UP IN ARMS

I am outraged as a citizen of this state that a state agency, the Employment Development Department, has abused its responsibility and power by allowing us to lose billions of our taxpayers money, by allowing Department of Correction inmates, even some on death row, to apply for and actually receive unemployment benefits. Those inmates are really having a good laugh at our expense.

Moreover, has Gov. Gavin Newsom done anything about it? I haven’t heard any news of him firing the administration of that agency. “Heads should roll” in that agency immediately. It is unbelievable that a person can apply for unemployment without any identification. No check is made of the person’s background either, obviously. There is no excuse for that agency not to obtain access to a person’s criminal records. Any agency involved in handing out money should have access to that information. As Sen. Shannon Grove points out in her op-ed (“COMMUNITY VOICES: Massive failures of Newsom administration lead to introduction of necessary reforms,” Dec. 15), 35 other states already do this. But, oh, not in California, do we protect the citizens who are, after all, paying the taxes, in some form or other. Neither do we ask for identification when we vote, but that’s a matter for another discussion.

The people who voted for Newsom should be “up in arms” about Newsom’s actions as the rest of us are. Thank goodness Sen. Grove is doing everything she can to prevent Newsom from continuing to restrict our rights and freedoms.

— Betsy Gosling, Bakersfield