TOP STORIES An Unemployed Worker’s Nightmare It’s been nearly a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began to knock the economy for a loop. Yet California’s unemployment benefits system remains mired in dysfunction. That has left many jobless workers in dire straits, waiting for money they need to feed and clothe their families and avoid ending up on the streets. When trying to reach the state Employment Development Department, they’ve encountered jammed phone lines, overwhelmed staff and failed technology. Advertisement While millions suffer, payments have instead gone to fulfill fraudulent claims filed in the names of prison inmates, infants, retirees and people living in other states. Applications for benefits have come from criminal gangs operating in Russia, China and Nigeria in a deluge.