Petitioning the President
The White House has a Web site called “We the People” that “provides a new way to petition the Obama administration to take action on a range of important issues facing our country.” According to the site, “If a petition gets enough support, White House staff will review it, ensure it’s sent to the appropriate policy experts, and issue an official response.” The “We the People” Web site can be found at https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/>.
Help and Information from Your Local Government
Fresno County (www.co.fresno.ca.us/) provides a basic e-mail form through its “Contact the County” page (www.co.fresno.ca.us/webform.aspx?id=21249) that sends your information or request to an e-mail address (FRWebmail@sjvls.org) for the Information Services Librarian at the Fresno County Public Library.
The City of Fresno (www.fresno.gov/) has two methods whereby residents can get city information or report issues. By phone, one “can obtain desired information, report an issue or check on a previously reported issue by simply calling a single number, (559) 621-CITY (559-621-2489).” Fresno also has an online self-service system at https://occss.fresno.gov/heatselfservice/BlueBalloon/en-us/.
The City of Clovis (www.ci.clovis.ca.us/) provides a “Contact Us” page that provides links to answers to frequently asked questions, a single phone number, links to category topics, a link to an online service request page (www.ci.clovis.ca.us/Government/Customer-Service) and mobile apps that provide access for residents through both iOS (iPhone) and Android (Google) devices.
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John Crockford, a self-described “geek with Luddite sympathies,” is an independent Web site designer and consultant. Contact him at info@johncrockford.com or follow the Crockford Files (@crockfordfiles) on Twitter (https://twitter.com/crockfordfiles).
