California EDD director Sharon Hilliard to retire at the end of the year
Her decision comes at the end of a tumultuous period for the EDD, which has faced complaints of backlogs, fraud and abuse during the pandemic.
The director of California's unemployment agency, Sharon Hilliard, has announced that she is retiring this December.
Her decision comes at the end of a tumultuous period for the Employment Development Department (EDD), which has been plagued by problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions of Californians who were left without jobs due to the closure of businesses found themselves frustrated, dealing with long wait times, huge lags in payments, and numerous instances of website glitches.
Others shared stories of their bank accounts being drained or receiving letters and debit cards addressed to someone else.
In September, the California Legislature approved an emergency audit of the EDD after state legislators raised concerns over its backlog of unemployment claims and reports of fraud and abuse.
In a statement, Hilliard said, "It has been my privilege to be part of the Employment Development Department (EDD) team since the day I walked into the EDD building over 37 years ago... I retire knowing that EDD is on a great path to success."
Her retirement is effective December 31, 2020.
