Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Telecommuting Facility Officially Opens

Three months after the Northridge earthquake temporarily severed Santa Clarita from the rest of Los Angeles County, a telecommuting facility has opened for dozens of employees to avoid the southbound traffic snarl.

Thursday’s grand opening of the Santa Clarita TeleCenter included representatives from its major sponsors, contributing businesses and area politicians.

The Valencia Industrial Park site has been operating since March 1 but has only had all five of its video-conferencing stations operating as of this week, according to Gary Johnson, technical adviser for the center.

Up to 40 employees can use the facility’s 20 workstations with IBM computers, five private offices, a conference room with 30-inch teleconference screen and office equipment ranging from facsimile machines to photocopiers.

The Jan. 17 earthquake hammered Southern California highways and generated new interest in telecommuting, which allows employees to work from a satellite location rather than drive a greater distance to a main office.

“There’s a whole lot of people who live here who work someplace else,” Johnson said.

The Santa Clarita Valley Transportation Management Assn. secured two grants for the center from Los Angeles County’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority--$152,600 for 1994 and $158,300 for 1995.