Many City Workers to Be Off New Year’s Eve

City officials are confident enough of their Y2K preparations that those scheduled to work New Year’s Eve have been given a reprieve. Only top officials will be expected to be on the job to guarantee the city’s smooth transition into 2000.

Mayor Bill Liebman said Tuesday that Camarillo is prepared for chaos, confusion, computer glitches, bugs and any other form of mishap that may be associated with Y2K.

“The city’s systems are all in place, and we’ve spoken to all the major utility companies and they have assured us that everything is and will be fine,” he said.

So instead of having everyone work Dec. 31, as had previously been announced, many employees will be on call and used only if there is an emergency.

Top administrators will be at the Sheriff’s Department’s Camarillo substation hours before midnight Dec. 31, staffing the information center and watching television reports from the East Coast, according to John Fraser, city administrative assistant.

Officials plan to track problems that occur in the east and, with a three-hour window, will activate whatever plan is deemed appropriate, Fraser said.

Law enforcement officials said they expect to have a full complement of deputies patrolling city streets, but the same number of personnel they’ve had working on previous New Year’s Eve shifts.

“The more we’ve looked at the scenario of Y2K, the less worried we’ve become,” Liebman said. “So that’s the main reason we cut back on the amount of staff we will have working New Year’s Eve.”