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SeeClickFix.com provides transparent means to report City infrastructure issues
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Homeless encampments in Rincon Park on the waterfront and car break-ins are two of the open issues currently logged by neighbors on a new web site called SeeClickFix. While San Francisco provides a 311 service for reporting non-emergency issues and for general questions about City services, the SeeClickFix web site provides a means for individuals to voice their opinions in a manner that allows others to join with their voices to ask that particular issues get fixed.
The general idea is that if you see a non-emergency issue in Rincon Hill or another neighborhood, you can go to SeeClickFix to open a ticket describing the issue and what can be done to resolve it, and then take responsibility by watching an area and solving the problem or passing it on to someone who can, such as a city official. Instead of just being spectators and shaking your head in disgust at this and that while walking around the neighborhood, you can make a difference. You can step up to the plate to try to get the issue resolved rather than continuing to allow it to go ignored.
Here in San Francisco, the appropriate City and County Supervisor for the district is automatically emailed whenever a new issue in their district is reported to the site. My favorite characteristic of this system compared to the existing 311 service from the City is that reported issues are visible to anyone, and anyone can comment on them.
We'll have to see if the service is effective or not. If your district has a Supervisor that only cares about one or two topics and nothing else, you may find yourself quickly frustrated. On the other hand, you may become mad enough from the lack of a response to start phoning and visiting that Supervisor in person until they get tired of hearing from you and they do something to fix the problem. The Supervisors work for the people, after all - not vice versa. However, this also provides an opportunity for neighbors to ban together to fix things that they are able to fix on their own.
At any rate, SeeClickFix is worth checking out. It'd be really great for groups of neighbors to sign up to take responsibility for keeping certain parts of Rincon Hill litter-free and free of graffitti.
You can also read Phil Bronstein's take on the new online service.
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