City’s New 3-1-1 Call Line

By Karen Mauney-Brodek

The City of San Francisco has started a new 3-1-1 Customer Service Call center. According to the website, “3-1-1 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects customers with highly-trained Customer Service Representatives ready to help you with non-emergency City and County of San Francisco government matters, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.”

Sometimes you don’t know how useful these lines might be, but I have used 311 three times so far, and it has been helpful If you have an emergency, 911 is still the number to call, but 311 is a single number to call to deal with a lot of the regular things that come up in our neighborhood including litter removal (did someone dump something on the street outside your apartment?), Muni route information, to report a pothole, graffiti and other city-related questions or things to report.

I have used 311 three times now, once to report a dumped refrigerator, once to report other dumped furniture (my corner is constantly being dumped on!) and once to get transit information. All three times have been productive: the operators have given me a tracking number and provided me with efficient service. It was nice to head out to the bus stop and call 311 on the way to verify which bus ran more frequently on Saturday, I got the answer and knew I was making the right transit choice.

Recently, my friend called me in a panic, not understanding what the curb color meant where she was parking, and I suggested she call 311. She did and found out that she should move her car.

For more information on the 311 line, you can check the city’s 311 website, www.sfgov.org/site/sf311_index.asp or give them a call the next time you are wondering about something city-related.