Federal shutdown hits Southland; Yosemite visitors urged to leave

As Congress failed to agree on a budget and President Obama’s healthcare law, parts of the federal government have started shutting down, with stoppages felt by Southern California residents and across the nation.

One of the most jarring repercussions is the impending closure of 401 national parks that include Yosemite and Joshua Tree, among others.

“Anyone who’s hoping to arrive, even for a day visit, would see gates closed and would be turned away,” said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the National Park Service. “There won’t be any access.”

Visitors already at park campgrounds or lodges will have 48 hours to leave.

In Northern California, park rangers were getting ready to turn away visitors from Muir Woods at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ferries to Alcatraz will be canceled.

In downtown Los Angeles, at the Department of Housing and Urban Development office, all 240 employees were told they would not be working starting Tuesday.

And transportation officials in L.A. are worried that the closure will stall plans to build the Westside subway extension, one of the premier projects of the city’s rail boom.

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