Bay Area

Out-of-work Gig Workers Can File for Unemployment Beginning April 28

Published

4 years ago

April 29, 2020

Out-of-work gig workers in California whose employers have not paid into the state’s unemployment insurance fund — as well as Californians without jobs who have run out of unemployment benefits — will be able to file new unemployment claims.

Starting April 28, the state will begin accepting unemployment insurance (UI) applications from both of those categories of jobless Californians through the California Employment Development Department (EDD) website.

“We have been working on making sure that we get Californians what they are entitled to under PUA,” California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su wrote in an open letter last week.
She was breaking down the new federal government Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program that provides Californians an additional $600 a week on top of whatever amount — between $40 and $450 — they qualify for under the state’s unemployment insurance program.

The supplemental unemployment money is funded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which the United States Congress approved and President Trump signed into law last month.

EDD has built a new system to handle new CARES Act claims for both the regular state unemployment insurance benefits and payouts from the new federal PUA program.
The website has specifically been constructed to accommodate claims from independent contractors, the self-employed and individuals who lack sufficient work history.

For every week a gig worker was out of work between Feb. 2, 2020, and March 28, 2020, he or she will receive $167 in unemployment benefits from the state of California, according to the EDD. In the next phase, which runs from March 29 to July 25, unemployed gig workers will receive $167 for each of those weeks, plus an additional $600 in PUA payments. For the final phase, which goes from July 26 to Dec. 26, they will go back to receiving only the $167 in PUA benefits if still needed.

The state has recently updated the PUA web page to include eligibility criteria. Anyone who has lost work due to COVID-19-related complications is eligible, whether he or she has been diagnosed, is acting as a caregiver, or has lost work due to complications.

“There’s one and a half million that are self-employed, one and a half million small businessmen and women, individuals that have no other employees, and they’re also deserving of direct assistance,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recent press briefing announcing the initiative.

Su provided some specifics of the PUA program during the same press conference and in a letter addressed to all Californians on April 15.

According to Su, the PUA program will have a fast turnaround so that benefits can be administered within 24-48 hours. Also, benefit payments will be retroactive, going back to the first week of February, if the applicant can prove that his or her loss of work was due to COVID-19. She added that the extra $600 from the federal CARES Act will also be retroactive.

To handle the increased hours and high amount of calls, the Unemployment Insurance branch has added 740 new EDD employees and 600 others across state government.
Su said the state has taken other steps to make sure that people affected by the crisis receive their money without delay, including extending call center hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and adding phone lines.

Also, Labor Secretary Su announced April 23 that EDD has temporarily suspended Unemployment Insurance certifications for the weeks ending March 14 through May 9. EDD will issue regular unemployment payments during those weeks, and will not stop payment unless notified that the recipient has found new employment.

Labor department call center staff members answered on the first ring when California Black Media made investigative calls twice this week after hearing reports that unemployment insurance support phone lines were down when applicants called on the first day seeking help.

On April 14, Su held a Facebook Live discussion to update the public about unemployment benefits. She answered questions from concerned self-employed workers who had received ‘$0’ UI determinations from the EDD and had trouble getting a representative on the phone.

According to Su, a ‘$0’ determination means that there was no money paid into self-employment from a previous employer. She also said that self-employed workers who applied for UI would possibly have to apply again for PUA once it’s available.

“Let me also acknowledge that there has been frustration and disappointment about how long things take, uncertainty about what it means when you can’t get the payments that you need right now,” she said. “I also just wanted to acknowledge that it is a difficult time and I know that it is very, very hard for people throughout California, throughout the country, and throughout the world.”

Newsom also announced a $75 million Disaster Relief Fund for undocumented Californians who are ineligible for UI benefits and disaster benefits, including the federal stimulus check, due to their immigration status. According to Newsom, individuals can apply for a one-time cash benefit of $500 per adult capped at $1,000 per household beginning next month.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

2 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

4 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.