CITY READY FOR Y2K ROLLOVER; COMPUTERS UPDATED FOR 2000.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez and Mary Schubert Daily News Staff Writers

With 364 days still to go, Santa Clarita's public agencies are satisfied they have conquered the Y2K bug that has threatened to wipe out crucial computer data when the new millennium begins.

At Santa Clarita City Hall, the computer systems were prepared years ago for the glitch feared in 2000, said Mike Breidert, a city information technology specialist who has been in charge of overseeing the conversion. The city bought updated machines made to accommodate the switch.

And where new machines would not solve the problem, the city has installed patches, or upgraded programs, to make sure that information is protected, Breidert said.

The only area that could truly have been affected by the date change was the city's internal financial applications, Breidert said. And even in that area, city administrators thought ahead by providing for four digits rather than two where the year is needed.

The two-digit abbreviation is what sends computers into a tizzy, making them think 00 refers to 1900 rather than 2000.

``We had the accounting financial system custom-written for the city three years ago,'' Breidert said. ``And even then, the year 2000 was already on their brains.''

Other computer uses, such as the system for traffic signals around the city, are not affected by the year, Breidert said. Instead, they are programmed to switch every few seconds, and that does not change whether it's 1999 or 2000.

The city computers also have been used to store various databases ranging from local elections to false alarms, but those would not be affected by the 2000 rollover either, Breidert said.

In situations where a full date is important, such as permits, the new computers also were adapted so that four digits appear for the year, Breidert said.

The city anticipated the need to protect itself from the 2000 computer problem years ago and has slowly upgraded to new machines both to get rid of dated equipment and to remedy the problem, and Breidert credits much of that effort with making his job easier.

``We were very fortunate we were able to get rid of a lot of old machines,'' Breidert said. ``In time, it would have had to have been done. But with the year 2000 coming, it really pushed it along.''

Still, Breidert will spend the upcoming year checking city computers and confirming that they are equipped to handle the new date.

The worst case scenario for the city? ``A few of the users' PCs may not come up correctly,'' Breidert said. And that can be fixed, he said.

In local school districts, officials said they, too, are prepared for the potential computer glitch expected when 1999 gives way to 2000.

But officials said that's only part of the equation. They rely heavily on the mainframe computer system of the Los Angeles County Office of Education, which is still making the Y2K transition.

The county education department handles payroll functions for systems including the Sulphur Springs School District and the William S. Hart Union High School District.

County computers store fiscal and personnel information, said Louise Robertson, coordinator of special programs for the Hart school district.

Sulphur Springs Superintendent Robert Nolet said that the 5,000-student district is ready for the new millennium because it has a network of Macintosh computers that list each year in four digits, rather than two.

``We're not worried about a computer shutting down because it doesn't recognize the year 2000,'' Nolet said. ``As a district, we're fine. We're not in any danger.''

The Hart district contracts with private vendors to keep track of students' information, including attendance and transcripts, as well as maintenance and operations records and data relating to the purchase of equipment and supplies, Robertson said.

``It's a big problem when you're doing date calculations to look when kids are going to graduate, and it's certainly a bigger problem when you're looking at retirement benefits,'' she said.

The Hart school district has more than 15,000 students in grades 7 through 12, plus another 750 employees.

``Our student information system is now Y2K compliant to the year 2037,'' Robertson said. ``Remember, Y2K only is a problem if you're doing date-based calculations. You don't have a Y2K problem when you're doing word processing.''

As for IBM-compatible personal computers scattered across the district, there's a way to reset the date, Robertson said.

Meanwhile, the Hart district plans its budget on personal computers and then feeds the figures into the county computer system. ``Our concern is that once we're ready to pay bills that the county system is compliant,'' Robertson said.