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Protests Spur California to Close all Downtown State Buildings

Associated Press

   SAN FRANCISCO - In the wake of protests around the state and across the
   nation, California's state Department of Human Resources sent a
   directive to close all state buildings "with offices in downtown city
   areas" on Monday, a sweeping mandate that covers everything from
   Department of Motor Vehicles offices to those that license workers and
   provide health care.

   "After consultation with the California Highway Patrol and Office of
   Emergency Services, the decision was made this evening to advise all
   state departments with offices in downtown city areas to close
   tomorrow, and to notify staff of the decision," said Amy Palmer, a
   spokeswoman for the state Government Operations Agency.

   The directive was sent Sunday evening and it was left up to officials
   at individual agencies to determine which buildings should be closed.

   A state Department of Justice memo sent to employees said the attorney
   general's offices in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles
   and San Diego would be closed, though employees who can work from home
   should do so.

   "Staff assigned to these offices should not report to work for any
   reason. Staff who are able to telework should continue to do so despite
   the office closures," the memo said.

   The move comes after armed National Guard soldiers lined the steps of
   Los Angeles City Hall and cities across California declared curfews
   Sunday to head off more violence after unruly demonstrators at earlier
   protests burned police cars, broke into stores and skirmished with
   officers.

   In more than 20 cities, thieves smashed their way into businesses and
   ran off with as much as they could carry -- boxes of sneakers, armloads
   of clothes and cellphones and TVs.

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