REGION: Keep the code

Thousands rally behind drive to retain 760 area code in North County

By GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Wednesday, June 25, 2008 4:56 PM PDT ∞

With chamber of commerce leaders, area politicians and thousands of fellow residents backing his drive to save North County's 760 area code, Leucadia resident Scott Chatfield has a message to the state Public Utilities Commission.

"Can you hear me now?"

Chatfield last month launched the Web site www.keep760.org to pressure the commission to reconsider its April decision to change North County's area code from 760 to 442.

The commission's decision is scheduled to go into effect in October, when the new area code would be phased in. Both area codes would work in North County for six months; only 442 would work locally beginning in April 2009.

Chatfield, who grew up with the 714 area code that served the entire county for about 30 years, said he began his drive after feeling indignant about an unelected body making a decision that affected so many people.

The commission in February held four public hearings, including one in Carlsbad, and considered public comments from more than 1,300 people. A majority of those supported an option that would secure an unchanged area code for 22 years, but many didn't realize that option required changing from 760 to 442 in North County.

Since launching his Web site in early June, however, Chatfield has heard from about twice as many people, all in support of keeping their area code.

"The response is better than I've expected," Chatfield said about the more than 2,500 e-mails generated from his site. The e-mails were sent by North County residents to county and state officials and to the commissioners. "It's gotten some traction, and the fact that we've gotten responses from elected official as well is pretty exciting. Now it's incumbent upon them to persuade the PUC to revisit their decision."

Chatfield and others on his side instead want an overlay zone that would allow both area codes within the current 760 region, which includes Imperial County and reaches the Nevada border to the east and Bridgeport to the north. The area code covers about one-third of the state and is the largest in California.

"What seems obvious now is there needs to be a postponement of the implementation," Chatfield said. "And somebody big and influential, say Governor (Arnold) Schwarzenegger, would have to go in and ask the PUC to postpone the decision."

Chatfield has gotten the ear of some elected officials, including 74th District state Assemblyman Martin Garrick, who said he spoke with Public Utilities Commission President Michael Peevey about the issue after receiving an onslaught of e-mails.

"He was pretty strong in his statement that the commission had reached out for public comment and made a decision," Garrick said Tuesday. "He seemed to be very inflexible in his position as it related to the reasons and logic I was trying to use to persuade him. Needless to say, I'm disappointed."

Garrick, whose district includes part of North County, said he does not think the public had adequate input in the debate. Announcements about the impending change and hearings on the issue had been made through the media and distributed in phone bills, but Garrick and others said they didn't know about the proposal until it was too late to comment.

Those who did learn about the meeting and attended the commission hearings may have been misinformed about the proposals before them, Chatfield said. People were asked if they supported a geographic split that would secure a North County area code for 22 years, and Chatfield said they may not have realized that meant trading 760 for 442.

One commissioner, Timothy Simon, raised a similar concern in a dissenting opinion he wrote following the commission's decision.

"When I met with parties on both sides of the debate, the singularly resonant message that I heard was: 'Whatever you do, just let me keep my 760 area code!' " wrote Simon, the only commissioner who voted against the change.

State Sen. Mark Wyland, representing the 38th District, also wants North County to keep its area code and learned about the proposed change just before the commission's decision.

"We had no clue," said Emily Smith, Wyland's communications director. "Mark's reaction to that is he thinks it's outrageous and reveals a calloused attitude from the PUC."

In a letter to the commission dated April 23, the day before the commission's decision, Wyland requested keeping 760 in North County or, as a second choice, creating an overlay zone. With much of San Diego County already built out, Wyland argued that the new area code should go to cities to the east and north.

"Let the mature, heavily populated areas of North San Diego County retain their existing 760 area code and the areas in the state with the greatest potential for future growth start relatively fresh with the new 442 area code."

The commission's planned split will result in 1.9 million phone numbers keeping the 760 area code and 1.6 million numbers changing to 442.

Smith said her office received a letter back from the commission thanking Wyland for his input. She said he had no more plans to pursue the issue, but might if asked.

"If he were approached again, he would do what's best for the district," she said. "He believes it's the duty of the PUC to actively pursue the opinions of both sides."

At the office of Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries of Lake Elsinore, a spokesman for the District 66 representative said his office still is trying to determine how to approach the issue.

"It really wasn't on our radar screen until we started getting all the e-mails from Scott's group," said Jeff Greene, Jeffries' chief of staff.

Greene said he has spoken with the commission's legal office and he is waiting to hear back about what can be done to reopen the issue. An appeal to the state Supreme Court might be the only alternative, he said.

"If they were to consider rehearing this, it would take political pressure from higher up than where we are," he said.

Garrick said he will write a letter directly to commissioners asking them to reconsider their position, and he will send a copy to the governor.

He also said the commission did not give enough consideration to the impact a new area code will have on business, which will have to change their numbers in advertisements, stationary, business cards and other items.

Chatfield's site asks people to send a pre-written e-mail to officials asking for their help in overturning the commission decision, but many people personalized the e-mails with their own comments.

"Enough is enough!" one person wrote. "The economy sucks right now, and I'm supposed to go spend all kinds of money on more business cards and paperwork?"

A business owner wrote: "I had just spent $800 on new vehicle signage, yard signs and business cards. My sign company wasn't aware of the impending change, either."

Another e-mail read: "This is not what I wore the uniform of a Naval officer for 30 years to allow! This is an unelected body making these decisions which will affect hundreds of thousands of residents and cost tens of millions to make the change! We elected you. Fire these people and start over! They are arrogant and out of touch!"

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.

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