mailbox / By North Coast Journal Readers

Tow this

(July 3, 2008)  Did someone turn in Mr. Hartin’s and Mr. Reece’s vehicles (“Tow Happy,” June 26)after seeing them sitting for how long? Did someone get tired of those vehicles blocking the view of one backing their vehicle out of a driveway? Or many other reasons to call a vehicle into Vehicle Abatement?

If you call EPD all calls are transferred to vehicle abatement where the records were kept first bySpitler and Taylor. Now they are kept by McCauley. He is only in his office on Mondays and Tuesdays so dispatch and records have no information and cannot answer your questions.

Dispatch does know on the day a vehicle is towed as a Public Safety Officer advises them, but again the information is forwarded to vehicle abatement, not kept in dispatch or records.

I have been dealing with two vehicles starting almost four months ago. One was a White Chrysler leaking oil on the pavement, not running, with a flat tire and a spare bumper under the car. I even called Environmental Health whose hands were tied since the DA had removed Code Enforcement from “law enforcement” status. It was finally moved due to a fluke. It had changed registration three times in as many months, but no registration fee had been paid so it was towable.

The second vehicle is a van and it has been moved by another vehicle or able bodies up and down my street numerous times after being close to being towed. It has gone around the corner twice, moving toward A St, then up another block until it was almost on B St. Then it went down the other side of the street. Somewhere along the line this vehicle was towed. The owners bailed it out and had the towing company tow it back to my street on May 10. A costly affair to them I’m sure.

Again I called Vehicle Abatement on Mondays and Thursdays and talked to McCauley. Again the crafty owners go out late at night and move the vehicle and the process starts all over again. The van has not moved since June 3, and the van is still sitting there — must be a glitch in the system.

I believe McCauley, as I grew up with him as a child and have known him for 59 years. His Mother still lives next to my parents.

So I will keep calling until the vehicle is gone. I have also written to all the council members, the chief of police and have letters waiting to send to Mike Thompson, Patti Berg and Pat Wiggins.

1 2 NEXT PAGE >SHARE