PUC Drafts 424 Area Code Plan for South Bay

State regulators reviewing the telephone chaos in Los Angeles’ 310 area have drafted a backup plan that could carve up the territory and assign a new 424 area code to communities in the South Bay, possibly as soon as next year. Regulators are hoping to delay the need for a new area code. But should those efforts fail, the PUC could implement a new plan beginning nine months before 310 numbers are expected to run out. Under the draft plan, a 424 code would cover Avalon, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Redondo Beach, Compton, Gardena, Torrance, Lomita and San Pedro. The 310 area would cover Santa Monica, West Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Mar Vista, Culver City, Inglewood and Malibu. In another action, the PUC issued a draft decision that rejects efforts to delay the Dec. 11 implementation of the new 858 area code in parts of San Diego County. However, the proposal would consider postponing a second code split in the 619 area.