State Offers Funds for Workers Displaced by Wildfires

The state Employment Development Department will make available $2 million in job training resources to workers in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties who have lost their jobs because of the recent wildfires. The funds come from the “Dislocated Worker” funds the state receives from the federal government through the Workforce Investment Act. The three counties will be able to request these funds once existing resources have been expended. Funds may be used for assistance in returning to work such as skills assessments, job search assistance and job training specifically targeted to the local economy. The Governor has also suspended the statutory one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants who are unemployed due to the wildfire disaster.