By Assemblymember Marie Waldron
Getting help or information from government agencies can often be time-consuming and frustrating. Figuring out what agency to call, and suffering through busy signals and multi-layered automated phone directories can make you forget the reason you called in the first place!
But now you can get help by simply downloading an App through App Store on your smart-phone. Yes, the State of California is trying to enter the 21st Century. Downloadable Apps include Caltrans, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), State Parks, Economic Development Department (EDD) and Medi-Cal. There’s even an App for the California Lottery.
By accessing the DMV App, you can make appointments for field office visits, register your vehicle, prepare to take the written driver exam by taking sample tests, watch driving videos, or search for a nearby field office.
By using the Caltrans App, you can get real time traffic information including freeway speed, lane closures, CHP incidents and general highway information.
At the State Parks App, you’ll find everything you need to plan a trip to a State Park. You can search by locations, activities, categories or park name.
If you’re looking for a job, EDD’s App can help. You’ll be able to access more than 20,000 websites, where you can search for jobs by keyword, area or occupation. By using Medi-Cal’s App, you can find local phone numbers and information about nearby offices, along with health and benefit information.
These are just a few of the Apps available from various branches of state government. Official State Apps are free – look for the logo that indicates it’s an official state App.
Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.