Oxnard Assails Smog Rules in Delaying 4-Day Workweek Plan : Pollution: The city has until Aug. 1 to submit a traffic-reduction plan to the county to avoid fines of up to $25,000 a day.

Blasting county anti-air pollution rules as ridiculous and ineffective, the Oxnard City Council delayed a decision Tuesday on whether to close City Hall on Fridays as a way to reduce traffic pollution.

“This whole thing is absurd,” Councilman Michael Plisky said. “I’m embarrassed to be here participating in this junk.”

To meet county standards approved by the Board of Supervisors in June, 1989, employers with 100 or more workers must have at least 1.35 people for each vehicle coming to work during peak morning hours, or about four people for every three cars.

The city recently surveyed its 1,200 employees and determined that about 700 fall under the county rules because they report to work between 6 and 10 a.m. and their work sites are within a one-mile radius of City Hall.

The study also showed that the average ridership among city employees who fall under county rules is 1.12 people for each vehicle coming to work, or about nine people for every eight cars.

Lino Corona, assistant personnel director for the city and head of the traffic-reduction program, said the county rule assumes that pollution could be drastically curbed by reducing car emissions during the peak morning hours.

Council members ridiculed that idea Tuesday. “I guess we should pass a law, then, forcing people to stay in their homes from 6 to 10,” Councilwoman Dorothy S. Maron said.

“Going to three-day weekends is not going to solve the pollution problem. It’s going to encourage people to drive more and take longer trips,” Plisky said.

Council members indicated that they still might favor closing City Hall to the public on Fridays as a way of improving worker efficiency. But it delayed any decision until July 23.

In the meantime, staff was instructed to explore alternatives such as asking workers to report to work before 6 a.m. or after 10 a.m. Council members also instructed staff to meet with representatives of other cities in the county to pressure the Board of Supervisors to modify its rules.

The city has until Aug. 1 to submit a traffic-reduction plan to the county to avoid fines of up to $25,000 a day. The same air pollution rules--which were adopted to help the county meet state and federal air quality standards--will be extended to employers of 50 or more workers in 1992.

Under the plan discussed Tuesday, employees would either work 10-hour shifts four days a week and take Friday off, or work nine-hour shifts and take Friday off every two weeks.

A third alternative being considered is a four-day, 36-hour week, with employees giving up some holiday time and benefits to make up the remaining four hours.

The plan should be ready for implementation by the start of next year, Corona said.

Under the city plan discussed Tuesday, the city also would provide financial incentives for employees to walk, bicycle, car-pool or ride a bus to work.

The plan also calls for installing more showers and bike lockers, and re-striping parking lots to encourage car-pooling. The city would also enter into a contract with a child-care referral service to help employees find child-care providers that offer extended hours.

In addition to helping the city meet the county’s requirements, the compressed workweek would allow the city to be open for longer hours, making it more convenient for residents to conduct city business, Corona said.

Oxnard City Hall now remains open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. With the extended work schedule, Corona said, it could remain open to 6 or 7 p.m. with one day of extended hours until 8 p.m.

Oxnard is the second city in the county to propose a Friday shutdown of city offices. The Thousand Oaks City Council approved a similar plan last April, and on Monday the plan received the county’s approval.

Simi Valley has opted for financial incentives to persuade workers to car-pool, or use alternative means of transportation. Under the Simi Valley plan, employees will receive $3 for every day that they avoid solo drives.

Ventura has yet to present a plan to its council, but a year ago it started employee incentives to encourage alternatives to driving alone to work.

The cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Port Hueneme and Santa Paula have too few employees to make the first round of targeted employers, and have until next year to come up with their plans.