
Job loss in California is climbing rapidly and stands at 1.9 million unemployment claims, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference today.
Over the past week, claims have been coming in at a rate of about 111,000 per day, Newsom said..
Unemployment checks usually take about three weeks to turn around in California. Through reorganization, about 1,000 workers are being brought in to administer the claims surge.
Providing more support: The governor outlined a few of new programs for small businesses and independent contractors.
The first is a one year reprieve on sales tax payments, a bridge loan with no penalties or interest.
Another program – the Paycheck Protection Program – starts Friday and will lend up to $10 million to small companies in order to pay their employees. Those loans will be eligible for a federal repayment grant, but at least 75% of the money must be used for payroll.
Additionally, the governor said $50 million is being added to the state’s infrastructure bank for micro loans – those would be payable to people not eligible for small business loans.
Newsom also noted a partnership between Fresno company Bitwise and Silicon Valley giants LinkedIn and SalesForce. That group has created onwardca.org, a website that matches unemployed workers with open jobs. It is specifically focused on healthcare, agriculture, logistics and grocers.