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# Airing their hang-ups about life in the 424
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/airing-their-hang-ups-about-life-in-the-424/
- Published: 2005-08-23T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T07:36:35.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*CPUC’s split decision has callers a bit anxious*

*By ROBERT FATURECHI Special to the Daily Press*

State officials are considering adding a new Westside area code to meet high consumer demand, an imminent change leaving many dialers feeling disconnected.

When the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) votes on the new 424 area code on Thursday, officials will be left to decide which of two area code tactics will suit the 310 area better — a geographic split or a triggered overlay.

A split, which the CPUC leaned toward in 2000, would create a new 424 area code south of the Imperial Highway, leaving the rest of the 310 region untouched.

An overlay, preferred by the major telephone companies, would create new 424 lines within the same region as existent 310 lines — a change that could result in residents having to dial 11 digits to call even a neighbor.

While existing numbers would maintain their 310 prefix in the case of an overlay, numbers requested following the transition would take on the new 424 area code.

Opponents of the overlay are working to block the efforts of T- Mobile, Nextel of California, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, SBC and other major phone companies.

“I think the overlay is a very bad thing. It would force people to dial 11 digits even when they were calling their next-door neighbor,” said City Councilman Ken Genser. “The choice is between an overlay and a split, and I think a split would be much better.”

Each option has its pros and cons.

While an overlay would force Westside residents to dial an area code when making local calls, it would allow existing business owners to avoid reprinting office stationery and business cards, according to the CPUC.

Existing phone lines for Santa Monica businesses and homes would maintain the 310 area code, as the beachside community lies north of the Imperial Highway cutoff.

Because a split would not affect local businesses, the City Council passed a resolution against the proposed overlay, Genser said.

“People (in Santa Monica) would have the same area code. People wouldn’t have to dial 11 digits every time they make a local phone call,” Genser added.

On the other hand, a split would allow callers the convenience of dialing the standard seven digits when making a nearby call.

Regardless of which option the CPUC decides on, an area code transition will be made after telephone companies run out of 310 numbers, according to the commission’s Web site.

Currently, there are 381,000 available phone numbers, according to the CPUC.

The new 424 area code debate was born in 1999, when the CPUC considered an overlay to meet rapidly growing demand. Talk of overlay translated into a public outcry, which swayed the commission to instead implement number-conservation measures.

While the CPUC’s efforts served as a temporary remedy, growing demand in the 310 area returned the issue to the forefront.

One conservation method used was “pooling,” which allowed telephone companies to obtain only 1,000 phone numbers at a time rather than the usual 10,000, according to the CPUC.

Before “pooling” was used, carriers often bought out large blocks of numbers, without having enough customers, leaving some numbers to go unused for a length of time.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082305.pdf?ref=smdp.com)