May 6, 2005

Keep our neighborhoods beautiful

By Dave Cortese
Special to the Times

I have given much thought lately about what it takes to keep our neighborhoods beautiful. I have lived in this area all my life and spent a great deal of time in every neighborhood. It is alarming to me when I see neighborhoods that have become degraded by a lack of compliance and pride of ownership.

The good news is that there are ways that you can help keep our community beautiful. Reporting issues, maintaining your property and taking pride in your neighborhood are some of the ways that this can be done and the city of San Jose has programs that can help. See the list of departments below that you can contact to help keep Evergreen beautiful.

Abandoned Shopping Carts
If you would like to report an abandoned shopping cart in your neighborhood, call (408) 277-4000.

Animals
- In order to report stray or injured animals or a barking dog, call (408) 654-5875.
- To obtain a pet license, call the licensing number at (800)-215-2555.
- To have dead animals removed, call the city of San Jose Animal Care and Services Division, (408) 578-7297

Appeals Hearing Board
The Appeals Hearing Board hears code enforcement appeals of blighted conditions, illegal building activity, unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, abandoned, dismantled and inoperative vehicles, neglected vacant houses, weed abatement liens and garbage liens.

The board also hears appeals of police permit denials or revocations, sign removal fees, utility billing and graffiti abatement fees. For further information about the board, call (408) 277-4931

Blight
Property can be considered blighted if it has an unsecured building or structure, is in a state of disrepair, has dangerous or overgrown vegetation or fails to meet the numerous other definitions of blight presented in the San Jose Municipal Code. Call Code Enforcement (408) 277-4528 for more information.

Buildings
All reports to Code Enforcement are confidential. Call Code Enforcement at (408) 277-4528 to:

- Find out about or report Building Code violations such as building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical, including construction or change of occupancy without permits.

- Report the conditions of an existing structure that constitute a clear and present danger to the public.

- Learn more about the San Jose Municipal Housing Code minimum standards for safe and sanitary housing.

- Find out about zoning ordinance requirements for structures such as use, location, configuration and size, as well as land use requirements.

- Report a vacated building.

City Hall Call Center
If you would like to reach the information desk at City Hall, call the city’s Call Center at (408) 277-4000.

Construction noise
According to San Jose Municipal Code, the legal hours of construction within 500 feet of a residential unit are limited to the hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. If this ordinance is violated, call Code Enforcement at (408) 277-4528.

Graffiti
To report cases of graffiti, call the anti-graffiti hotline at (408) 277-2758. Be prepared to describe the location and the extent of the graffiti in question.

Neighborhood clean-ups
The city of San Jose provides five neighborhoods per council district with their own “dumpster day.” Evergreen is fortunate in that we use one of those dumpster days for a district-wide clean-up, which gives all residents the opportunity to clean out their garages, yards and homes.

For more information, call the District 8 Council Office at (408) 277-5242.

Sidewalks, park strips, curbs
The owner of the fronting property is responsible for maintaining the sidewalk, the curb, the gutter and the park strip area, which is the grassy strip between the street and your home.

Maintenance re-sponsibility includes repair or replacement of damaged or displaced concrete, abatement of weeds or debris and trimming of trees and shrubs.

For information on the repair of curb and gutter, call the Sidewalk Inspection Section at (408) 277-2572. If you wish to report a clogged storm drain, call (408) 277-4373.

Signs
To report sign violations, including signs in the public right-of-way, failure to have required permits, illegal inflatable displays, balloons and pennants, call Code Enforcement at (408) 277-4528.

Streetlights
The Department of Streets and Traffic (DOT) maintains streetlights on San Jose’s streets and is responsible for repair and replacement of existing locations.

If you notice a streetlight that is out, or is not functioning properly, it can typically be repaired within 14 days from your call. DOT can respond more quickly if you report the nature of the problem, the address of the business or residence nearest the pole and the number that is painted or applied with stickers on the pole.

Once you have obtained this information call one of the two following numbers: If a light pole has been knocked down, due to construction or perhaps a traffic collision, call (408) 277-4373. For all other malfunctions, call (408) 277-5517, where you can leave a recorded message.

For new streetlight requests, contact the Department of Public Works, at (408) 277-4638.

Street hazards
If you would like to report an immediate street hazard, such as a fallen tree or street sign, call the immediate hazard number at (408) 277-4373.

Street maintenance
If the problem is away from the gutter and in the main street area where vehicles travel, then the city is responsible for maintenance and will fix the problem.

If there’s a pothole in the street, call (408) 277-4373 to report it. Dispatchers will take the information and pass it on to the appropriate staff for scheduling of repair work.

The city tries to repair potholes within 24 hours. All other defects are repaired when the street is scheduled for preventive maintenance.

Street sweeping
San Jose’s street sweeping is currently scheduled for once a month. To find out the schedule in your neighborhood, contact the Department of Transportation at (408) 277-4373.

Traffic calming
Traffic Calming is a way to manage traffic so that its negative impacts on residents, pedestrians and schools are minimized. Traffic calming solutions can range from the installation of a crosswalk near an elementary school to the installation of traffic islands to slow or restrict traffic movements.

If you have a traffic concern in your neighborhood, call (408) 277-4304 (ask for Traffic Engineering) or e-mail traffic.calming@sanjoseca.gov. If you would like increased traffic enforcement in your neighborhood, call the San Jose Police Traffic Enforcement Unit at (408) 277-4341.

Tree removal
For “street trees” located between the sidewalk and the street that need pruning or removal, call the city Arborist’s Office at (408) 277-2762. For trees on private property, a tree removal permit from the Planning Department is required for the removal of any tree over 18 inches in diameter.

These applications are available by calling the Planning office at (408) 277-4576 or downloading the permit in PDF format at: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/dev_review/dev_tr.htm.

Vehicle Abatement
Vehicles parked on the street and unused for three days, unregistered for more than six months, or inoperable—missing essential parts like engine, transmission, wheels, windshield—are considered illegal.

Also, vehicles on private property that are either parked on an unpaved surface, like the lawn, or have been inoperable for more than three days—missing essential parts like the engine, transmission, wheels and/or windshield—are considered in violation of the city law.

If you wish to report a vehicle that is in violation of the vehicle abatement laws, call (408) 277-5305 or fax the vehicle abatement form: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/codeEnforcement/vehicle.htm. Be prepared to provide the following information:*
- Your name, address and telephone number
- The license plate number
- The address
- The nearest cross street
- The color of the vehicle
- A description of the vehicle

* All reports and information are confidential.

I hope this information is helpful to residents in keeping Evergreen clean, safe and livable. My office is always ready to assist in any manner, so please do not hesitate to contact us. Kerynn Gianotti, the key person in our office to help with these issues, can be reached at (408) 277-5242 or via e-mail at kerynn.gianotti@sanjoseca.gov.