dgc@math.ucla.edu (David G. Cantor) (11/13/90)
A partial quote from today's {Los Angeles Times}:
"Faced with a shortage of phone numbers because of rapid growth
in Orange County and the Inland Empire, GTE and Pacific Bell
officials have decided to carve out a new area code out of the
existing 714 area, officials said Monday.
Phone company officials said they will announce today who among
the region's 4.7 million customers will be affected by the split
when it takes effect in January, 1993.
Unlike past area code changes in the state, this one has a twist:
For the first time, the phone companies will offer three proposed
boundaries for the new area code and allow time for public
response to help decide how the boundaries will look, officials
said. . ."
The new area-code number was not given. Together with the existing
area codes, 213, 310 (already planned for West Los Angeles), 619, 714,
805, and 818, this gives Southern California 7 area codes. Perhaps it
would be much simpler for all concerned if the telcos were simply to
switch to 8-digit numbers for all of Southern California. Of course,
it could then be given a two-digit "country code" :-).
David G. Cantor Department of Mathematics University of California
Los Angeles, CA 90024-1555 Internet: dgc@math.ucla.edu