San Francisco Chronicle
By Carolyn Said
Underscoring how hard it is to reach the California agency responsible for unemployment benefits, the state Assembly authorized its 80 members to add two full-time staff members dedicated to helping constituents communicate with the Employment Development Department, following a similar move by the state Senate a few months ago…
State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, said the real game-changer in interacting with EDD is that the agency now has dedicated a full-time liaison to work with his office. Chiu’s office likewise said they now have a full-time liaison at EDD. The agency did not respond to questions about whether it now has liaisons for each assembly member and senator.
“We’ve cleared almost 500 cases, but still have several hundred more out there,” Becker said. “Most of our district staff is already working on it, but it’s certainly helpful to get one more person.”
But overall, Becker said, lawmakers should not have had to step up to help Californians interact with a state agency. “Hopefully this won’t happen again,” he said. “We’re working to make sure EDD has the right technology, has enough representatives, and is training its reps more quickly.”