Our first Red Phone call of the week came from a Sunnyslope area
resident with a rat problem. Our caller said she wanted to know
what the city or county could do to get rid of the rodents.
Our first Red Phone call of the week came from a Sunnyslope area resident with a rat problem. Our caller said she wanted to know what the city or county could do to get rid of the rodents. The Crimson Crusader called Hollister Code Enforcement Mike Chambless to see what could be done. Chambless said rats are nothing new in the Sunnyslope area. Last year, Chambless spent four months trying to trap rats in storm drains.
“I caught a lot of gophers, but no rats,” he said.
After that, Chambless said the city got out of the rodent removal business. However, Chambless offered our caller a number of tips on how to deal with rats. He suggested homeowners buy rat traps, avoid feeding pets outside, talk with their neighbors and consider getting a cat. A more complete list of tips can be found at the city’s Web site, www.hollister.ca.gov, on the Code Enforcement web page.
Seeking an Application
Our next Red Phone call came from a local woman looking to join the county’s floundering Juvenile Justice Commission. Our caller said she was promised an application would be sent to her home one week ago. When it didn’t come, she called the Crimson Crusader and asked if court officials were serious about filling vacancies on the commission and getting back in compliance with state law.
The Crimson Crusader called Court Executive Gil Solorio to find out what could be done. Solorio said the court and the probation department were considering all possible applicants for the commission. He suggested our caller contact Maria Alfaro at the San Benito County Superior Court at 636-4057 ext. 40 or the Probation Department at 636-4070. Both offices will have applications and more details about the program available.
Not Quite Hollywood
Our next Red Phone caller, a woman looking to move to the area, asked the Crimson Crusader if any Hollywood celebrities lived in Hollister. Although our hero doesn’t know of any movie stars living in this fair city, both Hollister and San Juan Bautista have a star-studded past. Not only were dozens of movies filmed in our glorious county, but Hollywood stars even bought land here. On July 18, 1966 Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Price and Mr. and Mrs. Andy Griffith bought 1,100 acres of foothill property along Highway 156 between San Juan Bautista and Highway 101 for more than $1 million, according to the Evening Free Lance.
