For a Chat, Dial 1 + Area Code + Number and Say ‘Hi, Neighbor!’

Orange County residents, still recovering from the split of the 714 area code last year, are likely to get another jolt within two years: a new area code in the 714 region that could have neighbors dialing 11 digits to contact each other.

The plan, under review at the California Public Utilities Commission, would “overlay” a new area code on 714, meaning two area codes would cover the same geography. Such a move would mean callers would have to dial 11 digits--1, then the area code and then the number--to reach residents and businesses within that zone.

If the change is enacted, those who have the 714 area code would keep their existing numbers. But when numbers grow scarce in the 714 region, new ones will be issued using the overlay code. That new area code has not yet been selected.

The cost of calls, which is based on distance, duration and time of day, would not be affected.

State regulators were scheduled to rule Thursday on the 714 overlay proposal--in addition to a controversial proposal to split the 909 area code in Riverside County. But both decisions were postponed until March 18.

Under the proposed schedule, the new overlay code--which has not been contested--would be introduced in October 2000 and become final in February 2001.

Some Orange County residents didn’t seem too thrilled with the prospect of having to dial another area code to call their next-door neighbors.

“They can’t do that,” said Linda Battest, 40, of Orange. “Everybody will be confused and it will be a big mess. It’s absolutely ridiculous--it has to be done geographically.”

Fullerton resident Barbara Ambriz, 39, said she was concerned for elderly shut-ins, like her mother, who sometimes rely on neighbors in times of emergency.

“We’ve had these area codes for a long time and this will cause a lot of confusion,” she said. “We rely on our neighbors to watch out for each other, but we’re used to just dialing the number. This could be dangerous--it will be hard for people to get through in emergencies.”

PUC staff members had earlier considered an alternative proposal to split the 714 code territory again to make room for a new code, but opted instead for the overlay.

All but one of the state’s 23 area codes have been carved out of an existing code’s territory--a method called a geographic split. But the proliferation of area codes has made it difficult to keep drawing boundaries around ever-smaller areas without chopping up cities and communities.

Regulators say available numbers in the 714 code, like those of nearly every code in the state, are quickly running out because of the widespread use of pagers, fax machines, wireless phones, computer lines and other devices.

“There’s all these new products and services, and the public just loves them,” said Joe Cocke, senior area code relief planner. “But they all take phone numbers.”

Currently, there are 10 area codes covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The areas affected by the 714 overlay plan are Anaheim, Buena Park, Cypress, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Orange, Placentia, Stanton, Westminster and Yorba Linda, as well as parts of Santa Ana, Tustin, Brea, La Mirada, La Palma, Los Alamitos and La Habra.

While the dialing change would be disruptive, it would spare customers from the hassle and expense of changing their existing numbers. However, as with any area code change, the change would mean customers would have to reprogram telephone equipment and fax machines.

Area code 714, for example, was last split a year ago, when regulators created the 949 area code to cover communities in the southern portion of Orange County. In January 1997, the area code 562 was introduced to parts of southern Los Angeles County and a piece of Orange County.

While few code changes go smoothly, the 714/949 split was one of the most disruptive, with at least four major cities (Costa Mesa, Santa Ana, Irvine and Tustin) divided by the new boundary.

When the 949 code was introduced, area code managers said the remaining 714 region would have enough numbers to last three to four years. However, that estimate has fallen short.