(Sacramento, CA) — Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are demanding answers after a new report from the California State Auditor’s Office says the state’s Employment Development Department was “unprepared” for the volume of claims filed during the pandemic.
Spokesperson Margarita Fernandez says department heads have known about the systemic issues plaguing the EDD for at least a decade. She says the pandemic led to the department trying to work its way through a hefty backlog of legitimate claims while also trying to weed out the fraudulent ones.
While the report pointed the finger at EDD leadership, Chair of the State Assembly Budget Committee Phil Ting says politicians should also share some of the blame.
Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson says the EDD has been intentionally misleading people about the volume of claims and amount of fraud.
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