Our first Red Phone caller of the week, concerned about illegal
dumping, asked the Crimson Crusader to make sure the city knew
about the couch that was recently dumped in an alley near her home.
Our caller said packs of teenagers hang out near where the couch
had been dumped in Smith Alley and worried that they would start a
fire, possibly endangering nearby homes and businesses.
Our first Red Phone caller of the week, concerned about illegal dumping, asked the Crimson Crusader to make sure the city knew about the couch that was recently dumped in an alley near her home. Our caller said packs of teenagers hang out near where the couch had been dumped in Smith Alley and worried that they would start a fire, possibly endangering nearby homes and businesses.
The Crimson Crusader made a call to Hollister Code Enforcement Mike Chambless to see what could be done. Chambless, a hard-working and dedicated public servant, said he would look into the problem posthaste. After the city picks up couches and other large items illegally dumped on local streets, the items are hauled out to the city yard for disposal, Chambless said.
How Many Chickens Fit in my Back Yard?
Our next Red Phone call came from a local woman asking for more information about local rules and ordinances regarding raising chickens in her backyard. The Crimson Crusader made a quick call to Hollister’s Animal Control Office to find out.
The answer to this age-old chicken question depends on where you live. City residents can have up to six hens, but cannot have any roosters, an Animal Control employee, who declined to give her name, told the Free Lance.
But it’s a different story entirely for those who live outside Hollister city limits. County Code Enforcement Officer Stacey Watson said county residents can have up to six hens without having to apply for additional county permits. Between six and 10 birds are permissible on land that is zoned rural residential. That includes a limit of one rooster per acre. Watson said county residents with land designated for agricultural use can raise more birds so long as they apply for certain county permits.
Blast from the Past
Our final Red Phone caller, a local man interested San Benito County history, asked the Crimson Crusader if the Free Lance could run a “This Day in History” piece in the newspaper. The Crimson Crusader passed on our caller’s suggestions to members of the paper’s editorial staff and did a little research for our caller.
On Oct. 10, 1945 the headline for the lead story of the Evening Free Lance read: “Nip-Yanks Promised Land-Housing at SJ Civic Unity Meeting.” The article read, in part, “Pledges to purchase ten buildings from the Army, and donations of land upon which they will be maintained to house relocated Japanese-Americans in the San Juan Valley, were given to the San Benito County Council for Civic Unity by Sam Regas and Winnie T. Frietas at a meeting held in the San Juan Bautista Hostel, Thursday.”
