Latest news with #EmploymentDevelopmentDepartment
India Today
3 days ago
- Business
- India Today
LinkedIn follows Microsoft and lays off 281 employees, most are software engineers
The latest wave of job cuts in Silicon Valley has now finally reached LinkedIn, the professional networking giant best known for helping people find jobs. Now, ironically, it is finding itself in the position of handing out pink slips. According to a filing with California's Employment Development Department this week, LinkedIn is letting go of 281 employees in the state. These cuts come hot on the heels of Microsoft's broader announcement earlier this month that it would trim around 6,000 jobs globally, roughly 3 per cent of its total workforce. As a Microsoft-owned company, LinkedIn hasn't been time around, the pink slips landed particularly hard on software engineers, though others weren't fully immune. Roles like senior product managers and talent account directors were also affected. According to the reports, the layoffs were communicated to employees on May 13, with many taking to LinkedIn itself to announce their new 'open to work' a moment of deja vu for LinkedIn staff, although the tone is markedly different. In 2023, when the company let go of 716 employees, CEO Ryan Roslansky personally addressed the decision in a heartfelt internal memo. Fast forward to 2025, there is no word from him so far. With no public comment yet, speculation is rife about whether more job cuts are on the horizon. Layoffs have become something of a gloomy tech sector trend this year, with companies like Meta, Google, and Autodesk all slimming down their workforces. While reasons vary—from restructuring to AI investments and claims of underperformance—the message is clear: the industry is transforming rapidly, and not everyone's role is of the biggest disruptors? Artificial intelligence. With AI tools now capable of generating code, debugging, and even suggesting product improvements, many companies are quietly rethinking how many engineers they actually need. It's a bittersweet twist—engineers building tools so effective that they might be coding themselves out of a job. Focusing on AI and how it affects jobs, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman clearly stated that AI is not a friend and whoever thinks this way will surely be harmed. He said, 'I don't think any AI tool today is capable of being a friend. And I think if it's pretending to be a friend, you're actually harming the person in so doing.'For LinkedIn, which employs over 18,400 people worldwide, the layoffs may indicate a strategic pivot. Once seen as a dependable cog in Microsoft's machine, the platform might now be undergoing a rethink as automation and economic uncertainty prompt tech giants to 'streamline operations.'While AI promises efficiency and innovation, it also raises uncomfortable questions about job security, even in fields previously considered safe.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Shame on them': Salary hikes for Sacramento officials spark criticism
'Sacramento mayor, council salary increases amid budget talk,' ( May 14) Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and city council members clearly do not prioritize serving their constituents. They could have worked within the charter rules to route more money to public safety and less into their own pockets. Shame on them. Barbara Stockman Sacramento Opinion 'Newsom calls for cities, counties to adopt policies eradicating homeless encampments,' ( May 12) It boggles the mind that Gov. Gavin Newsom thinks that banning homelessness will make the problem go away. It will take a coordinated, multi-faceted effort — without egos, turf wars or NIMBYism — to solve the problem. Like when California ignored the Employment Development Department and Department of Motor Vehicles debacles, those problems did not fix themselves. What world does the governor live in? Daniel W. Christensen Folsom 'Newsom calls for cities, counties to adopt policies eradicating homeless encampments,' ( May 12) If Gov. Gavin Newsom is going to advocate for policies beloved by the GOP, including not funding social programs, he should change parties officially. PJ Evans Chatsworth 'California has highest estimated Alzheimer's cases in US. These counties have the most,' ( Aug. 3, 2023) California Alzheimer's Disease Centers are in trouble, with some at risk of closure by July, leaving many with Alzheimer's unserved. Established 40 years ago at university medical centers, California's 10 Alzheimer's Centers leverage federal research dollars to expand access to diagnosis, treatment and training for primary care providers. They're critical educational centers for caregivers, medical students and communities of color, who are disproportionately affected and face challenges accessing experts and care. These centers have been consistently underfunded, while demand for their services grows. If they close, patients will face longer wait times and travel longer distances for appointments. State legislators must increase funding for these centers. Without action, we'll lose critical infrastructure and risk being unprepared to serve an aging population. Mark White Sacramento '340B fails Black Californians and helps corporations profit,' ( May 7) NAACP California/Hawaii State Conference President Rick Callender's op-ed claims 340B no longer helps low-income Californians. In decades of practicing medicine and leading a health care organization that served millions of low-income patients, I've seen nothing like it. In California, hospitals used hundreds of millions of dollars in 340B savings in recent years to keep clinics open and medications accessible. UC San Diego and UC Davis alone reported over $560 million combined. That funding supports cancer treatment, prenatal care and prescription access for people who often have nowhere else to turn. 340B isn't perfect, but it is working. If we cut 340B, we won't be fixing a problem. Instead, we'll be cutting off cancer treatment, closing clinics and leaving people without life-saving medicine. Dr. Mario Molina Arlington, Va. 