California Unemployment Rises to Nation's Highest as Job Growth and Budget Deficits Persist

• California now has highest unemployment rate in US at 5.3%, after adding only 50,000 jobs from Sept 2022-2023 versus expected 300,000 • California lost 2.7 million jobs early in pandemic due to shutdowns; has since added back 3 million jobs • California facing $37.9 to $73 billion budget deficit for second straight year • Conservative states Texas and Florida have under 4% unemployment rates and multi-billion dollar budget surpluses • California Assembly Leader blames "high taxes, expensive energy and rampant crime" for worsening economy