COUNTYWIDE : 8 County Offices to Start 4-Day Weeks

As part of an attempt to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution in Ventura County during peak commuter hours, eight offices of the Public Social Services Agency will be closed on Mondays starting today, a spokeswoman said.

The new four-day, 40-hour workweek will be in effect on a one-year trial basis and will affect five welfare district offices in Ventura, Oxnard, Simi Valley and Santa Paula as well as three welfare employment offices in Ventura and Simi Valley, said Barbara Fitzgerald, chief deputy director of the agency.

The district offices will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the employment offices will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fitzgerald said. Between 800 and 1,000 people are served daily in the eight offices, she said.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last month for the revised schedule to keep the agency in compliance with the county’s Rule 210, which requires government agencies and large companies to reduce commuting and promote car-pooling.

Although the schedule has been approved, Supervisor John K. Flynn said he was somewhat reluctant to support the new business hours.

“What are (the workers) going to do on that day off. Are they going to just ride around?” he said.

“We’re anticipating it’s going to take the clients awhile to adjust, but we’re not expecting any problems,” Fitzgerald said.