Folks,
We just wanted to reach out about the devastating California fires to help in any way we can to ensure that the workers and families who have lost work/pay are able to collect their unemployment benefits.
The Governor’s emergency declaration waives the UI waiting week in California for those who are unemployed as a direct result of the recent fires in Northern California (see below), which is very helpful because many folks may end up just collecting a week or two of benefits before they get back to work. We’re also waiting to hear whether the feds will declare a “major disaster” in response to any of the California fires, which would then mean that workers who don’t qualify for state UI (including the self-employed) can collect federally-funded Disaster Unemployment Assistance (by way of background, here are our Hurricane Harvey and Irma facts sheets on the DUA program).
If you have any additional information that could be shared with the Legal Services folks and others who are serving the families unemployed as a result of the disaster, please forward it along to the group, and please also send the names/emails of others who should be added to this email list.
Many thanks.
Best,
Maurice
Maurice Emsellem, Director
Access and Opportunity Program
National Employment Law Project
(510) 663-5700
