County Quells Grand Jury’s Fears With Y2K Plans

From widespread power and sewage failures to breakdowns in hospital services, Ventura County government is prepared to deal with any possible Y2K computer crisis, according to a final grand jury report released Friday.

As many as 40 technical employees will work New Year’s Eve and throughout the holiday weekend to deal with possible computer glitches. In addition, dozens of deputies will be on hand at an emergency operations center set up at the Sheriff’s Department.

Analysts worldwide predict a wave of problems, because many computer systems may not be able to distinguish the year 2000 from 1900.

Locally, the county has increased its holiday staffing and strengthened its overall emergency plan in response to a Ventura County Grand Jury recommendation made earlier this year. Officials are also working with authorities in the county’s 10 cities--some of which were lagging in their preparedness, the grand jury warned.

“We and all of the cities feel like we’ve done what we can,” said J. Matthew Carroll, who is in charge of Y2K compliance for the county. “Now it’s just dealing with the unknown.”

While some predict widespread blackouts, price gouging at gas stations and civil unrest, Carroll foresees only minor mishaps. And some of the computer glitches are likely to occur in-house, he said.

“We know we’ll have some problems,” he said. “When we’ve changed more than 100 computer codes, we will have some problems. Now it’s just a matter of being prepared and staffed.”

To prepare, employees from various departments conducted a drill in June. Employees simulated problems such as a failure in the county payroll system, a massive power outage and a water shortage.

The field rehearsal was helpful, county officials said.

“I think we’re prepared,” said Bert Bigler, the county’s acting chief administrative officer. “There’s no way there can be a 100% guarantee that everything is going to work out. But the planning process has been outstanding.”

Also in the grand jury’s report:

* To address the failure of the county to provide transportation for participants in the welfare-to-work program, the county is seeking a state grant to purchase nine compressed natural gas vans. The vans are expected to arrive by December. They will be stationed at the county’s seven job and career centers and will be used by CalWORKS participants for transportation to work, job interviews and child-care providers.

* The Probation Agency is studying the possibility of a boot camp for girls ages 13 to 17. The camp would be similar to the Tri-County boot camp for males in Santa Barbara County.

* A recent study by the district attorney’s office found a “dramatic pay disparity” between Ventura County prosecutors and public defenders and their counterparts in other counties. Salaries ranged from 18.8% to 34% less than those in surrounding communities.

“This injustice must be corrected,” Dist. Atty. Michael Bradbury wrote to the grand jury. “There is simply no good reason to pay these outstanding men and women lower salaries.”