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Around The Glen
Traffic safety meetings open to local residents
Residents are invited to attend a general meeting of the Traffic Safe Communities Network, a countywide coalition of more than 45 government, law enforcement and traffic safety advocacy organizations staffed by the county public health department.
"We're about sharing best practices for reducing injuries and fatalities that are related to traffic accidents," program manager Paul Gratz said. "We're about bringing people together and using a collaborative approach to solving traffic problems."
He said the program sponsors education campaigns and advocates for policy changes in four areas of traffic safety: reducing alcohol-related accidents, improving bicycle and pedestrian safety, stopping red-light running and increasing the safe use of child car seats.
The group meets together quarterly to review its activities of the past three months and provides opportunities for people to join the goal-specific groups, which meet monthly.
"It's a real networking opportunity for people to work together throughout Santa Clara County," Gratz said.
The meeting will be on Jan. 25, from 10 a.m. to noon at the United Way office located at 1922 The Alameda, Room 107, in San Jose. For more information and to RSVP to the meeting, call Gratz at 408.885.2204.
--Kate Carter
Homeless agencies receive federal money
Nearly 20 agencies serving homeless people in Santa Clara County received more than $6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last week.
One of the two federal grants will provide 11 agencies, including Willow Glen's InnVision, with $5,820,398, said Santa Clara County Homeless Services Coordinator Margaret Gregg.
"It definitely is a help for certain projects," she said.
This year's grant award is a $1.7 million increase over last year's. The money will help fund 16 programs for the next two years and one program for the next three years. The programs offer transitional housing and other services to local homeless individuals and families.
The other federal grant gives $482,400 to the county's shelter plus care program, which provides rental assistance for disabled people.
--Kate Carter
Holiday crackdown on drunk drivers ends
Law enforcement agencies throughout the Bay Area ended their crackdown on intoxicated drivers last week with a 26 percent increase in holiday DUI arrests over last year. Alcohol-related injury crashes fell 30 percent from last year, as well, program spokeswoman Jan Ford said.
Officers from 84 agencies held 28 sobriety checkpoints, as well as close to a dozen nights of patrols, specifically aimed at keeping drunk drivers off the streets.
San Jose police held two San Jose checkpoints, Ford said: one on the Westside on Dec. 15, and one downtown on Dec. 23.
"Checkpoints are primarily for public education," Ford said. "It's a great deterrent. But 97 percent of arrests are off the street."
However, two men died in alcohol-related crashes, one in San Jose. And there were 31 alcohol-related injury crashes in Santa Clara County, up from 23 last year, she said. The number of alcohol-related injury crashes fell in the other three counties.
But Ford said 20 years ago the county had 196 alcohol-related injury crashes.
"Obviously, 31 is too many, but it's better than it used to be."
--Kate Carter
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
