On the 24th day of the second-longest federal government shutdown , Rep. Lateefah Simon and seven mayors from her congressional district gathered in Oakland on Friday afternoon to urge Republicans to work with Democrats and restore benefits for the East Bay’s most vulnerable residents.

The mayors of Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, San Leandro, Emeryville, Albany, and Piedmont said the government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has created a financial strain on federal workers in their cities. Of the 760,000 constituents in California’s 12th Congressional District, 10,000 are federal workers, according to Simon.

The Republicans and Democrats have blamed one another for the stoppage.

“I want you to know that this is, in fact, a Republican shutdown,” said the congresswoman. “While the Democrat

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