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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The EDD processed another 312,791 claims last week alone between regular Unemployment Insurance, or UI, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA, programs totaling now more than 6.3 million claims since the sudden surge of the pandemic began in the week ending March 14, 2020.
Guidance for workers and employers as businesses start to reopen
As businesses start to reopen in California under the state government guidelines, the EDD has developed a series of FAQs on its COVID-19 webpages to assist workers and employers in understanding impacts on the eligibility for UI benefits.
If individuals collecting UI benefits are offered the chance to return to their jobs and refuse that opportunity, they will need to report this information on their biweekly certification form in answer to question #4, “Did you refuse any work?”
A refusal to work legally requires an EDD representative to review the case and follow up for more information from the claimant as well as the employer before determining whether the claimant can continue to receive unemployment benefits.
• Good cause provisions for UI eligibility: The EDD will need to make a case-by-case determination on whether or not the information provided by claimants about refusing work meets what are called “good cause” reasons for UI eligibility. Such reasons include the higher risk factors identified by the California Department of Public Health such as the worker being over the age of 65, immunocompromised, or having certain serious health conditions.
• Reduced work hours and UI eligibility: Workers may still be eligible for partial UI benefits if they are only able to work reduced hours due to the impacts of the pandemic. But they must report that income earned in response to question No. 6 on their biweekly certification form for ongoing benefit payments. The first $25 or 25 percent of wages, whichever is the greater amount, is not counted as wages earned and will not be deducted from the UI weekly benefit amount.
For example, if you earned $100 in a week, the Department would not count $25 as wages and would only deduct $75 from your weekly benefit amount.
For someone who has a weekly benefit amount of $450, they would be paid a reduced amount of $375.
If someone with the same weekly benefit amount of $450 but earned at least $600 in the week, the full $450 would be deducted leaving $0 left for any unemployment benefits that week.
An individual has a year-long benefit period on their claim to collect the up to 26 weeks of benefits available. Claimants can start collecting benefits, stop for a while when they return to work, and then re-open their claim later if they once again find themselves unemployed or working reduced hours.
• School employees and UI eligibility: Federal and state law do not permit school employees to be eligible for regular UI benefits during a school recess period, including the summer break. That’s as long as these employees base their claim on their school wages and they are scheduled or likely to return to their usual or similar job when the break is over. Despite schools closing early this year due to the pandemic, the US Department of Labor is requiring all states to treat this year as any other. Therefore, the EDD must determine on a case-by-case basis whether employees have reasonable assurance that they will be returning to work in the
fall and if so, deny eligibility for benefits this summer.
An exception to this is if workers have enough wages during their base period that were earned from non-school employment to support an alternate weekly benefit amount they can be paid on their UI claim.
• Video tutorials to help workers in certifying for benefits: Many workers may not realize that once it is determined that they have enough in earnings over the last 12 to 18 months to initiate a UI claim or a PUA claim, they must answer basic questions every two weeks on their continued claim certification form online or via mail in order to receive the next biweekly benefit payment.
The EDD provides video tutorials in four different languages to assist workers with this legally required step to determine ongoing eligibility for benefits.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Lt. Corey Paulich said that at approximately 2:12 p.m. Saturday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies along with Cal Fire firefighting personnel responded to the area of Highway 20 and Mule Skinner Road in Clearlake Oaks for a report of a vegetation fire.
When the first deputy arrived, Paulich said he saw a man who was later identified as Jose Medina Jimenez, 27, standing in the middle of Highway 20 waving his arms in the air. Several bystanders who had stopped in the area were watching the fire and told the arriving deputy that Jimenez was responsible for starting the fire.
As the deputy approached Jimenez, Jimenez removed a knife with a 6-inch blade from his pants pocket and started pacing around, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy told Jimenez repeatedly to drop the knife, but Jimenez instead walked towards the deputy. Jimenez also sat on the ground appearing to cut himself before attempting to enter an unoccupied vehicle that was parked in the area.
A bystander who spoke Spanish assisted the deputy in giving commands to Jimenez. After several minutes, Jimenez disarmed himself and was taken into custody, Paulich said.
While in custody, Jimenez became combative. Paulich said the deputy maintained control of Jimenez until additional deputy sheriffs arrived to place Jimenez in a patrol vehicle.
Once inside the vehicle, Jimenez began kicking the door. When deputies opened the patrol vehicle door, Jimenez charged them and had to again be restrained with a leg restraint, Paulich said.
Paulich said Jimenez appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance and was transported to the Lake County Jail.
During the altercation, one deputy sustained a minor injury that did not require any medical treatment. Paulich said Jimenez remains in custody at the Lake County Jail and is expected to appear in court later this week.
