Economy

Thousands of out-of-work Californians are struggling through the most severe job crisis on record as the state tries to account for up to $31 billion in benefits lost to fraud. Here’s what went wrong — and what might come next.

Former Clinton press secretary Dee Dee Myers explains why she’s focused on small businesses for California’s recovery, doesn’t fear Elon Musk leaving for Texas and plans to let employers decide whether workers should be vaccinated before going back to work. But when it comes to reopening schools, which has disproportionately sidelined working moms, the author of “Why Women Should Rule the World,” says that’s still being negotiated.

State records obtained by CalMatters show that the employment agency made $22.5 million on unemployment debit card fees as the pandemic ravaged the job market, but it failed to track how much Bank of America earned off a debit card contract during the spike in benefits. Lawmakers are asking questions about the revenue-sharing deal as workers still missing money fight to survive.

State payment contractor Bank of America was pitted against California employment officials at a legislative hearing on monthslong benefit delays and rampant fraud.

Outdoor dining and personal care businesses are allowed to reopen — pending local approval — after the latest abrupt shift in the state’s handling of the pandemic.

As new state grants, tax credits and federal loans roll out, small business owners say their survival will depend more on reopening rules, red tape and resolving unemployment chaos. What happens next will shape the state’s job market for years to come.

A class-action lawsuit accuses Bank of America of exposing unemployed California workers to large-scale fraud and cutting off access to jobless benefits during the pandemic.

Download and read this 53-page overview of all the major issues facing California policymakers.

His strategy seems to echo the mantra of former Gov. Jerry Brown — paddling a little on the left, a little on the right.

 Lea este artículo en español.  More than last year’s budget. More than the year before. More than any California budget ever. Despite — or maybe because of — the last 10 months of arrested economic activity and unchecked viral contagion, Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced a record-breaking $227 billion spending plan for the coming fiscal year. It […]