Sacramento – Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) is outraged that problems with processing unemployment claims at the state’s Employment Development Department remain unresolved while millions of unemployed Californians continue to file for relief in areas like the Santa Clarita Valley, which made the list of most economically hard-hit areas in the nation.

In response to these problems, Wilk, representing the state’s 21st Senate District, and members of the Senate Republican Caucus recently delivered a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom urging him to quickly resolve the mounting problems from the state’s EDD website so Californians can get the relief they need.

“The Governor’s Executive Order shuttering all ‘non-essential’ businesses forced businesses to close and lay off employees despite (the) California Employment Development Department’s inability to handle the onslaught of claims,” Wilk said in a statement Friday. “These Californians lost their jobs specifically because of the Governor’s executive order. The fact that this abysmal record at EDD continues six weeks into the shutdown is inexcusable.”

According to WalletHub, Santa Clarita’s unemployment rate has increased by 42.1 percent in the last 12 months and 35.69 percent in 2020. The SCV comes in at number 17 on the list of most economically hard-hit regions in the nation. Two other California cities made the list – Long Beach (16th) and Los Angeles (18th).

“Californians deserve better and we owe it to the families struggling to make ends meet to get this fixed. Millions of Californians have applied – or tried to apply – for unemployment but get busy signals, crashed websites and excuses. None of which put food on the table,” Wilk said.

Text of the letter can be found below.

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