Newsom defends his actions to fix California’s troubled unemployment agency – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday defended his efforts to fix an outdated state unemployment benefits system that has delayed payments to tens of thousands of Californians who have lost their jobs since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and face increasingly dire financial circumstances.
A “strike team” investigation ordered by Newsom was released late Saturday night, concluding that the number of bogged-down claims continues to rise by 10,000 a day — even though the governor had pushed to clear the backlog by the end of September. The report estimated that it may take until January to fully address the backlog. LATimes 9/22/20
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Newsom Offers A Rosy Outlook For Beleaguered EDD System – Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday the state’s outdated computer system for processing unemployment insurance claims needs to be “strewn to the wastebin,” after being inundated with applications during the pandemic. CapPublic Radio 9/22/20
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Gavin Newsom defends pause on new unemployment claims: ‘I didn’t want to wait another day.’ – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday defended his decision to halt his unemployment agency’s enrollment of new claims for two weeks, saying it would ultimately allow the state to more quickly process benefits as it struggles with a massive backlog. SacBee 9/22/20
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California ‘strike team’ found unemployment agency was ‘reactive,’ recommends two-week reset – A government-led “strike team” of technologists and administrators, including Code for America and U.S. Digital Response founder Jennifer Pahlka, on Monday published a guide to reform California’s unemployment systems, including recommendations to prevent California’s backlog of unaddressed unemployment claims from growing larger as the coronavirus pandemic wears on. StateScoop 9/22/20