An investigation is being conducted by Cal Fire Fire prevention officers into the cause and origin of the “Mule” fire, which Paulich said burned approximately six acres of vegetation on a property that contained an unpermitted, illegal marijuana cultivation site. He said Jimenez is suspected of working at the site.
The investigation will be a cooperative effort between Cal Fire and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Paulich said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The California Employment Development Department’s latest report on joblessness said the state’s unemployment rate was 16.3 percent in May, a slight decrease of 0.1 percent from the previous month as the state’s employers added 141,600 jobs.
This comes after rapidly-evolving data prompted a statistical revision to a larger than initially estimated April job loss of 2,415,000 and an upward-revised unemployment rate for California of 16.4 percent, the Employment Development Department said.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate for May was 13.3 percent, down from 14.7 percent in April.
Lake County’s unemployment rate in May was 15.4 percent; the May 2019 rate was 4.2 percent.
The Employment Development Department originally had reported Lake County’s jobless rate for April as 15.2 percent, but as was the case for the state, Lake County’s April rate was revised upward, to 16.7 percent.
April’s 16.7 percent is Lake County’s highest unemployment rate since the 17.5 percent rate recorded in December 2009, during the Great Recession.
December 2009’s 17.5 percent, November 2009’s 16.8 percent and April’s 16.7 percent are the three months with the highest jobless numbers reported for Lake County in an Employment Development Department data series that goes back to 1990.
Lake County’s labor force had 25,420 people in May, down from 25,960 in April. The county’s unemployed in May totaled 3,910, compared to 4,340 in April, based on Employment Development Department data.
The total farm job category in Lake County was up by 16 percent in May over April, but down by 30.4 percent compared to May 2019.
The total nonfarm category was up by 0.2 percent in May as compared to April, while the year-over comparison to May 2019 showed job totals were down this spring by 22.9 percent.
Based on the newest numbers, Lake County’s 15.4-percent jobless rate ranked it No. 39 of California’s 58 counties.
Neighboring county jobless rates and ranks for May are Colusa, 21.1 percent, No. 55; Glenn, 13.7 percent, No. 26; Mendocino, 13.2 percent, No. 20; Napa, 14.4 percent, No. 31; Sonoma, 12.7 percent, No. 15; and Yolo, 10.5 percent, No. 3.
The impacts from the pandemic have caused many rural Northern California counties to climb into the ranks of those with the highest employment, displacing Bay Area counties that have historically had lower jobless rates.
The county with the lowest unemployment rate for May was Lassen, with 10 percent, followed by Marin, 10.3 percent; Yolo, 10.5 percent; Trinity, 10.7 percent; with Santa Clara rounding out the top five at 11 percent.
The bottom five were Los Angeles, 20.6 percent; Colusa, 21.1 percent; Alpine, 22.2 percent; Imperial, 27.8 percent; with Mono, at 28.9 percent, having the highest unemployment statewide.
A looks at the state employment picture
April’s revised loss of 2.4 million jobs in California since March is the biggest month-over job loss in state history, far eclipsing the Great Recession’s then record-setting, month-over loss of 132,800 jobs between December 2008 and January 2009, the Employment Development Department said.
April’s revisions reflect unprecedented job losses never before seen in California’s history in a current data series that dates back to 1976 that are a direct result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest report.
While the state’s unemployment rate of 16.31 percent is slightly lower than the record high set in April 2020, it is still far higher than the 12.3 percent it was at during the height of the Great Recession – March, October and November of 2010.
The number of unemployed Californians was 3,018,000 in May, a decrease of 25,000 over the month, but up by 2,225,000 compared with May of last year. May’s number is nearly 300 percent higher than February 2020, up by 759,300.
The report said that California payroll jobs totaled 15,120,600 in May 2020, up 242,600 from April 2020 and down 2,267,100 from May of last year.
The number of Californians holding jobs in May was 15,479,000, a decrease of 60,000 from April and down 3,066,000 from the employment total in May of last year, the report said.
Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors gained jobs in May. Construction posted the largest job gain – more than 75,000 – thanks to strength in specialty trade contractors and ongoing construction projects, while leisure and hospitality had the second-largest job gain, adding more than 64,800 due to growth in accommodation and food services.
The government sector had the largest drop, -95,800, with state and local government jobs both experiencing large decreases over the month.
The number of jobs in the agriculture industry decreased by 18,000 jobs from April to 325,600. The agricultural industry has lost 94,500 farm jobs since May 2019.
Total nonfarm jobs decreased by 2,267,100 jobs – a 13-percent decrease – from May 2019 to May 2020 compared to the U.S. annual loss of 17,665,000 jobs, an 11.7-percent decrease.
