Enhanced unemployment coming to an end

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) The extra $600 a week payments for unemployed workers allocated in the CARES Act is coming to end this weekend. That would mean the maximum benefit in California would go back to a total of $450 a week, if another stimulus package does not follow.

California unemployment claims have climbed to their highest levels in nearly three months. There were 292,673 initial unemployment claims filed in California for the week ending July 18, a 2.7 percent increase from the prior week, according to the state Employment Development Department. Since the middle of March, there have been nearly seven million first-time jobless claims in California.

“We have processed a total of 8.7 almost 8 million claims as a combination of regular UI and pandemic unemployment assistance,” EDD Spokesperson Aubrey Henry said.

The missing extra check will mean some won't be able to cover rent.

“Our families are facing evictions now, and are behind two, three, or four months behind in rent," Community Action Board executive director MariaElena De La Garza said.

CAB, The California Community Action Partnership Association and The California Community Economic Development Association are holding a webinar next Friday to share with rent burdened families what protections and assistance they have.

“We’ve received a 50 percent increase in rental assistance support. So is there funding available on local levels, regional levels, state levels and national levels to fill the gaps for the families,” De La Garza said.

As the added assistance is set to expire, KION spoke with one Monterey County woman who says she still hasn’t received her pandemic unemployment checks and she applied in March.

“Why am I getting hung up here? Why is my application getting stuck, and what can i do to get it to move?” Roxane Fritz said.

After our interview, she got in contact with assembly member Mark Stone's office who told her it may still take 30 days to hear back from EDD.

“I’ve had to dig into my retirement savings, even though I’m not retired. I’ve had to go in and take penalties and dig into that. I’m singe. I have no other family to depend on. It’s just me," Fritz said.

Even if a stimulus deal is passed it still may take some time for the extra unemployment to kick in again if the amount of extra cash changes, according to the EDD.