Ten years and millions of reports later, the City of San Diego is highlighting the success of its Get It Done app, which was launched a decade ago for San Diegans to report non-emergency issues to the City. What started as an idea for a “pothole app” has now evolved to a sophisticated service platform that receives more than 1,000 requests each day, and offers more than 65 different services ranging from potholes patching to graffiti removal, missed trash collections, ADA complaints, short-term-rental violations and more. 

Over the past 10 years, the mobile app has been downloaded 275,000 times, and Get It Done has received more than 3.5 million reports. 

“Get It Done has dramatically improved City operations over the past 10 years,” said Alex Hempton, the City’s Chief Innovation Officer and Director of the Performance and Analytics Department, which created and runs the program. “It provides an opportunity Performance and Analytics to work with departments on process improvements for Get It Done services, which results in greater efficiency and better customer service to the public.” 

The mission is to serve the public and meet growing and changing expectations. Get It Done is simple, easy to use and enables the City to hear from as many people as possible. The goal is to build lasting trust among San Diegans who know their voices are being heard, and that the City is responding by putting its resources to work for them. 

Most users turn to Get It Done to report pressing issues to the City that need attention and repairs, including potholes, broken streetlights, fallen trees, sidewalk maintenance, malfunctioning traffic lights and more, with parking issues, illegal dumping and graffiti topping the list of most-reported items. 

People can access Get It Done online by going to the City’s website or directly to the Get It Done page at SanDiego.gov/Get-It-Done. The most popular way to use Get It Done is with the mobile app, which can be found in the Apple App Store for iOS or the Google Play store for Android. When reporting problems, report one issue per report and include photos, a detailed description, and exact locations when possible, to help City employees quickly locate the area. 

Get It Done was designed with people as the priority, versus putting technology first, which has contributed to its success. It’s one of the many ways the Performance and Analytics Department helps the City work better for residents and employees, by making services easier to use, streamlining internal processes, and using data to improve outcomes. 

Get It Done also increases transparency by providing a data feed to the City’s Open Data Portal, so people using the portal can have greater insight into city operations. Data from the portal powers analysis and dashboards that help the public and decision-makers understand what’s performing well and where additional resources are needed. 

Performance and Analytics works with different City departments to improve the process before launching a new service, and then continues to work with departments to optimize the service by providing tools for employees. The result is that Get It Done is easy for residents to use, and it also provides the tools that employees need to effectively address incoming requests. 

Using Get It Done saves the City time and money by directing staff to the most critical needs. You’re our eyes and ears, helping to keep our City clean and address needed repairs. 

To report issues by phone, the City’s Public Works Dispatch is available 24 hours a day for urgent issues and can be reached at 619-527-7500. Get It Done is for non-emergencies only. For emergencies, dial 9-1-1. For Police non-emergencies, call 619-531-2000.