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Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris Introduces Bill to Strengthen Ignition Interlock Program in California

RELEASE: Legislature Passes Bill to Keep Laboratory Jobs Based in California

Legislature Passes Bill to Keep Laboratory Jobs Based in California AB 1327 Passes with Bi-Partisan Support


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 1, 2020

SACRAMENTO — In an effort to keep high-paying jobs in the state and maintain a robust laboratory force to provide COVID-19 testing, the Legislature has passed Assembly Bill 1327 with bipartisan support.

08.24 State EDD not answering 60% of calls amid backlog of unemployment claims

Excerpted from Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s unemployment agency is not answering 60% of the calls it receives for help as the overwhelmed department struggles to work through a backlog of more than 1 million pending claims five months into the pandemic.

Employment Development Department Director Sharon Hilliard told a panel of frustrated state lawmakers on Monday that the agency is on pace to have 3,700 people working in its call center by January, up from the 350 employees prior to the pandemic.

08.05.20 More than sixty California legislators issue letter calling for systemic reforms at EDD

Excerpted from OC Breeze

Sixty-one California lawmakers sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom advocating for immediate and structural reforms at the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD). Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, EDD has displayed a shocking inability to disperse unemployment benefits as millions of Californians struggle without income. (Full Letter Attached)

08.03.20 California Lawmakers Slam Employment Agency For Slow Payouts

Excerpted from Associated Press

By Kathleen Ronayne

The agency is working to merge the call centers and train more workers to handle complex calls to eliminate the need for call backs, Hilliard said. But she could not give a timeline for when that would happen despite repeated questions from Democratic Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris. Other lawmakers said it was unacceptable that so few workers are able to answer questions about claims over the phone.