B737 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 24
Distraction; Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Procedure; Human Factors; Airspace Structure
I was working R-44 with training on the D-side.  We have had numerous issues with BUTTES Sector not accepting handoffs on SLMMR1 arrivals until they are less than 10 miles from their airspace.  Aircraft X was less than 2 minutes from entering head on into the side of Buttes airspace.  The D-side called them at least twice before they answered.  My D-side said handoff Aircraft X.  Buttes responded 'Wilco'; hung up the landline; and did not take the handoff.  I asked the D-side what Buttes had said.  He told me wilco.  I said that does not mean anything in this situation.  I got on the landline and yelled 'Handoff' to Buttes.  They accepted the handoff approximately 8 miles from the boundary.   At this point it would have been impossible for me to have kept Aircraft X out of their airspace.   Metroplex changed the NCT boundaries and a couple of NCT Buttes controllers have admitted that they set their scopes up to look less than 10 miles into our airspace.  With an airliner doing over 6 miles per minute;  we really need Buttes to be accepting these handoffs 2.5 minutes or 15 miles from the boundary so we are not having to constantly focus on them and call them constantly with the handoffs.Either make the NCT Buttes controllers look further out into our airspace and accept all handoffs at least 2 minutes before the boundary or move their boundary west or stop descending via and only descend to FL200 (on top of their airspace) and let Buttes descend them.
ZOA controller reports of issues with the BUTTES Sector at NCT not accepting hand offs. NCT controllers admit [according to reporter] not setting up their scopes to see far enough into ZOA's R-44 airspace.