The EDD has a current backlog of 1.1 million claims, many weeks and months old. After spending billions to fix the computer system, it still does not work and it is impossible to call and speak to a live person.
“Those personnel issues, along with other problems with technology, like aging computer mainframes, could be solved in part by money EDD is supposed to get from the federal government. That help was supposed to arrive along with the stimulus checks paid out by the Biden administration in the form of money to help fix problems with the country’s unemployment departments: $9 billion. It’s been months since the bill passed. None of it has been paid out.
“We’re more than a year from the start of the pandemic. EDD’s website still goes down, almost every single Sunday,” said Modesto Congressman Josh Harder of California’s 10th District. “I mean, folks are calling 100 times a day and not getting through to a live human being and there’s no signs of improvement, right?”
Imagine how these people and their families and friends are going to vote on the Recall-as a way to “thank” Newsom” for his arrogance and incompetence.
The Failure of the California EDD Alone Should Get Newsom Recalled
By Jennifer Oliver O’Connell, Red State, 6/24/21
The Secretary of State has officially certified the Recall of California Governor Gavin Newsom, with 1,719,900 verified signatures. Only 1,459,000 signatures were required to force a Recall election, so the overwhelming overflow of signatures collected (2.1 million) reflects that Californians are serious about removing this clown. No matter what the chattering class and the conventional wisdom says, this Governor is already gone.
His Hairfulness pretends to be unfazed, as he continues his Reopening Failure Theater Tour. But, the walls are closing in, whether he acknowledges it or not. A CapRadio investigation further exposes Hair Gel’s lies, mismanagement, and failure.
A @CapRadioNews investigation finds Gov. Newsom “misrepresented” his fire prevention efforts by “an astounding 690%.” Hard to say which is worse: deceiving the public or disregarding public safety.
— Kevin Kiley (@KevinKileyCA) June 23, 2021
As my colleague Brandon Morse so masterfully outlined,
It’s definitely not going to help that Newsom was recently was discovered to have misled the public on just how far he went to protect the state from wildfires, which was that he pretty much did nothing at all while telling Californians he did.
“The investigation found Newsom overstated, by an astounding 690%, the number of acres treated with fuel breaks and prescribed burns in the very forestry projects he said needed to be prioritized to protect the state’s most vulnerable communities,” wrote CapRadio’s Scott Rodd. “Newsom has claimed that 35 ‘priority projects’ carried out as a result of his executive order resulted in fire prevention work on 90,000 acres. But the state’s own data show the actual number is 11,399.”
So we have a governor that flaunts his own lockdown rules and proceeds to lie to Californians about what he’s doing to protect the state from one of the most devastating events that happen to it.
While Hair Gel plays “Game Show Gavin” with federal and state dollars, he seems to have forgotten about the flailing California Employment Development Department and its perpetual woes. Woes that directly affect the California citizens who will be voting in the Recall election.
KCRA News did a recent report on the CA EDD, interviewing Joy Coleman, a medical spa employee who lost her job due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. If you can remember that far back, His Hairfulness was very proud to be the first out the gate to endow himself with emergency powers that allowed him to shut the state, force businesses to close, and tell everyone to stay home. Then, he appeared on every legacy media show he could to talk about how California leads the way, and that the nation must recognize what a great leader he is.
As “15 Days to Slow the Spread” turned into “365 Days to Destroy Freedom”, Californians had come to recognize that he was less leader, and more liar. Even before the French Laundry debacle, the worst handling of unemployment assistance in the history of the state, and probably the nation, happened on Newsom’s watch. Over a year later, millions of people still have not received, or are just now receiving their unemployment benefits. Some had to leave the state. Others lost their homes and became homeless.
For those California citizens who have gone through the wringer, or are still going through it, the pain is fresh. Do you think that damage will not affect the way they vote in the Recall? Think again.
In KCRA’s interview with Joy Coleman, she expressed her frustration with the CA EDD’s inability to get her unemployment claim straight, let alone pick up the phone so she can get her questioned answered.
