Richard Nixon Presidential Library Closes in Federal Shutdown; Dick Foundation is Open

See the update at the bottom of the next page on the private Nixon Foundation parts of the presidential library remaining open.

ORIGINAL POST, OCT. 1, 1:06 P.M.: One victim of the federal shutdown brought on by Republicans trying to stop Obamacare: Richard Nixon. More specifically, Tricky Dick's memory, or more more specifically the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.

Of course, Nixon would have likely joined his party mates in blaming the Democrats for having brought this on. But whoever is to blame, the joint's closed.

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Other than Dick's House, not many federal facilities are affected in Orange County. Though most of the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley is also closed, the Ronald Reagan federal courthouse in Santa Ana remains open. Some scheduled courtroom proceedings in individual matters may be impacted by the shutdown, and attorneys and litigants in such cases will be notified directly by court staff, according to Central District of California Court Executive Terry Nafisi.

The Justice Department says its prosecutors will attempt to postpone non-critical civil matters and proceed with essential criminal matters only while the government remains shuttered, reports City News Service.

Housing and Urban Development offices and those of other federal programs for the needy previously secured funding to remain open during a shutdown. Veterans Administration facilities also remain open, and Camp Pendleton announced earlier this afternoon the hospital there south of the OC line will stay open as well.

However, this afternoon, the Marine base's Public Affairs office warned its personnel and residents “may experience degradations in services and support from base agencies.”

Commissaries remain open today to sell remaining perishable items, but these base stores will be closed indefinitely starting Wednesday. All pass and identification offices will be closed. For information regarding Marine Corps Community Services closures, visit http://mccscp.com/shutdown.

The 3,581 employees of the western region (California and Arizona Marine Corps installations) are subject to emergency furlough, according to the alert. Those who provide crucial services that protect life, safety and property, provide essential range, training and air operations and those employees that provide necessary utility services are excluded.

All base personnel (military and civilian) were required to report to work today, and some civilians were to then be told they'd be placed on emergency furlough and sent home after 3-5 hours on the job. Here are specific numbers of employees affected by furlough at Marine Corps installations within the western region, according to the base:

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton: 1,163
Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton: 34
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar: 328
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego: 360
Marine Corps Air Station Yuma: 176
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow: 238
Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command Twentynine Palms (including Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport): 1,282

For updates regarding the impact of the government shutdown on Camp Pendleton, visit http://www.pendleton.marines.mil/UnitHome/GovernmentShutdown.aspx.

UPDATE, OCT. 2, 8:58 A.M.: The private Nixon Foundation, which operates the gift shop and presents events at the public National Archives-run Nixon library, won't be kicked around by any federal shutdown.

“[All booked events including civic, social and business functions with community groups will be hosted without interruption,” reads a Foundation email blast. “This schedule includes a two day meeting of the Hungarian-American Scholarship Fund and the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation, with a special dinner in the East Room on Oct. 9.”

This also means the “In the Arena” speaker series rolls on with Ann Coulter (Nov. 4), Jake Tapper (Nov. 11), Newt and Callista Gingrich (Nov. 18) and the annual Vets Day Commemoration (Nov. 11) in the Foundation's mock White House East Room.

And, these being myopic Dick boosters, the Foundation gets a little dig in at the current occupant of the real White House, linking to Jimmy Byron's The New Nixon post on what Orange County's favorite disgraced son would have done in such a stalemate, reminding Nixon faced both houses of Congress controlled by Democrats when he was swept into office in 1968.

Yet many of the most lasting, influential, landmark legislation of the 20th century was passed and signed during the Nixon years. How? The answer is simple: Nixon knew that working with Congress was essential to accomplishing his administration's goals – and he knew how to do it.

The passage of such monumental laws as the Environmental Protection Act, the first step to reducing America's air pollution; the National Cancer Act, apportioning billions to the study of cancer with real lifesaving results; his vast revenue sharing policies, which distributed $83 billion to the states for better and more appropriate uses; and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the first attempt by the U.S. government to level the playing field for disabled Americans.

Byron sums up: “Amid this partisan squabble, it might be well if we would ask ourselves: What Would Nixon Do?”

Compile an enemy's list? Break into the Democratic Party's headquarters? Bomb Cambodia? What?

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

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