Coding America News Today

California’s beleaguered Employment Development Department might give benefits to striking workers if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a related bill.

California’s beleaguered Employment Development Department could be asked to dole out benefits to striking workers if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill providing them into law. Critics say the EDD has enough problems to address before the next economic downturn.

More than 150,000 California workers who lost their jobs since 2020 are still fighting for delayed or denied unemployment benefits. At the same time, the state paid out an estimated $30 billion in fraudulent claims, dramatically more than any other state on both a real and per capita basis.