Government shutdown: ‘Business as usual’ for now, local officials say

With the federal government shutdown official Tuesday, local officials said it was “business as usual,” even as hundreds of L.A. County workers demanding higher wages walked off the job.

“Right now, there’s no impact. It’s business as usual for us,” Ryan Alsop, an assistant chief executive for the county, said of the federal shutdown. “The problem is when these shutdowns go longer than a few weeks, at most.”

Alsop said that during past federal shutdowns, “the county has never seen an immediate operational or fiscal impact in terms of our programs.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said in a statement that the shutdown is far less about how government will handle the shutdown than it is about how “real people” will be impacted.

“That impact will be severe on those Americans whose incomes and retirement incomes will be reduced as a result of Congress’ incomprehensible inaction,” Yaroslavsky said.

In another statement, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti responded to the shutdown, saying, “Congress needs to put the politics aside and focus on the people’s business.”

“Washington’s dysfunction is hurting our economy,” he said.

A spokesman for the mayor’s office also said in an email that the city has planned ahead and can deal with a short shutdown.

“But if this drags on, it will become increasingly difficult for us to cover for the halted federal funds, which could affect job training, public safety, road repair, housing and other important services,” the spokesman said.

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