FILE – In this Nov. 6, 2013, file photo Sharon Hilliard speaks during an Assembly Insurance Committee hearing at the state Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. Employment Development Department Director Hilliard announced Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, that she will retire at the end of the year.
Hilliard, who has worked in state government for nearly 40 years, has led the department through the coronavirus pandemic, which saw an unprecedented number of people file for unemployment benefits. The agency has struggled to weed out fraud while keeping up with demand, leading to a backlog of more than 1 million cases.
(AP Photo/Genevieve Ross, File) By ADAM BEAM | The Associated Press SACRAMENTO — The director of California’s unemployment benefits department said Friday she will retire at the end of the year following an explosion of more than 15 million claims that overwhelmed the agency and resulted in months of frustrating delays for people who lost their jobs because of the pandemic.
Sharon Hilliard says she will end her 37-year career at the Employment Development Department on Dec. 31. Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed her as director in February, when the state’s unemployment rate was at an historic low and the coronavirus was […]