Passports in high demand
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

BILL SPARKES/Acorn Newspapers NEW LAW IN EFFECT- Linda Shortell and Sheron Grasso and the rest of the city clerk's staff have been very busy since the passage of the new travel law dealing with passports. The office, which processes applications three days a week, is doing more than twice its regular volume.

News of the recently instituted travel law requiring all residents to present a passport when traveling by air from countries in the Western Hemisphere has apparently reached its destination in Simi.

Since Jan. 1, the city clerk's staff, which processes passport applications for a fee of $30, has been working double-time trying to meet the heightened demand for the identification documents.

According to recording secretary Wendy Zimmerman, 95 passport applications have already been processed this month. On average, the staff does about 35 to 45 per month.

"We are very busy," Zimmerman said. "But I guess in a way we did expect it."

The city clerk's office processes passport applications three days a week: Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. An appointment by phone is required, and applicants are scheduled in 30-minute increments, Zimmerman said.

"Every half hour we're pretty much booked up, and that's been the case since Jan. 1," she said, adding that 3:30 p.m. is the most sought after time of the day.

Assistant city clerk Alice Redondo said there's no question the publicity surrounding the new Sept. 11-related regulation has played a part in the passport push.

"Many people are responding to what they've heard on the news," Redondo said. "They might not be planning a trip right now, but they want to make sure they have their passports when they do go to plan one."

To set up a time to have your passport application processed at city hall, call (805) 583-6066. To find out everything you need to be approved for a passport, click on the link on the city's web page at www.simivalley.org.

Once processed, it takes between six and eight weeks to receive your passport from the federal government, Redondo said.