I live in west Gilroy by the levee and have a cement wall for a
fence in my backyard.
“I live in west Gilroy by the levee and have a cement wall for a fence in my backyard. The thing needs paint real bad, and I wonder who is responsible for painting this wall? Does the city do this or can I, if I’m responsible, paint it any color I want?”
Red Phone: Dear Paint Mixer, You can paint a wall yourself, but you should first check with the city to make sure on the type of paint. The city does have a standard paint color for its walls (Product No. 1105-222, color J 18-2, sheen flat), but not all walls are on public property and may have a different color as a result, said Parks and Landscape Supervisor Bill Headley.
“There may be a few older city concrete walls that haven’t been updated with the standardized city wall color,” he said.
As a result, the city would need to know the address or APN number for the wall, Headley said. To find out about your wall, call 846-0283.
Why all the sensational stories?
“There are many stories in the Dispatch concerning committed crimes (police blotter), court dates, etc. However, I rarely see the results of these arrests and prosecutions. How can legal punishment be considered a deterrent if the public is not informed of the results of these cases? I think the Dispatch and other media could do a better job of reporting on regular case results other than the ‘sensational’ ones.”
Red Phone: Dear Where’s the Follow-Up?, The Dispatch does not publish the results of all prosecutions resulting from crime in Gilroy because it needs to prioritize staff usage.
Red Phone could follow every case (many of which take several years to settle), but that would make for a very tired Red Phone and would result in Red Phone looking for a position as a pay phone in the Bahamas. However, Red Phone tries to pick the cases that matter most to readers. After all, Red Phone can’t be everywhere at once, and if Red Phone is at the court following a case of petty theft, it can’t also be covering the City Council debate over medical marijuana.
The Dispatch certainly makes every effort to be fair and to avoid sensationalism (after all, our reporters do this because they are passionate about journalism). That said, our readers in general want to know about the unique occurrences, not about the ordinary life that we’re all well-acquainted with. After all, wouldn’t you rather read about a child that volunteers at an animal shelter after school rather than the one that goes home and pigs out on Ho Hos while watching SpongeBob SquarePants?
Either way, thanks for raising this important question. And if you, dear readers, disagree, please let Red Phone know.
Tired of being nickled and dimed
“I want to know if there is anyone else who is as tired as I am of being nickled and dimed to death. Now they want to tax every song you hear on the radio. Why do we keep on paying for their mistakes? We need to start making some big changes in who we are electing to handle our money. Why are they making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year while we are living paycheck to paycheck. Come on people. Let’s get together. They work for us. We pay their salaries. Either they start doing a good job, or they get voted out.”
Red Phone: Dear Penny Pincher, It is indeed up to each one of us to get out and vote. Make sure you know what each of the candidates stands for and what the issues are. It is never too early to start doing research. The tax you are talking about was first brought up last year to force radio stations to pay fees to artists and their labels. Radio stations say it would destroy them. To see more, visit NoPerformanceTax.org.
