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)
“I am totally dismayed by EDD’s lack of straight answers and the bottom line is we’re not going to let EDD get away with failing Californians,” commented Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Chair Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach). “My colleagues and I are pushing EDD to rapidly upgrade their customer service and technology to better serve Californians amidst this crisis.”
VIDEO: Budget Committee Oversight Hearing (Subcommittee No. 4 On State Administration) on the Employment Development Department (EDD), AssemblywomanPetrie-Norris questions EDD Director Sharon Hilliard.
“Millions of our constituents have had no income for months,” the lawmakers noted in the letter. “As Californians wait for answers from EDD, they have depleted their life savings, have gone into extreme debt, and are in deep panic as they figure out how to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Every hour, we field countless calls from constituents reaching out to us as a last resort, after weeks of dead ends and misinformation from EDD.”