In other news, the Employment Development Department said there were 2,154,692 people certifying for Unemployment Insurance benefits during the May 2020 sample week. This is a sample week that includes the 19th of each month. That compares to 1,889,250 people in April 2020 and 321,372 people in May 2019.
Concurrently, 203,588 initial claims were processed in the May 2020 sample week, which was a month-over decrease of 121,928 claims from April 2020, but a year-over increase of 165,192 claims from May 2019, the Employment Development Department said.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The board will meet virtually beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
To participate in real time, please join the Zoom Meeting, by clicking this link at 9 a.m. The meeting ID is 944 1613 9176, password 960977.
Because the meeting will be held virtually, members of the public are asked to submit comments on items to
In an untimed item, the board will get a report from the County Space Use Committee regarding the use of the county juvenile hall facility for a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population.
County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson’s report to the board explained that at its meeting last week, the board approved the release of a request for proposals for daily operations and fiscal management of a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population.
She said the discussion made reference to the potential use of the county’s juvenile hall facility, which closed as a detention facility on Oct. 15, 2015.
Huchingson said the board also discussed using juvenile hall as a “housing navigational hub” during its May 19, meeting, at which time the board approved the use of staff time to research the cost and needs.
“Given that the RFP had to be issued on an urgent basis, on June 18, 2020, the Space Use Committee met to discuss use of the Juvenile Hall for a temporary support shelter as described above,” Huchingson wrote.
Huchingson said the committee is supportive of using the former juvenile hall facility on a temporary basis for continued compliance with the governor’s COVID-19 bed requirements and recommends a duration of 6 months, with further consideration during that time as to long-term uses of the facility.
In other untimed items, the board will consider a resolution amending Resolution No. 2018-118, which established temporary alternative office hours for county offices located in and surrounding the Lake County Courthouse or give alternative direction to staff, and get a demonstration of a virtual/in-person hybrid approach to Board of Supervisors meetings.
In an item timed for 1 p.m., the board will hold a workshop on infrastructure with department heads.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Adopt resolution approving unanticipated revenue to fund Aquatic Weed Control Program.
5.2: Adopt resolution approving Amendment A02 to the standard agreement for the multi-year contract between the county of Lake and Department of Health Care Services for Substance Abuse Block Grant funds for the contract period between July 1, 2017, and June 30, 2020, and Authorizing the Behavioral Health administrator to sign the amendment.
5.3: Adopt resolution to authorize Lake County Behavioral Health Services director to sign the standard agreement between the county of Lake and the Department of Health Care Services for the period between July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2021.
5.4: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meetings on May 4, 18 and 26.
5.5: Approve contract between the county of Lake Health Services and Trina Maia for physical therapy services in support of the California Children’s Services Program and the Medical Therapy Program for a term starting July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, and a maximum amount of $135,408.00; and authorize the board chair to sign.
5.6: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, approve Amendment No.1 to the agreement between the Lake County Watershed Protection District and Davis Environmental for environmental site assessments for the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project and authorize the chair of the board of directors to sign the agreement.
5.7: a) Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, authorize Special Districts administrator to sign zero cost agreements with Tesla Energy for power pack systems at critical infrastructure locations for the Lake County Sanitation District; and b) authorize Special Districts administrator to sign zero cost agreements with Tesla Energy for power pack systems at critical infrastructure locations for Lake County Special Districts.
5.8: Approve Budget Transfer in Budget Unit 7011 from Object Code 18.00 Maintenance to Object Code 63.13, Park Improvements for $7,100.
5.9: Approve late travel claims in the amount of $250 to Joshua Morris for meal reimbursement while attending STC approved training.
5.10: Approve Amendment No. 1 for agreement between county of Lake on behalf of CSA-20, Soda Bay and PACE Engineering dated August 28, 2018.
TIMED ITEMS
6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Public input.
6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.
6.3, 9:30 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of resolution approving resolutions and capital fire facility and equipment plans submitted by lake county fire agencies and updating the Lake County Capital Fire Facility and Equipment Plan.
6.4, 1 p.m.: Board of Supervisors workshop with department heads.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of a resolution amending Resolution No. 2018-118 establishing temporary alternative office hours for county offices located in and surrounding the Lake County Courthouse or alternative direction to staff.
7.3: Demonstration of virtual/in-person hybrid approach to Board of Supervisors meetings.
7.4: Report from the County Space Use Committee Regarding the use of the county juvenile hall facility for a temporary support shelter targeting Lake County’s chronically homeless population.
7.5: Consideration of (a) waiving the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approval of the agreement between the county of Lake and Crestwood Behavioral Health for adult residential support and specialty mental health services for Fiscal Year 2020-21 for a contract maximum of $1,200,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1) – FERC Project No. 77, Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to initiate litigation pursuant to Government Code section 54956.9(d)(4): One potential case.
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