I couldn’t believe my ears or eyes when I saw the street sweeper
doing his job on the Memorial Day holiday.
“I couldn’t believe my ears or eyes when I saw the street sweeper doing his job on the Memorial Day holiday. Isn’t that a bit expensive to the taxpayers? I thought we were on a city budget? Plus on a holiday most people are home and have their cars parked out in the street, which results in a waste of time for the street sweeper.”
Red Phone: Dear Not On Holidays, You got to love the dedication from our friendly government workers. Rain, snow, sleet or hail … oh wait, that’s the post office. Street sweeping is handled by South Valley Disposal & Recycling under contract with the city, and collection or street sweeping is done nearly year-round except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
“If these days fall on a weekday, we follow up the following Saturday to complete that week’s work,” said South Valley Disposal General Manager Phil Couchee. “Assuming this is a South Valley Disposal sweeper, tax money does not pay for this service. This service is paid for through the garbage rates. Our garbage rates are adjusted by a pre-determined mathematical formula. If additional labor costs are expended by South Valley Disposal, they are not passed on to the rate payers. They are absorbed by South Valley.”
So there you have it. Looks like South Valley Disposal was in a generous mood and was eager to pick up your trash.
Even though South Valley Disposal is a work horse, Red Phone has a leg up on it because Red Phone’s circuits are open 24/7/365. So if you have any problems with trash, give Red Phone a call.
Bracco mirrors are way too big
“I called some time back about Bracco’s Towing and never saw a reply. I’m wondering why some of their trucks have those huge mirrors on the back of the cab. More than once I’ve been driving behind them and the sun’s reflected and hit me in the eyes. It’s terrible and I’d like to know why they have a big mirror when it could really be dangerous for other drivers. I’d appreciate hearing from Bracco’s Towing. Thanks.”
Red Phone: Dear Blinded by the Light, You might want to bring out your shades if you plan to tailgate a tow truck from Bracco’s Towing & Transport. A representative from Bracco’s who declined to be named (probably because of a fear that her car would be towed because of unpaid parking tickets), said there are no mirrors on the back of the trucks. “There is just the chrome that comes on the back of trucks,” she said. “The drivers use it to see how close they can pull the cars. The chrome is there just to be pretty.
Striping on Pacheco Pass
“Thank you for the follow-up, Red Phone. Yes, re-striping the triple left turn would be most helpful! They are nearly impossible to see. – Live And Let Live.”
Red Phone: Dear Live And Let Live, No, thank you for commenting again and being a loyal reader. Your comment will be passed on to the appropriate city department. For those who missed last week’s Red Phone, Live And Let Live confessed to ruthlessly cutting people off when turning left onto Pacheco Pass while driving north on Camino Arroyo. OK, it wasn’t done on purpose. Hopefully the stripes will help other drivers as well and avoid any road rage outbreaks.
