in this area. The church may want to educate it’s parishioners and encourage them to use the nearby crosswalks, Sgt. Gillio said.

It’s always wise to drive slowly in areas you know will have pedestrians, such as in front of churches on Sunday mornings.