Obamacare rolling out despite government shutdown

The partial federal

government shutdown means furloughs for tens of thousands of workers in California. Most of them are civilian defense workers, but employees at agencies ranging from the EPA and the Social Security Administration to the IRS and the Health and Human Services are also being told to stay home.

National parks and monuments are also closed. State officials say they have enough cash to keep operating for the next month. After that, some programs like food stamps and school lunches could run out of money…

One thing the shutdown is not affecting is the

rollout of Obamacare. Today’s the first day for consumers to shop for insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Officials with

Covered California – the state’s online health exchange – say they’re not expecting a rush initially because people may not want to gather information and explore their coverage options…

Community activists say the deadly

crash of a private jet offers a terrifying argument for scaling back flights at Santa Monica Airport, or shutting down the facility altogether. Investigators now say four people were killed when the twin-engine Cessna Citation veered off the runway, plowed into a hangar and burst into flames Sunday evening…

And finally, LAUSD officials have

taken back iPads from students at two high schools because some students hacked into the devices.