AB 920 amends Section 2827 of the Public Utilities Code. 8 Assembly Bill 920 (Chapter 376, Statutes of 2009). It just gets really tiresome and expensive after a while,” said Lauren Weinstein, who owns a consulting business in Woodland Hills. 7 Also referred to as investorowned utilities (IOUs) in this guidebook. Still, Valley business owners were relieved that Thursday’s decision allows them to keep their existing numbers. “You really will never know where you are calling - unless you know your friend lives in Woodland Hills or something,” said Burbank resident Stan Hyman. Others said they didn’t mind the extra dialing, but worried that the change would add to their phone bill because 747 will not be tied to a specific part of the Valley. But North Hollywood is not another place. “I know when they took Pasadena out of 818 that was no big deal that’s another place. She was most frustrated that residents must soon dial 11 digits for every 818 call.
“The thought of it makes me ill,” said Sue Alexander, a children’s book author and 47-year West Hills resident. Thursday’s decision provoked a variety of responses. However, the North American Numbering Plan Administration - an agency contracted by the Federal Communications Commission to monitor area codes - expects the 818 to exhaust its supply of numbers by late next year. In movies, books and songs, the 818 is intertwined with references to the quintessential suburb, both positive and negative. The San Fernando Valley was expanding and quickly developing its sense of place when the 818 was split from 213 in 1984. Residents and businesses protested the plan, and there was disagreement about where the line should be drawn and which side would receive the new area code. The overlay proposal followed a controversial decision by the utilities commission in 1999 to split the Valley, with one side keeping the 818 and the other getting 747. State regulators said allowing businesses to hang onto 818 numbers played a crucial part in their decision to use 747 for new numbers, rather than splitting the region between the two area codes.
“If we had our druthers, we would rather not have to have an overlay.”
“We have very few options available to us,” said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who represents the eastern half of the Valley. Los Angeles City Council representatives, who criticized the commission for not providing more time for Valley residents to comment on the recently released overlay proposal, said the proliferation of cellphones, BlackBerrys and fax machines has given officials little choice but to add a new area code. Since it announced its intention last fall to create a new Valley area code, the utilities commission received 741 comments, with 442 supporting an overlay, 199 favoring splitting the region into two area codes, and 100 with no preference.