Seeking to provide more help for Californians who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced a broad expansion of the state’s unemployment call center hours, and provided more information about unemployment benefits for contract and gig economy workers.
Speaking at his daily coronavirus news briefing in Sacramento, Newsom said he signed an executive order to keep unemployment call centers open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Until now, the call centers had been open only until noon, five days a week.
In order to staff the call centers, Newsom said he has reassigned 600 employees from the state’s Employment Development Department to work the phones at unemployment call centers, for at total of 1,340 call center operators.
Newsom said that approximately 2.7 million Californians have filed for unemployment assistance in recent weeks as the state shut down all but essential businesses, and put Californians under a shelter-in-place edict as part of a massive effort to tamp down on the spread of coronavirus.
Labor Secretary Julie Su said that she and Gov. Newsom knew that there has been “frustration” over people’s ability to file for unemployment benefits, and that the expanded call center hours should improve the filing process.
Su also also gave more details on a program by which independent contractors and so-called “gig economy” workers who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis.
Su said that starting April 28, independent contractors will be able to go online and apply for benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, and should receive their first payments no later than April 30. Su initially gave details about the upcoming program in a letter posted on her website on Tuesday.
Su said the funds are covered under the federal government’s Cares Act, and will be available to workers who since they are self-employed, have exhausted regular benefits, or didn’t work enough, don’t qualify for state unemployment benefits. Workers can apply for the federal benefits if they can show they have either lost their job, or become partially unemployed due to coronavirus.
Su said it would take two weeks for the state Labor Department to set up the payments system in order to “create this new technology system, test it and be able to turn payments around.” Su said that applicants’ weekly assistance amounts would be based on their earnings and if their earnings amounts could be verified.
Those getting assistance under the program can also get the $600 a week additional payment for each week they are unemployed for the weeks of March 29 until the end of July.
Additionally, Newsom said the state is setting up a $125 million Disaster Relief Fund to provide benefits to undocumented workers who aren’t eligible for payments from the federal stimulus plan. Newsom said the state is contributing $75 million, and businesses and philanthropists are contributing $50 million to the fund. Families that qualify will be eligible for as much as $1,000 from the fund, while individuals could get up to $500 each.