'CA must stop using forever chemicals that harm our health,' ( Aug. 11, 2023) Senate Bill 682 seeks to broadly ban perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as forever chemicals, without fully assessing individual risks. It is a costly and premature measure that threatens over 500,000 jobs and nearly $150 billion in gross domestic product. These substances are essential to sectors like aerospace, semiconductors and air conditioning technology. A sweeping ban would burden small and mid-sized businesses, increasing prices and risking job losses. Legislators should reject SB 682 and, instead, back targeted, science-driven regulations that protect public health without jeopardizing California's economy and innovation. Kevin Fay Executive director, Sustainable PFAS Action Network
CBS News
01-04-2025
- CBS News
Oakland woman convicted in $336K unemployment fraud scam gets prison
An Oakland woman was sentenced to 33 months and a day in federal prison for making fraudulent unemployment insurance claims using stolen identities, according to federal prosecutors. Kari Marie Russo, 46, and a co-defendant, 35-year-old Steven Dunsmore, were indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 3, 2023. On Dec. 10, 2024, Russo pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device, two counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of failure to appear, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California said in a statement Monday. Based on court documents, Russo and Dunsmore began to submit in June 2020 hoax unemployment insurance claims to California's Employment Development Department while illegally using other people's personal information, such as names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers. Federal prosecutors said Russo and Dunsmore received around $336,545 in EDD funds. Moreover, Russo was also on pretrial release so she could take part in a residential drug treatment program, but she left without permission and failed to appear in court on Jan. 8, 2024. The U.S. Marshals Service nabbed her on June 11, 2024. Besides her prison term, Russo was ordered to pay $336,545 in restitution, jointly and severally with Dunsmore. Also an Oakland resident, Dunsmore pleaded guilty on Feb. 26, 2024 to two counts of fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device and two counts of aggravated identity theft. On June 17, 2024, he was sentenced to two years and a day in federal prison and was also ordered to pay $336,545 in restitution.
CBS News
27-03-2025
- CBS News
Florida man sentenced to nearly 6 years for COVID fraud, splurging on diamond grills
A Florida man who stole more than $4 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits and used the money to buy luxury items, including diamond-studded "grills," has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison. A federal judge sentenced Zachary Kameron Ramyard, 23, from Orlando, to 71 months behind bars and ordered him to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution for his role in the fraud scheme, which ran from 2020 to 2022. Ramyard pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in October 2024. Prosecutors say Ramyard and his co-conspirators used stolen identities to file at least 68 fraudulent unemployment claims with California's Employment Development Department (EDD). The agency issued debit cards loaded with stolen benefits, which Ramyard used to withdraw hundreds of thousands of dollars from ATMs in multiple states. Rather than using the cash for necessities, he spent it on luxury items, including the diamond-studded teeth jewelry known as "grills." The fraud took advantage of pandemic-era unemployment programs expanded under the CARES Act. In response to widespread abuse, the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was launched in 2021 to investigate and prosecute pandemic-related financial crimes. South Florida has been a hot spot for fraud and in 2022, the Southern District of Florida's U.S. Attorney's Office was selected to lead one of three national COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams. Authorities urge anyone with information about pandemic-related fraud to contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Contributor: California needs to think outside the blue box
