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Jump to full article: San Jose (CA) Mercury-News, 2008-06-27
Author: Gary Richards Mercury News Staff Columnist
Intro: I was watching KRON-TV's reports on the Summit fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains when the camera caught someone who was watching the fire from the side of the road throw a lit cigarette butt over the guardrail - right in front of a firefighter! The fireman went up and scolded the individual. I thought that fire department personnel had the power to arrest individuals for doing something stupid like this or at least detaining them until police arrived.
You can report littering like this in Santa Clara County at stopvehiclelittering@sanjoseca.gov or by calling (408) 277-4111. But there is no similar hotline for other counties in the Bay Area and there needs to be. We spend nearly $50 million a year cleaning trash from state roads and discarded cigarette butts pose terrible risks in this dry season.
the car I was behind had a smoker with her arm out the window casually flicking the ash off the ciggie. To my horror, she flicked the lit cigarette out the window, toward the side of the road. I have friends who lost everything in the fire in Aptos, and the fact that this woman flicked a burning cigarette out the window made me really depressed - apparently people are that dumb. I dialed 911 and was able to give them a very good description of the car. Is the CHP going to do anything about the call I made? . . .
You can call (800) TELL-CHP and that agency may send a warning letter to the offending butt-flingers. But they can't ticket someone if they didn't witness the incident. Raymond e-mailed Santa Clara County's anti-littering hotline so the driver on Blossom Hill will get a scolding letter in the mail.
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