While some government entities will be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, will still go out — other functions will be severely curtailed. Federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential, and millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won’t receive paychecks.

A look at what’s ahead if the government shuts down on Oct. 1.

WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Lawmakers are supposed to pass 12 different spending bills to fund agencies across the government, but the process is time-consuming. They often resort to passing a temporary extension, called a continuing resolution or CR, to allow the government to keep operating.

When no funding legislation is enacted, federal agencies have to stop all nonessential work and will not send paychecks as long as the shutdown lasts.

Although employees deemed essential such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers still have to report to work, other federal employees are furloughed. Under a 2019 law, those same workers are slated to receive backpay once the funding impasse is resolved.

WHEN WOULD A SHUTDOWN BEGIN AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

Government funding expires Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget year. A shutdown will effectively begin at 12:01 a.m. if Congress is not able to pass a funding plan that the president signs into law.

It is impossible to predict how long a shutdown would last. With Congress divided between a Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-led House, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s hard-right conservatives looking to use the shutdown as leverage for spending cuts, many are bracing for a stoppage that could last weeks.

WHO DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT?

Millions of federal workers face delayed paychecks when the government shuts down, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation.

Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

Federal workers are stationed in all 50 states and have direct interaction with taxpayers — from Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports to Postal Service workers who deliver mail.

Some federal offices will also have to close or face shortened hours during a shutdown.

Beyond federal workers, a shutdown could have far-reaching effects on government services. People applying for government services like clinical trials, firearm permits and passports could see delays.

Businesses closely connected to the federal government, such as federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns. The travel sector could lose $140 million daily in a shutdown, according to the U.S. Travel Industry Association.

Lawmakers also warn that a shutdown could rattle financial markets. Goldman Sachs has estimated that a shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.2% every week it lasted, but growth would then bounce back after the government reopens.

Others say the disruption in government services has far-reaching impacts because it shakes confidence in the government to fulfill its basic duties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned, “A well-functioning economy requires a functioning government.”

WHAT ABOUT COURT CASES, THE WORK OF CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PAY?

The president and members of Congress will continue to work and get paid. However, any members of their staff who are not deemed essential will be furloughed.

The judiciary will be able to continue to operate for a limited time using funds derived from court filings and other fees, as well as other approved funding.

Notably, funding for the three special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not be affected by a government shutdown because they are paid for through a permanent, indefinite appropriation, an area that’s been exempted from shutdowns in the past.

That means the two federal cases against Donald Trump, the former president, as well as the case against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, would not be interrupted. Trump has demanded that Republicans defund the prosecutions against him as a condition of funding the government, declaring it their “last chance” to act.

HAS THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?

Prior to the 1980s, lapses in government funding did not result in government operations significantly shuttering. But then-U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, in a series of legal opinions in 1980 and 1981, argued that government agencies cannot legally operate during a funding gap.

Federal officials have since operated under an understanding they can make exemptions for functions that are “essential” for public safety and constitutional duties.

Since 1976, there have been 22 funding gaps, with 10 of them leading to workers being furloughed. But most of the significant shutdowns have taken place since Bill Clinton’s presidency, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and his conservative House majority demanded budget cuts.

The longest government shutdown happened between 2018 and 2019 when then-President Trump and congressional Democrats entered a standoff over his demand for funding for a border wall. The disruption lasted 35 days, through the holiday season, but was also only a partial government shutdown because Congress had passed some appropriations bills to fund parts of the government.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO END A SHUTDOWN?

It’s the responsibility of Congress to fund the government. The House and Senate have to agree to fund the government in some way, and the president has to sign the legislation into law.

Congress often relies on a so-called continuing resolution, or CR, to provide stopgap money to open government offices at current levels as budget talks are underway. Money for pressing national priorities, such as emergency assistance for victims of natural disasters, is often attached to a short-term bill.

But hardline Republicans say any temporary bill is a non-starter for them. They are pushing to keep the government shut down until Congress negotiates all 12 bills that fund the government, which is historically a laborious undertaking that isn’t resolved until December, at the earliest.

Trump, who is Biden’s top rival heading into the 2024 election, is urging on the Republican hardliners.

If they are successful, the shutdown could last weeks, perhaps even longer.