Perhaps Gov. Gavin Newsom was channeling his inner Republican when he hosted conservative commentator Charlie Kirk for an 81-minute interview on the debut of his new podcast last week. Indeed, much of what Newsom talked about was immediately cheered by the very partisans who usually loathe him. But polls tell us that nothing Newsom said was particularly controversial with many Americans, and undoubtedly many Californians. Still, his comments, particularly on transgender athletes participating in women's sports, caused a significant stir with some California Democrats. In fact, the state's Legislative LGBTQ Caucus responded that it was 'profoundly sickened and frustrated' by Newsom's musings on the topic. That California Democrats may be out of touch with many voters in their own state should not be a surprise. It is a direct result of the lack of political competition they have faced in the Golden State since the last Republican left statewide office nearly 15 years ago. Read more: Newsom's remarks about trans athletes has some Democrats 'sickened and frustrated' But the implications for California of a one-party monopoly are more than political. One-party rule results in a lack of innovative policy thinking; little to no accountability for state spending or policy outcomes and an absence of true debate on critical issues. This is not a problem limited to Democrats in Sacramento. One-party rule, regardless of where it happens and who is in charge, generates these challenges. It's just pervasive in California, where Democrats' complete stranglehold on our statewide leadership structure has been in place for a long time. Consider, for example, Newsom's reaction to the devastating wildfires that hit Southern California in January. The two laws he suspended by executive action to ease rebuilding of lost homes and properties — the California Environmental Quality Act, better known as CEQA, and the California Coastal Act — are in desperate need of basic reform. And this wasn't the first time Newsom unilaterally waived such laws. In 2019, he took similar steps to suspend CEQA to accelerate fire prevention efforts in the wake of deadly wildfires in Northern California. Read more: The California Office for Civil Rights is closing. What now for school discrimination cases? The governor did the right thing in these cases. But that's beside the point. Unfortunately, there has been little appetite among Democrats in Sacramento to pass the fundamental reforms to both CEQA and the Coastal Act that would obviate the need to suspend the laws when tragedy strikes and make it easier to build more housing and move ahead on the kinds of development that would bolster economic growth in the state. So, too, has one-party governance hindered oversight and accountability for state spending and benefit programs. One well-publicized example: The ongoing saga of massive fraud in the state's unemployment insurance system administered by the Employment Development Department. The employment department's failures were predictable but, unfortunately, unaddressed by Sacramento's one-party leadership. The problems extend back as far as 2013, when beneficiaries experienced delayed payments and the agency saw an uptick in identity theft and bad claims, all the way through 2020-21, when it made more than $20 billion in fraudulent payouts. Despite efforts by the small Republican contingent in the state Legislature to cast light on these failings, the agency remained immune from true accountability until the pandemic-era disaster struck. And even with national attention on its failings, as of the end of 2024, the Employment Development Department was still having difficulty stopping fraud and delivering benefits to those who need them. Read more: California and Los Angeles County are getting tougher on crime. Here are the maps that show it Finally, Californians are aware of the real-world challenges created by the state's largely unconstrained shift toward soft-on-crime justice policies. Progressive district attorneys in major counties and one state attorney general after another — including the current Democrat who occupies the office, Rob Bonta — repeatedly made the argument that leeway and forbearance were needed in lieu of efforts to aggressively enforce the law. A majority of the state's voters made this even easier by passing a ballot measure in 2014, Proposition 47, that downgraded certain drug and theft crimes to misdemeanors. In this instance at least, we have seen the power of public accountability and the pushback against single-party orthodoxy: In the November elections, voters resoundingly passed a ballot measure that overturned Proposition 47 and reinstated or even strengthened the penalties for the same crimes. And recently, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, progressive district attorneys have been dispatched for moderate prosecutors who came to power promising more law and order. Read more: With L.A.'s mayor facing a recall threat, her supporters go after billionaires Newsom called out his own party for falling out of touch with the average Californian in his podcast. But what's needed for change is the state's voters deciding to deliver a different political outcome at the ballot box. The green shoots of this movement have been seen in the soft-on-crime backlash and in post-wildfire efforts to bring accountability to the Los Angeles mayor's office after years of Democratic leadership in the city appear to have contributed to a lack of far-sighted disaster preparedness. Californians may remain progressive in their politics but should look to elect at least some officials who aren't in lockstep with the ruling party and will hold others in power accountable. Change will require real debate and a greater representation of divergent views in Sacramento and throughout the state. Getting there is ultimately in voters' hands in elections to come. Lanhee J. Chen is an American public policy fellow at the Hoover Institution. He was a Republican candidate for California state controller in 2022. If it's in the news right now, the L.A. Times' Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
