Silent Night

By Jorge Casuso

January 4, 2000 -- It was quiet - unusually quiet - across Santa Monica as the clocks struck midnight and a new millennium was ushered in January 1.

There were no Y2K hitches, and, outside of a garbage bin fire, the city's emergency command post had little to respond to, as many Santa Monicans chose to celebrate the turning f the century at home.

"There were no problems," said Judy Rambeau, the city's spokeswoman. "All systems were go. We had staff here on New Year's Eve and everything was extremely quiet."

Police had an unusually slow night. A few guns may have been fired by revelers and some routine traffic stops made, but all in all, it was quieter than the usual Friday night.

"It was the quietest New Years we've ever had," said Lt. Gary Gallinot, the police department spokesman. "From the Y2K perspective, there were no problems. We were prepared to deal with anything that may have happened. It was an uneventful evening, and we like that."

Perhaps the biggest event of the night was a dumpster fire put out by the fire department, which also responded to a few routine medical calls.

"It was very unusually quiet," said Roni Roseberg, the spokeswoman for the fire department. "We were very pleased that the public showed such good judgement and made intelligent and safe choices as far as their celebrations. We feel it's a testimony to public education."

Roseberg said that the heightened awareness resulted in a more prepared city.

"People now have some awareness as well as supplies in case there is another emergency like an earthquake," Roseberg said.