There MUST be a Law
I don't know who the friggin' genius is that authorized trash trucks and street sweepers to start working before 7 in the morning but I can almost guarantee that they don't live all that close to a road or school.

First up on the external alarm schedule was the trash trucks unloading all the dumpsters behind the school. Only it sounded like they were just sitting in our bedroom and revving their engines, tossing in a minute or so of that piercing get away from the back end of the truck sound when they use reverse. It took them about fifteen minutes to empty all the dumpsters, all the while making me wonder just how loud they are up close and not across the street and down a ways. Seriously, pictures were rattling on the walls because of these things and the time was a quarter to seven in the morning.

Next up on the you've-probably-already-gotten-enough-sleep alarm schedule was the street sweeper. Another huge truck with lots of engines, motors, noise and that extra loud get the hell out of the way back up sound. I think the driver must have made ten passes up and down our road to make sure he got all the debris. Or maybe he was just doing that thing people do with a vacuum that won't pick up one thing, just keep going over it again and again and again. Perhaps he even got out of the truck to examine it, put it back down and then drove over it another few times before his truck sucked it up, up and away. Again, time was well before 7 in the morning.

Granted, I'm usually up by 7 most mornings even if I choose not to get out of bed and start moving. But this is ridiculous and I'm tempted to rattle a few cages to see if we can make sure there are no repeats of it. But who do you call? And don't any of you dare say, Ghostbusters. I need to figure out who's in charge of this crap and let them know that it is entirely unnecessary to be doing this well before most people are awake. In fact, I'm pretty sure there's a noise ordinance specifically prohibiting it.

And if any of my local Santa Cruz government employee readers have any insight into who to call? Drop an email or leave me a comment if you can. Why? Because I know those trucks were closer and louder to you and I'm sure you don't want any repeats either.