BURBANK COUNCIL TO FIGHT TO KEEP 818; CHANGING AREA CODE MIGHT HURT FILM INDUSTRY.

Byline: Mary Lou Aurelio Daily News Staff Writer

Determined to continue fighting to keep 818 as Burbank's area code, Burbank City Council members discussed new strategies Tuesday to plead their case to the California Public Utilities Commission.

``There are just too many people in the entertainment industry with the 818 area code in Burbank and Glendale to change,'' said City Councilman Bob Kramer, who brought the issue up at the council meeting Tuesday night. ``We've got thousands upon thousands of lines connected overseas.''

At the suggestion of Vice Mayor Stacey Murphy, the council voted to send Councilman Bill Wiggins to lobby the Utilities Commission within the next three months. The state agency is expected to make a decision by then on how to divide up the 818 area code, which was determined a year ago to be overburdened.

``Let's not wait until the decision has been made,'' Murphy said.

Because of the increased demand for lines for cell phones, pagers and fax machines, numbers in the 818 will be all assigned by spring 2000.

In November, the city sent representatives to public hearings on the area code. The city filed a written request with the North American Number Plan administrator, the telecommunications industry's representative who will recommend an area code plan, and the commission, which will decide how the issue.

The industry group will recommend two plans to the PUC, Terry Stevenson, senior assistant city attorney, told the council. In one plan, Burbank, Glendale, Granada Hills, North Hills, Pacoima, Sun Valley, North Hollywood, La Crescenta and Sunland-Tujunga would retain the 818 area code, he said.

That's the plan Burbank wants, Stevenson said. Under that plan the rest of the San Fernando Valley would have a new area code.

The other option the group is recommending is to keep the 818 area code for all in the Valley who have it, but to create an overlay area code for new numbers.

Kramer has said the overlay option would be inconvenient, because ``neighbors would have to dial an area code to talk to someone across the street.''

The city supports a geographic area code split for the Valley if Burbank and Glendale are allowed to keep 818.

``Burbank and Glendale have the entire motion picture and entertainment industry. Woodland Hills and the other cities can argue their own case,'' Kramer said before the meeting.

``Two years ago we fought the battle - and won - to stop Burbank from being split into the 626 area code with Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley,'' he said.

Options the commission is considering include:

Keeping the 818 area code in the West Valley and adjacent area, including Canoga Park, Agoura, Reseda and Van Nuys, and assigning a new number to the East Valley, including Northridge, Granada Hills, San Fernando, Pacoima, Sun Valley, Sunland-Tujunga, Burbank and Glendale.

Keeping the 818 area code in the East Valley and assigning a new code to the West Valley.

Creating an overlay zone for the entire Valley. People would be able to keep their 818 numbers, but all new numbers would have a new area code.

Splitting the Valley into three area codes, with only one keeping 818. This would lengthen the amount of time until the next round of splitting.

Creating one new area code on one side of the Valley, keeping 818 on the other side, but adding an overlay to the 818 zone.