Unemployment woes should shift state focus
California’s unemployment system “has struggled to effectively serve California’s unemployed in the face of significant workload and fiscal challenges.” Sound familiar? Unfortunately, that’s the title of a state audit from 2011. For a state whose leaders routinely agitate for expanded government, it’s a shame that making sure existing systems and programs actually work only becomes a priority after it’s too late.
For months now, Californians across the state who have found themselves in need of unemployment assistance due to state lockdown orders have had to contend with the slow, inefficient and poorly-prepared unemployment system.
Earlier this week, the Sacramento Bee highlighted the plight of Californians who have tried to call the Employment Development Department at all hours of the day but have yet to get any assistance.
“It’s June 1,” Robert Good, a former waiter who has tried since March to get help from EDD, told the Sacramento Bee. “I have no money for food and bills. The EDD keeps adding new extensions and programs, but tells those of us stuck and waiting nothing.”
For its part, the system has been in the process of hiring thousands of additional workers to process claims and help answer questions.
But in addition to not having enough workers, one of the big underlying problems is the irony that California, the home of Silicon Valley, has long struggled with effectively using technology.
“I know this sounds crazy because we are in California, we are the tech center of the world, but our system is built on multiple antiquated systems, and because of that it is inflexible — it is very difficult to change,” said Julie Su, California’s Labor Secretary, back in April, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Yes, it does sound crazy.
But it’s also not a new or unexpected problem. One could spend all day reading report after report from the state auditor or nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office flagging the shortcomings of technology used by the state.
Hence, people trying to file applications online have encountered error messages and other glitches.
We certainly hope that California can someday make a point of bringing its use of technology up to 21st century standards.
But by extension, state officials should also take a step back from their often lofty agendas and take the time to assess whether the state government they keep wanting to build up is foundationally sound. Before building up and building out state government, lawmakers would be doing a great public service to make sure that the government we currently have is actually working.
If, instead of trying to save the planet from little plastic hotel shampoo bottles, state lawmakers made sure the unemployment system had the resources and technology it needs to withstand a crisis, Californians might actually tangibly benefit from the work of state lawmakers in Sacramento for a change.
We certainly hope that California can someday make a point of bringing its use of technology up to 21st century standards.