California EDD: Money promised to fix unemployment stalled https://t.co/hZURoWDiV2
— kcranews (@kcranews) June 23, 2021
“The COVID thing is getting old,” Coleman said. “‘I’m sorry, we’re understaffed due to COVID. We will get back to you.’ I can’t tell you how many, ‘We got your question. We got your question, We’ll get back to you in five to seven days.’ Five to seven days is six months to them.”
But here’s the kicker. Biden’s American Rescue Plan was supposed to supply 9 billion to the State’s employment development departments to assist in the processing of claims, to update their infrastructure, and to keep those enhanced benefits flowing.
Somehow that 9 billion has failed to reach the CA EDD in order to fix its yawning issues.
Hair Gel has plenty of money to raffle off 1.5 million to people getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The “Stop the Republican Recall” clowns are floating ads about his $1,100 payments to families and setting aside 4 billion for small businesses, hailing Gavin Newsom’s “California Comeback”.
Newsom’s last diktat was that he is going to pay all the past due rents owed to landlords throughout the state, and extend the eviction moratorium further than the federal government’s expiration date of June 30.
“California is planning rent forgiveness on a scale never seen before in the United States.”https://t.co/yhggZmlgnT
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 22, 2021
But in all of his blather, Newsom fails to mention the money slated for the CA EDD or given any indication on when it is going to be distributed. You would think with his close ties with Vice President Kamala Harris, that he could use his pull to get some action on this. But, those bright, shiny objects.
Governor Hair Gel lies like a rug—a deep pile, mohair one.
Meanwhile, CA EDD is still wrestling with what to do about all that fraud, and still struggling under the weight of 226,600 of backlog on pending claims; with the frustrated and angry citizens who represent those claims, but cannot get anyone on the phone to resolve them.
I have been looking since it gave me the fill it in page and you owe me 14 weeks now. Can you please change it from pending to paid. Everything is overdrawn and overdue. Thank G-D I get EBT for food and live with family.
— Sabrina Hogan (@SharonsRose13) June 21, 2021
From the KCRA report:
Those personnel issues, along with other problems with technology, like aging computer mainframes, could be solved in part by money EDD is supposed to get from the federal government. That help was supposed to arrive along with the stimulus checks paid out by the Biden administration in the form of money to help fix problems with the country’s unemployment departments: $9 billion. It’s been months since the bill passed. None of it has been paid out.
“We’re more than a year from the start of the pandemic. EDD’s website still goes down, almost every single Sunday,” said Modesto Congressman Josh Harder of California’s 10th District. “I mean, folks are calling 100 times a day and not getting through to a live human being and there’s no signs of improvement, right?”
California Democrat Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) was interviewed for the report as well, and expressed his frustration in this tweet. In his own investigation, it seems it is the U.S. Department of Labor that appears to be the logjam. Guess they are too focused on coddling unions and attempting to ruin the livelihood of 57 million independent professionals.
The fact that EDD answered fewer calls in May than they did in March is just absurd. The entire system is broken and Valley families can’t pay their bills because of it.
— Josh Harder (@JoshHarder) June 3, 2021
Harder was already frustrated with California’s EDD. Now he is angry with the U.S. Department of Labor.
“That money is still sitting in a bank vault at the Department of Labor, and they haven’t given us any timetable of when it’s gonna actually go out the door,” Harder said. “That’s unacceptable because there needs to be a sense of urgency around solving this problem. And I’m not seeing that.”
Even if you can do finger-pointing towards the federal government, this debacle continues to happen on Newsom’s watch, and remains unresolved on his watch. And Gavin Newsom doesn’t even bother to address it.
Representatives at the CA EDD also have no answers. With radio silence from the governor, what they do have is egg on their faces.
KCRA 3 Investigates reached out to EDD to ask if they have seen any of the money, or how it might be used. They would not go on camera but sent an email saying, “California and other states are currently awaiting guidance regarding this appropriation, which will be provided by the U.S. Department of Labor at a later time.”
You think those people won’t be voting in the Recall? Hair Gel’s dismissive elitism and malfeasance will guarantee he is voted out.
