Find Problems? 'Tell Us Now' app available in English and Spanish

San Diego Supervisor Greg Cox and San Diego County officials said Friday that the county’s “Tell Us Now” smartphone app is now available in Spanish – “Reportelo Ahora” – and that people can now also report mosquito-related issues in addition to problems including potholes, air pollution, graffiti and price scanner overcharges.

The county introduced the free “Tell Us Now” app in 2017. It was designed to make it as easy as possible for county residents to report problems when they see them, whether it was bumping into a rut in the road, spotting a flooded culvert, noticing a building slimed with graffiti or a business spewing pollution. After downloading the “Tell Us Now” app, people can snap a quick picture, add some text on their phone and push “send” to immediately notify county departments. If the complaint isn’t under the county’s authority, the app will let the person know and share what jurisdiction to contact to fix the problem.

“Today the county is happy to announce the app is now available in Spanish, allowing even more San Diegans to report and resolve issues in their communities,” Cox said. “When something is reported, the request goes directly into the system, reducing time and errors. And, if applicable, a request is sent directly to staff in the field to correct the issue immediately.”

In addition to announcing the app is available in Spanish, Cox and officials said the county Department of Environmental Health’s Vector Control Program has now added mosquito-reporting to “Tell Us Now,” under its “Fight the Bite” section. So now people can report dead birds, which can be indicators of West Nile virus, notify Vector Control about mosquito-breeding problems like algae-filled “green swimming pools” and about day-biting, backyard mosquitoes.

The “Tell Us Now” app will automatically appear in Spanish for anyone who has set the language setting on their smartphone to “Espanol.” People whose smartphone settings are set for English will see the app in English.

“Tell Us Now” already allows the public to report retail store overcharges and air quality issues regionwide; to contact the county’s Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures on issues pertaining to gas pumps, price verification and commercial scales region wide and to contact the county Air Pollution Control District for questions and complaints about smoke, smells, dust, illegal burns, asbestos, unpermitted operations and other items regionwide.

The app allows people to contact county Code Compliance with complaints and questions about waste, graffiti, illegal grading and construction and inoperable vehicles in unincorporated areas and to contact the county Department of Public Works about a host of road-related issues on county-maintained roads in unincorporated areas, including drainage, road maintenance, signs and traffic issues.

The public can submit complaints and questions immediately, when they see them and directly into county computer systems, resulting in faster response times.

The app will also allow customers to track the progress of their complaints, with the exception of “Fight the Bite” complaints, as the county looks into them. The “Tell Us Now” app will also give county employees more information – and photos – to use to conduct investigations.

The app is available in the app stores for iPhone and Android smartphones.