#399, 211 LINES OFF TO GOOD START.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer The phones jangled Friday at two quick-dial help lines launched in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County to help stranded motorists, or those with social-service needs. Motorists gearing up for the July 4 weekend made good use of #399 - the new number available through cell phones to summon TO SUMMON, practice. The act by which a defendant is notified by a competent officer, that an action has been instituted against him, and that he is required to answer to it at a time and place named. a tow, call a cab or report a pothole pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular water currents that move against the main current of a stream. . The phone banks also lit up for 211 - a quick-dial hotline to link callers to 4,000 social service agencies - from domestic violence to affordable housing and health insurance for kids. ``I've seen a noticeable increase in phone calls,'' said David, a 211 community resource adviser whose calls were formerly made through an 11- digit 800 number; he declined to give his last name. ``It's working well so far.'' The new numbers add to a smorgasbord of help lines such as 311, 411 and 911, with mixed success on some cell and office phones. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched its #399 in Los Angeles and Orange counties in order to free up 911 lines for true emergency calls. On the day of its rollout, the $1 million pilot program heard from 75 callers; 26 of them were told to dial 911 to report road hazards or other emergencies. Some called for tows, others for freeway condition reports, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. an MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. spokesman. Other queries were more esoteric - the woman from Whittier who asked whether fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to were legal. Or the woman who called asking that an illegally parked car be removed from her front yard. ``It's going well,'' said Rick Jager of the authority. ``The system's up and running; it's running fine. We have high hopes. Once it gets known, we're expecting 10,000 calls a month.'' Maribel Marin, executive director of 2-1-1 LA County, said once the word gets out she expects even greater demand for 211. The service, formerly called INFO LINE Los Angeles, offers language interpreters, TTY (TeleTYpewriter) See teletypewriter and TDD/TTY. (hardware) tty - /tit'ee/ (ITS pronunciation, but some Unix people say it this way as well; this pronunciation is not considered to have sexual undertones), /T T Y/ 1. teletypewriter. 2. phone help for the deaf, and counselors who can refer in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese and Vietnamese to 4,000 agencies and 28,000 programs. Said Marin: ``What 211 has done is make it much easier to access the number and get help.'' Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: HOTLINES Daily News |
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