OAKLAND, Calif. – OAKLAND, Calif.- It is now the 24th day of the second-longest government shutdown in the history of the United States.
On Friday, mayors from across the Bay Area met to discuss where they are feeling the impacts in their communities.
The consensus is that, while the mayors all represent different cities they know as a region, they impact one another. Folks work and live in different parts of the Bay Area. That’s why they are joining together to address the shutdown.
This roundtable was brought together by Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, a Democrat who represents the 12th District, to understand what the cities in her district need.
“While the Republicans have not been at work, my office has been open seven days a week, doing case management services for members of the public. If you have questions about services, call our office,” Simon said.
What they’re saying:
Each mayor has their own pressing issue.
For Berkeley, there are concerns about food insecurity, with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) potentially running out of funding during the shutdown.
Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft spoke about federal funding for climate change and public safety projects.
“The kind of assistance we need from the federal government is not sending troops to Coast Guard Island. What we are looking for is funding that we were already promised for the safety of our streets,” Ashcraft said.
The mayors’ share the concern that funding for several programs — money expected on November first — will be delayed due to the shutdown. This includes subsidies provided for low-income housing and Head Start, a program for low-income children and families supporting nutrition and school readiness.
“We know as people start to lose their health care subsidies or can’t afford it people will return to emergency rooms and that will flood the system,” Ashcraft said.
By the numbers:
The Congresswoman said her office has received hundreds of calls from federal workers.
“Preemptively, they are not going to get their full checks this week. We have seen them go to food banks and seek out low-interest loans from community banks,” Simon said.
In California, there are 190,000 federal workers and more than 213,000 military workers.
According to the California Employment Development Department, in Alameda and Contra Costa counties there are a combined 12,500 people working for the federal government.
Of those workers, 400 are with the Department of Defense.
The Source: Press conference, California Employment Development Department