Another great exposure of Newsom & Sacramento by Jon Copal, originally printed in Saturday's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin opinion section but updated yesterday 12/19/2022. (Link to article at bottom)
Because our state government is driving so many businesses out of state or out of business, Newsom kept businesses closed much longer than was necessary, the Employment Development Department paid out millions of dollars in bogus claims, and the state did NOT pay back the Federal government with stimulus money and our $90 BILLION surplus (as Texas and other states did), we have had to continue to borrow money from the Feds because our state unemployment fund is in the red, and has been for some time.
Remember that this fund receives tax money from employers, not employees, so fewer businesses means less money going into this special fund and many legitimate applicants are still waiting to be approved by a broken EDD system. Projected estimates put our debt to the Feds at $19 BILLION and it will continue to grow at the rate of $470 MILLION per year until we do something to lower this debt.
Meanwhile, we have our own potential shortfall of $25 BILLION for 2023 to contend with which will make any paybacks that much harder. There is a way out of this, but it would require our governor and state legislators to eliminate the multitude of laws and taxes that discourage business and become fiscally responsible for what tax money we do generate.
Good luck with that with the current super majority of tax and spend "representatives" who back special interests, not yours.
The offices of the Employment Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 10, 2022. (Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters - as printed in Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 12/17/22)