It’s only been 2 years. Do I need to redo my REAL ID? Roadshow
Q: I got my REAL ID license two years ago. I am 78 and my license is due this month for renewal. Do I need to go through all the documentation again for REAL ID or does this carry through from two years ago, if nothing has changed?
Vera Everett
A: Once you get a REAL ID, it’s good for the rest of your life.
Q: Gary, I wrote to you in July, pointing out that the debris on Highway 87 was a hazard to emergency vehicles and other drivers. You said it would be cleaned up soon and, sure enough, as I was driving Monday, I ran into slow traffic on 87 around Curtner Avenue. Traffic was being directed toward the middle and right lanes by police cars and there was a street sweeper and trucks cleaning up the side of the road.
Tom Osaki, San Jose
A: The news gets more encouraging. Today, Thursday, Caltrans will host a litter day clean-up event in Santa Clara County.
Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a $1.5 billion program to expand removal of trash from state highways and to fund local beautification and litter abatement projects over the next three years. Waste management companies estimate that Californians generated 30 to 40 percent more trash per day in 2020 .
The $1.5 billion price tag is a major scale-up from $80 million set aside for cleanup in the past.
Q: The “the” debate with L.A. is friendly rivalry banter. Why do some people take it so seriously? But we will not tolerate the nasty “the” in beautiful Bay Area papers!
Sushil Patel, San Jose
A: So many agree with you.
Q: I grew up in Bay Area and then moved to Los Angeles for school and spent decades there, recently moving back to the Bay. The only time I received a little friendly grief was when I wore my Giants hat.
Jim Pollock
A: Wear that cap proudly.
Q: I loved the story about the wallet-returning good Samaritan. I spent my last two high school years in Switzerland. If somebody dropped a wallet on the street, the only thing somebody might do is pick it up and drop it into the nearest post box.
When I was a student at the University of Redlands, I found a woman’s wallet in the quad. I walked to her dorm and returned it to her. She said nothing but immediately opened it, counted the money within (about $200) and said, “Well, at least you didn’t take any of the money.”
James Thurber, Mountain View
A: A thank you would have been fitting.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow, or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5335.