EDD

School reopenings will likely take center stage in 2021 as one of California’s biggest political battles. It’s a battle all the more noteworthy because it pits two groups that are often allies — unions and Democratic lawmakers — against each other. This week, the state’s two largest teachers unions — the California Teachers Association and […]

Thousands of California health care workers may receive their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine today, marking a promising new chapter in the state’s battle with the pandemic even as deadly outbreaks flare up.  Portions of California’s initial allotment of 327,000 doses were slated to begin arriving at health care facilities Sunday night, with shipments […]

Starting today, millions of Californians will be subject to new stay-at-home orders amid a third wave of COVID-19 infections that has hospitalized a record number of residents. Under Los Angeles County’s new stay-at-home order — which lasts through Dec. 20 — almost all gatherings are banned, and retail stores must further limit capacity. Santa Clara […]

Bad optics undid Donald Trump and Gray Davis, which is a lesson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Could jobless Californians soon receive benefits by direct deposit? State legislators are considering reforms and asking Bank of America for answers following a CalMatters investigation into payment problems impacting more than 350,000 unemployment debit cards.

California may have paid up to $1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims filed on behalf of prison and jail inmates in what prosecutors are calling “the most significant fraud on taxpayer funds in California history.” The state paid more than 35,000 claims under state prisoners’ names, with one inmate collecting nearly $49,000, a group of […]

A poll of California voters, conducted just before the election, finds a high level of resistance to new taxes.

Good morning, California. It’s Friday, November 20. Limited lockdown Starting Saturday night, nearly all Californians will be subject to a curfew aimed at curbing a statewide surge in coronavirus infections. Under the terms of the “limited stay-at-home order” Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled Thursday, nonessential work and gatherings will be prohibited between 10 p.m. and 5 […]

After the Great Recession, California signed an exclusive contract with Bank of America to distribute unemployment benefits through prepaid debit cards. A CalMatters investigation reveals that to this day, no one knows how much the bank has made off the deal. Lawmakers are examining the bank’s role in mass account freezes and untold amounts of missing money for thousands of struggling jobless Californians — as well as where the bank may have failed to keep unemployment money safe from fraud.

Though the pandemic-induced recession hasn’t been as bad as expected, it is hitting the most vulnerable Californians hardest.