Cathedral City may be the first city in the Coachella Valley to take a stand against the California Public Utilities Commission's Sept. 18 decision to establish an overlay for all customers within the 760 area code.
The City Council voted 5-0 to oppose the commission's decisions during Wednesday's council meeting.
“It would be an inconvenience and a disruption to local residents and businesses,” said City Manager Don Bradley.
“Glitches could occur that could relate to public safety responses,” Bradley added, noting how some residents may be confused and dial a wrong number in the event of an emergency.
“It just becomes a real problem,” added City Councilman Chuck Vasquez, who said he's had three area codes during his 25 years in the Coachella Valley.
“It gets so convoluted. You don't know what's what,” he said Wednesday.
An overlay means a resident could be dialing a 10-digit number, with the new 442 area code, just to reach the next-door neighbor, said Cathedral City spokesman Allen Howe in an e-mail.
So far city officials in Coachella, Indio, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage have not voted on the Public Utility Commission's overlay plan. Information on other valley cities was unavailable.
