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Editorial - Stop Political Calls In CA

(The Modesto Bee)

Direct link here.

In my Aug. 3 column, I mentioned a Web site, www.stoppoliticalcalls.org, where people can sign up to block robocalls. The Web site is a little confusing and it appears there might be a small membership fee. Not true, according to a representative I contacted Friday. The succinct response: "You register for free. However, if you want to register more than one number, e-mail, and snail mail address, you pay $1.24 a year -- a fee to help operating expenses. Most people like free. We have almost 60,000 members. One percent have paid the fee. 15 percent are in California."

The site was created by a nonprofit, nonpartisan entity called Citizens for Civil Discourse.

Meanwhile, robocalls are illegal in California, and the state Public Utilities Commission says if you are unhappy about getting them, you should complain to your telephone company, providing the name of the person or entity that called and the phone number. On the other hand, it only takes a second to hang up. And finally, sometimes it's just fun to complain, especially about the celebrity calls. The governor has called my house at least twice in the past couple of years. We actually listened to him.

Sly is editor of The Bee's Opinions pages. Contact her at 578-2317 or jsly@modbee.com.