U.S. Employees on Job in O.C., but Fear Future

Thousands of federal employees returned to work Monday in Santa Ana and Laguna Niguel, relieved that the six-day national budget deadlock is over but worried that another fiscal crisis may be on the way.

Art Estrada, an 18-year Internal Revenue Service agent, said he got fed up after watching the political bickering between the White House and Republican congressional leaders on television.

“I’m glad it’s over,” Estrada said as he walked into the federal building in downtown Santa Ana. “They’re like so many little kids playing games with our lives. I actually had to file for unemployment!”

For Neva Meis, a public affairs officer for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service at the Chet Holifield building in Laguna Niguel, resuming her daily work routine was a welcome change from last week, when she was sent home on furlough.

“You bet I’m glad to be back,” Meis said. “I have a 7-year-old grandson I’m raising myself. You start getting really concerned about these things, especially when you start seeing the Christmas ads.

“This is the longest we have ever been out, and it was pretty frightening,” Meis added, saying that the budget dispute wasn’t a matter of economics. To her, it was “egonomics. I blame both parties.”

Actually, the federal government had been forced to a virtual standstill because it ran out of money four additional times since 1981. But unlike this time, the incidents were brief in 1981, 1984, 1986 and 1990. In the 1990 incident, a budget deadlock was broken over a long Columbus Day holiday weekend.

As the government resumed its business Monday, there were no reports of long lines of people seeking services at either building.

In Orange County, at least 3,000 federal workers left their offices about noon last Tuesday. Federal courts, some health offices, national security, military and law enforcement agencies remained open.

But federal agencies offering “nonessential” services at locations in Santa Ana, Laguna Niguel and satellite offices throughout Orange County ground to a halt during the six-day impasse.

“They shut down the IRS offices,” said one federal employee who asked not to be identified. “Can you imagine? The government is in deficit and they shut down the one department that brings in revenue.”

While furloughed federal workers waited at home, worried over when they’d return to their jobs, they weren’t the only ones affected by the budget dispute.

Many local residents, especially those who needed to apply for Social Security or sought tax help, said the government shutdown was a huge inconvenience.

“I needed to get some documents from Social Security,” said Elsie Chan of Santa Ana. “I’m going to retire soon, and I was calling and calling every day to find out when they would be open.”

“This is a big inconvenience,” muttered Steve Truax, 23, of Santa Ana, who rode his bicycle to the federal building in Santa Ana to apply for a new Social Security card. “I had to listen to the news every day to figure out when they would reopen.”

Setiaman Budiman of Santa Ana said he spent most of last week riveted to television news programs, patiently waiting for a break in the deadlock in Washington.

“I need a Social Security card; that’s why I came here today,” Budiman said. “I lost mine, and I also need it to help me get a driver’s license and other things.”

At both federal buildings, workers streamed through entrances with armfuls of large folders containing their caseloads.

“I was very concerned,” said Priscilla Roberts, a Department of Labor employee. “Not only for our workers, but for all the people who have filed claims and have cases where they have worked but have not been paid the minimum wage. We have many, many of those people, and this thing happened right before Thanksgiving.”

Still, many federal employees were concerned that only an interim agreement was reached in Washington to settle the budget issue. They fear they may be furloughed again after Dec. 15, when the government’s short-term funding ends.

Kathy Dauz, 41, of San Clemente, and her husband, who also works for the IRS in Laguna Niguel, filled out applications for unemployment.

“Of course we’re happy to be back at work, absolutely,” Dauz said. “I hope it lasts, but no one knows for sure.”

Judith A. Golden, IRS public affairs officer, said that a few top managers and several clerks worked last week to tally and deposit any tax checks that were dropped off.

“Federal courts were not closed, and we had [IRS] criminal investigators whose cases had to be assigned, so they had to work also,” Golden said.

Golden said she joined other federal workers who filed unemployment claims.

“I was told by the state that once you file [a claim], it’s good for a year,” she said. “That’s in case we don’t get paid or if we go out again in December.”