California IN BRIEF : SAN FRANCISCO : Grace Period Ends for 510 Area Code

Starting today, telephone callers must use the new 510 area code to reach Bay Area cities east of here, Pacific Bell said. Using the new area code has been optional since Sept. 2, when it went into service for calls to Contra Costa and Alameda counties, including Berkeley and Oakland. With the end of the grace period, anyone who uses the 415 area code to call numbers covered by the 510 area code will hear a recorded message informing them of the change, said Pacific Bell spokesman Dick Fitzmaurice. The grace period was intended to “give PBX operators time to make changes in their equipment, and businesses time to order new stationery,” said Pacific Bell spokesman Dick Fitzmaurice.