http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Unemployment-Benefits-Ending-for-Thousands-of-Californians-151207515.html
Unemployment Benefits Ending for Thousands of Californians
A federal benefits extension, known as FED-ED in California, won't be available after May 12
John Cádiz Klemack, Dennis Lahti
Mathew Pauley is among the 93,000 people in California set to lose unemployment benefits on Saturday, May 12. “I thought I didn’t have to worry, I was already getting the federal extension,” he says. Experts say the looming cut off is a double edged sword: the state’s extension is being nixed because the unemployment rate has been holding steady, but for thousands of unemployed workers, the cut off is not as rosy. John Cádiz Klemack reports from Sherman Oaks for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on May 11, 2012.
Thousands of California residents are about to lose their federal unemployment benefitsbecause of the loss of a federal extension.
Mathew Pauley is among the 93,000 people in California set to lose benefits on Saturday. Until recently, he thought he had two remaining months of benefits.
"Thought I didn't have to worry, I was already getting the federal extension," Pauley said.
That extension, known as FED-ED in California, won't be available after May 12, reducing the total number of weeks that Californians can collect benefits from 99 to 79.
The end of the extension is actually good news for the state because it means California's economy is getting better, said Loree Levy of the California Employment Development Department.
"In order for the state to qualify for the program you have to have a high unemployment rate," Levy said. "Certainly California does have a high rate, but it's not 10 percent higher than what it's been over the last three years, and that is a requirement of the program."
The state's unemployment rate sits at 11 percent, which is better than what it's been, meaning there are jobs out there, but job seekers like Pauley are having trouble finding them.
"Where are these jobs that are supposed to be here?" he said.
Like many others, Pauley is afraid he might lose his home if he doesn't find work soon.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know," Pauley said. "I'm just taking it one day at a time."
and......
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/us/huge-new-shortfall-predicted-in-california-budget.html?hp
LOS ANGELES — The state budget shortfall in California has increased dramatically in the last six months, forcing state officials to assemble a series of new spending cuts that are likely to mean further reductions to schools, health care and other social programs already battered by nearly five years of budget retrenchment, state officials announced on Saturday.
and....
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/05/california-budget-jerry-brown.html
Gov. Jerry Brown announced on Saturday that the state's deficit has ballooned to $16 billion, a huge increase over his $9.2-billion estimate in January.
The bigger deficit is a significant setback for California, which has struggled to turn the page on a devastating budget crisis. Brown, who announced the deficit on YouTube, is expected to outline his full budget proposal on Monday in Sacramento.
"This means we will have to go much further, and make cuts far greater, than I asked for at the beginning of the year," Brown said in the video.
Lawmakers and others were hoping that a rebounding economy would help the state avoid steep cuts to social services. But revenue in April, the most important month of the year for income taxes, fell far short of expectations, leading to a shortfall of at least $3 billion in the current fiscal year.
The state has also spent $2.1 billion more than expected, according to the controller, further worsening California's financial health.
Advocates involved in budget discussions say they expect deeper cuts to social services than Brown originally proposed in January. Union officials are also in negotiations with administration officials about ways to reduce state payroll costs, an issue that wasn't on the table earlier this year.
Brown has said there will be even deeper cuts, mostly to public education, if voters do not improve tax hikes in November. He is seeking a quarter-cent increase in the state sales tax for four years and a seven-year hike on incomes of $250,000 or more that will range from 1 to 3 percentage points. He says the measure would raise $9 billion in the upcoming budget year.
No comments:
Post a Comment