VALLEY ROUNDUP : Valleywide : Lawmakers Named to Forge Phone Compromise

Three Los Angeles lawmakers are among six state legislators selected Tuesday to come up with a compromise that would require adoption of number-conservation measures and block future area code splits and overlays, such as those being proposed for the San Fernando Valley.

Selected were Sens. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), Steve Peace (D-San Diego) and David Kelley (R-Idyllwild), Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa (D-Los Angeles), and Assemblymen Bill Campbell (R-Villa Park) and Wally Knox (D-Los Angeles). Knox introduced the bill to block splits and overlays, which are also proposed in West Los Angeles and the South Bay.

The committee must hash out a compromise plan and submit it to both houses by Friday, officials said. Supporters of the measure are pressing to have the bill passed and signed by Gov. Gray Davis before the current session ends Sept. 10.

Committee members were handpicked by Senate President Pro Tem John Burton (D-San Francisco) and Villaraigosa, who will chair the committee, officials said.

The legislation also includes number conservation measures, including a reduction in the amount of numbers allocated to phone companies at one time from 10,000 to 1,000, and the creation of separate area codes for pagers, cellular phones and other electronic devices requiring telephone lines.