CA to make Orange County businesses pay for $20 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims

The state of California’s Employment Development Department estimates $20 billion has been lost to fraudulent unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the lost money was COVID relief funding for unemployment borrowed from the federal government. 

The state of California owes $17.8 billion – nearly as much as every other state combined – for the borrowed unemployment funds and if it’s not paid back by Nov. 10, California businesses will be hit with a $21 per employee annual tax.

And despite the state of California having a $100 billion surplus, Democrats don’t want to pay off the entire debt. 

Do Asif Mahmood, Katie Porter, Jay Chen and Mike Levin think California business owners should be hook for this debt?