3-1-1 may not be a magic number, but if you’re trying to keep your neighborhood looking good, 3-1-1 is pretty fine.
For the uninitiated, 3-1-1 is the telephone number for the City of Los Angeles Services Hotline that immediately takes your request for pick-up of a stained mattress that some slob threw to the curb in Valley Village before moving off to Glendale, or removal of graffiti that appeared overnight on your neighbor’s chimney, or to request a new light bulb be installed in the streetlight on the suddenly dark spot of Colfax Meadows.
Staffed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and equipped for the hearing and speech impaired, these operators can respond in English, Spanish, or 150 other languages, thanks to language translation services. They process customer inquiries using the Citywide Services Directory and provide information for L.A. City service requests including non-emergency police & fire (downed power line), street maintenance (potholes), business permits (is that add-on being built by a neighbor permitted? How about if it’s to be used as a hand-made baby-buggy cover boutique?).
311 is the number to call to report a city street-sweeper using the cleaning machine to drag race through your neighborhood, kicking dirt up onto the pedestrians rather than cleaning the pavement. To have a dead animal removed from the sidewalk leading to the elementary school. To find out which ‘safe and sane’ fireworks are permitted for the 4th (let me save you a call – the answer is none). To report a swarm of angry bees nesting in the trees along the park’s jogging path.
You can also punch in those three digits to obtain information on City of Los Angeles office locations, City phone numbers, Public Meeting Schedules, Citywide Events and other general information pertaining to the City of Los Angeles.
New this year, if you’d rather connect using your smart phone without actually speaking, you can use the 3-1-1 app for your iPhone or Android phones. Download the “311 Los Angeles” app from iTunes or Google Play, then click “Submit Service Request.”
The Citywide Services Directory is also available at www.lacity.org.
To learn more about 3-1-1, follow this link to L.A. 3-1-1: One Call to City Hall.
Lori Aronsohn
Your Neighborhood Realtor
818.516.9218, 424.248.9772
larealty@me.com
www.loriaronsohn.com