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Associated Press writers Fatima Hussein, Lindsay Whitehurst, Josh Boak and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A year after the pandemic forced California to shut down, about 90% of the state’s nearly 40 million residents can enjoy a restaurant meal indoors, watch a movie in a theater and sweat it out inside a gym after more counties were authorized to open up for business thanks to slowing coronavirus infection rates.

California has been on a reopening roll since a deadly winter surge that saw skyrocketing hospitalizations and soaring positivity rates. San Diego and Sacramento were among the counties moving out of the most restrictive purple tier, public health officials announced Tuesday.

San Mateo County also became the first county in the San Francisco Bay Area allowing businesses there to open even more, including indoor bowling alleys and outdoor bars that do not serve meals. Businesses can reopen Wednesday, one year to the day after San Francisco Bay Area health officers implemented a regional stay at home order, the first in the U.S.

Mike Leong, president of Bel Mateo Bowl, said he’s beyond excited to welcome back children and their families, even at 25% capacity. The venue was last open for 17 days in November and he can’t wait for the activity and camaraderie to return.

“There’s a reason why they put people in solitary confinement, and we kind of found out what that reason is,” he said, adding that people need to socialize. “We’re not going to make a lot of money, but it’s going to hopefully pay the rent.”

Los Angeles and a dozen other counties were allowed to reopen Sunday, moving to the lower-risk red tier of a four-tier, color-coded system announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in August. The system dictates which activities can open based on factors such as a county’s case rates per population and test positivity.

In total, 42 counties of 58 are in the “substantial” red risk level. The 11 counties still in the most restricted tier are largely in the central valley, including Fresno and Kern.

Newsom, a Democrat likely to face a recall vote this year, has been under intense political pressure to get California’s 6.2 million students back in classrooms. He told reporters Tuesday that 9,000 of the state’s 11,000 public schools “have committed to reopening or have already opened,” which he attributed to the state’s $6.6 billion plan to urge more school districts to reopen classrooms.

He didn’t say how many schools are actually open or how much instruction they are providing. Critics say that the state has failed to define what “open” means, giving schools the ability to bring back students for one day a week and still tap the state funding.

“This is dynamic it’s moving very, very quickly,” Newsom said at a school in Alameda County.

He said that 400,000 teachers and school staff had been vaccinated as of Tuesday, helping to fuel the reopening momentum across the state. Lack of vaccine remains a problem, though, with demand far outstripping supply.

In San Diego County, a vaccination super site at Petco Park will close after Saturday with in-person fans returning for Major League Baseball games starting April 1, UC San Diego Health said in a statement. The percentage of people allowed for sporting and other live events depends on each county’s tier designation.

San Mateo County moving into the orange tier means it can open a raft of businesses with higher capacity than before. Churches, restaurants, museums and zoos can now operate at 50% capacity.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who received a shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Tuesday, said she expects the city to move into the orange tier next week.

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San Jacinto Sheriffs Station

Back-to-Back Drug Houses Raided in San Jacinto.  Please remember to report any suspicious activity. With the community’s help we can shut down these criminal enterprises. 

On Thursday, March 5, 2020, at approximately 1:30 p.m., deputies from the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station served a search warrant for an illegal indoor marijuana grow-house located in the city of San Jacinto. During the service of the warrant  approximately 3,000 marijuana plants at various stages of growth were located in 12 makeshift grow-rooms within the residence. In addition, deputies collected 50 lamps, 60 ballasts, and 30 fans, plus packaging.

California Edison located an illegal electrical by-pass underneath the electrical meter. Edison estimated the theft of utilities at $123,000. No subjects were located inside the residence.

Later that same day, at approximately 7:08 p.m., deputies from the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station served a search warrant in the 1500 block of Conrad Place regarding an illegal indoor marijuana grow-house located in the city of San Jacinto. During the warrant service deputies located nine makeshift grow rooms and 2,702 marijuana plants at various stages of growth, 200 pounds of processed marijuana, packaging, digital scales, 32 fans, 44 lights and 41 ballasts. California Edison responded and located an illegal electrical by-pass underneath the electrical meter. Edison estimated the theft of utilities at $85,000. JIngwei Zhen, a 45-year-old resident of Arcadia, was detained without incidence after running out of the residence. He was later transported to Cois Byrd Detention Center and booked for theft of utilities, marijuana cultivation and marijuana sales. This investigation is on-going. Anyone with additional information is urged to call the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Station Problem Oriented Policing Team, Deputies Grier and Marshall at (951) 654-2702.

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Search: Illegal Drug Houses

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