311 Nonemergency Telephone System

The Legislature on Wednesday approved a pair of measures to use $150 million in taxpayer money to help San Diegans with this summer's electricity price spikes and to immediately cut electricity bills in San Diego. The assistance measure sets aside $150 million to be tapped if, by 2003, San Diego Gas & Electric's losses are so great that to cover them would mean an additional 10% increase in the average customer's annual bill.

Beginning Wednesday, callers to Los Angeles' 311 information center will have something to listen to while they're on hold. As part of L.A.'s 225th-anniversary celebration, the city is introducing Hear in L.A., a program through which callers will hear music from Los Angeles artists while waiting to speak with an assistant. Callers will still be greeted by the voice of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcoming them to the 311 system.

Hoping to ease the burden on the city's overloaded 911 system, Los Angeles officials plan to build a $10-million system to handle nonemergency calls. But switching to an all-purpose 311 system is so complicated that planners say it will take more than a year to create even a bare-bones network. Wiring and staffing the new network is only part of the challenge.

Mayor James K. Hahn, continuing his campaign to improve city services, launched a new 311 telephone system Thursday, aimed at reducing the number of nonemergency calls to 911 and improving access to city government offices. Trouble is, the new phone number is not accessible from some business telephone systems, a quirk that city officials said they are working on.

Callers who reach out and touch City Hall these days are likely to find themselves groping through a bureaucratic thicket. Take the recent experience of Jason Greenwald, a 29-year-old writer and political consultant. Greenwald was cruising down La Cienega Boulevard, past the Beverly Center shopping mall, when he saw two delivery trucks parked in the right lane, hampering traffic. So he grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

The City Council voted Friday to seek bids from companies to help design a 311 phone system that would allow residents to call one phone number to be connected to any city agency. The proposal grew out of the concern that the vast majority of calls to the city's 911 system are not emergencies, delaying the response to urgent calls.

By spring, Angelenos who want to call police about a cat stuck in a tree, a parking ticket or countless other nonemergency matters will be able to dial a toll-free number to get through. The Los Angeles Police Department now has eight nonemergency phone numbers, said Lt. John Egan, who is overseeing creation of the single toll-free number. The old numbers will eventually be reduced.

The Los Angeles City Council agreed Friday to commission a detailed study of a new 311 telephone number to handle nonemergency calls. According to a report by city analysts, an estimated 80% of 911 calls in Los Angeles are not for life-threatening emergencies. The Federal Communications Commission has set aside the 311 number for local governments to use for nonemergency access to police and other services.

Beginning Wednesday, callers to Los Angeles' 311 information center will have something to listen to while they're on hold. As part of L.A.'s 225th-anniversary celebration, the city is introducing Hear in L.A., a program through which callers will hear music from Los Angeles artists while waiting to speak with an assistant. Callers will still be greeted by the voice of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa welcoming them to the 311 system.

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the formation of a task force to study the implementation of a nonemergency phone number that would complement 911. Councilman Michael Feuer, who represents the southeast San Fernando Valley and has championed the idea of a 311 number, said the Police Commission and the mayor's office also have agreed to compromise on the program's budget.

Callers who reach out and touch City Hall these days are likely to find themselves groping through a bureaucratic thicket. Take the recent experience of Jason Greenwald, a 29-year-old writer and political consultant. Greenwald was cruising down La Cienega Boulevard, past the Beverly Center shopping mall, when he saw two delivery trucks parked in the right lane, hampering traffic. So he grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

Callers who reach out and touch City Hall these days are likely to find themselves groping through a bureaucratic thicket. Take the recent experience of Jason Greenwald, a 29-year-old writer and political consultant. He was cruising down La Cienega Boulevard, past the Beverly Center shopping mall, when he saw two delivery trucks parked in the right lane, hampering traffic. So he grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

Hoping to ease the burden on the city's overloaded 911 system, Los Angeles officials plan to build a $10-million telephone answering system to handle nonemergency calls. But switching to a 311 system--envisioned as an all-purpose service to help unclog 911 lines--is so complicated that planners say it will take more than a year to set up even the bare bones. Wiring and staffing the new network is only part of the challenge.

Hoping to ease the burden on the city's overloaded 911 system, Los Angeles officials plan to build a $10-million system to handle nonemergency calls. But switching to an all-purpose 311 system is so complicated that planners say it will take more than a year to create even a bare-bones network. Wiring and staffing the new network is only part of the challenge.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved a pair of measures to use $150 million in taxpayer money to help San Diegans with this summer's electricity price spikes and to immediately cut electricity bills in San Diego. The assistance measure sets aside $150 million to be tapped if, by 2003, San Diego Gas & Electric's losses are so great that to cover them would mean an additional 10% increase in the average customer's annual bill.

The city of Los Angeles has been awarded a federal grant of about $900,000 to implement a 311 phone system aimed at handling nonemergency calls and easing the burden on the 911 emergency phone lines, authorities confirmed Thursday. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, including U.S. Associate Atty. Gen. Raymond C.

Callers who reach out and touch City Hall these days are likely to find themselves groping through a bureaucratic thicket. Take the recent experience of Jason Greenwald, a 29-year-old writer and political consultant. He was cruising down La Cienega Boulevard, past the Beverly Center shopping mall, when he saw two delivery trucks parked in the right lane, hampering traffic. So he grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911.

The city of Los Angeles has been awarded a federal grant of about $900,000 to implement a 311 phone system aimed at handling nonemergency calls and easing the burden on the 911 emergency phone lines, authorities confirmed Thursday. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, including U.S. Associate Atty. Gen. Raymond C.

The City Council voted Friday to seek bids from companies to help design a 311 phone system that would allow residents to call one phone number to be connected to any city agency. The proposal grew out of the concern that the vast majority of calls to the city's 911 system are not emergencies, delaying the response to urgent calls.

By spring, Angelenos who want to call police about a cat stuck in a tree, a parking ticket or countless other nonemergency matters will be able to dial a toll-free number to get through. The Los Angeles Police Department now has eight nonemergency phone numbers, said Lt. John Egan, who is overseeing creation of the single toll-free number. The old numbers will eventually be reduced.