WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy, held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic, reopens rapidly. Jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000 from 385,000 the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The number of...
Opinion: Newsom Owes Apology for Unemployment Office Failings
Were Gov. Gavin Newsom as humble as he often proclaims to be, he would interrupt his “California Comeback” campaign long enough to issue a personal apology to hundreds of thousands of Californians who remain mired in the managerial meltdown at the Employment Development Department. Yes, as Newsom constantly reminds us,...
US Jobless Claims Fall to 547,000, Another Pandemic Low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell last week to 547,000, the lowest point since the pandemic struck and an encouraging sign that layoffs are slowing on the strength of an improving job market. Job Opportunities Increase with Economy Opening Back Up The Labor Department said...
California Advances Bill Aimed at Massive Unemployment Fraud
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers on Thursday advanced what they called commonsense legislation requiring two state agencies to share information aimed at helping stop billions of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment fraud. The measure that cleared its first committee would require the beleaguered Employment Development Department to crosscheck unemployment applications with inmate...
Police Arrest 2 Accused of California Unemployment Fraud
SACRAMENTO — When police in California's capital city searched an apartment in mid-January, the most telling item they found wasn't the illegal assault weapons — it was a small red notebook filled with 55 names and their birthdays, Social Security numbers, usernames and passwords associated with accounts at the state's...
Audit: California Jobless Agency’s Inaction Led to Fraud
SACRAMENTO — California’s unemployment agency was warned early in the pandemic about an increase in fraudulent jobless claims yet waited four months before it made any substantive changes to its systems, according to a new audit released Thursday that blames Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration for “significant missteps and inaction” that...
US Jobless Claims Drop; Still at 847,000 as Pandemic Rages
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell but remained at a historically high 847,000 last week, a sign that layoffs keep coming as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage. Last week’s claims dropped by 67,000, from 914,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. Before...
Walters: California’s Unemployment Insurance Mess Laid Bare
The juxtaposition of events this week regarding California’s woebegone Employment Development Department (EDD) could not be more ironic. On Monday, Julie Su, a veteran labor union leader who heads the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, publicly acknowledged that EDD, one of the line departments she oversees, had failed miserably...
Audit: Millions May Have to Repay California Jobless Aid
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's unemployment agency might have overpaid millions of people since March after it stopped enforcing some eligibility rules so they could process claims faster, according to a new audit released Tuesday. As millions of claims poured in during the height of state restrictions on businesses, state officials...
California Sees Suspicious Surge in Unemployment Claims
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is reporting a surge in coronavirus unemployment claims last week for independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed — the category of benefits blamed for much of the state's fraudulent payments. The state last week received more than 110,800 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, an increase of...