State ups unemployment fraud estimate into tens of billions
At least 10% and perhaps as much as 27% of the unemployment benefits paid by the state of California during the pandemic were fraudulent, according to new report from the California Economic Development Department. The department processed 19.5 million claims and paid $114 billion in benefits between March 2020 and Jan. 16, 2021, according to Read More →
Read More →California lifts stay-home orders as ICU capacity grows; COVID remains “widespread” in region
California Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the state’s regional stay-home orders Monday morning, paving the way for the return of outdoor restaurants service and a few other business activities. Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties are now back in the “purple” or “widespread” tier of the state’s color-coded pandemic regulations—the most restrictive level, but Read More →
Read More →Unemployment in region, state rose in December as pandemic worsened
The tri-county region’s combined unemployment rate shot up from 6% in November to 7.4% in December as a wave of COVID-19 cases brought the most widespread business closures since the spring. The rest of the state suffered a similar fate, with California’s unemployment rate going from 8.1% in November to 9% in December, according to Read More →
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Salem Media Group faces new political landscape after Capitol riot
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Read More →Direct Relief to get share of MacKenzie Scott’s billions
When MacKenzie Scott announced recently that she’d given nearly $4.2 billion to charitable organizations in the United States, one of the 384 recipients on her list was Direct Relief, the Santa Barbara-based nonprofit that distributes medical aid all over the world. Direct Relief plans to disclose both the exact amount of the gift and the Read More →
Read More →Tri-county unemployment down to 6% in November
Unemployment in the Tri-Counties and all over California hit its lowest levels in November since before the pandemic began, though the latest figures come from surveys taken before the post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID-19 cases and the new round of stay-home orders and business closures. California’s unemployment rate in November was 8.2%, down from 9% in Read More →
Read More →Southwest’s next destination: Santa Barbara Airport
Southwest Airlines announced Dec. 16 that it plans to start flying out of Santa Barbara Airport in the spring, something airport officials and frequent fliers have wanted for decades. The airline has not said yet which cities it would serve from Santa Barbara, or how often, but airport officials anticipate “several departures a day,” Deanna Read More →
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