$300 Weekly Federal Pandemic Jobless Benefit Boost Ends Labor Day

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - While the eviction moratorium in California doesn't expire until the end of the month, Labor Day marks the end of the $300 weekly pandemic federal jobless benefit boost.

"My car payment is due right now. I had to borrow from a relative to get my rent for the last three months," said Linda Williams, who is unemployed and struggling. "I am actively looking and my job is supposed to call me back. So, I'm just kinda of like stuck in the middle.

Some 2.2 million Californians are losing their federal unemployment benefits, with most of those impacted being gig or 1099 workers, or those who have maxed out their state unemployment benefits.

Williams, though, is one of the 500,000 state residents who are losing the extra $300 a week, saying, "...$450 a week, that's nothing. That's barely my car payment."

She was laid off from her job in April 2020, but was able to pick up several months of temp work. However, Williams was back to being unemployed in June.

Making matters worse is that Williams, to date, has yet to receive any aid from California's Employment Development Department. Her status is stuck at pending.

"I literally have been calling since June and each time that I did call, I can't get through," Williams said.

California has one of the highest unemployment rates in the U.S., at 7.6%, but Christopher Thornberg with Beacon Economics doesn't think the end of federal aid will impact California's economy.

"From a recession standpoint, the recession's largely over. Not only is the economy growing, but we've more or less erased most of the output gap that formed in the middle of this thing," Thornberg said. "Right now in the United States, we have a record number of job openings. We're close to 10 million job openings. That's 25% more than where we were pre-pandemic."

There are still aid programs available for those who need them, such as CalFresh for groceries and Medi-Cal for healthcare. The Golden State stimulus checks are also going out, which range between $600 and $1,100 for those who qualify.