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Assemblyman Curt Hagman

Former Local Elected Wants Every Penny He Is and Isn’t Entitled To

Former Local Elected Wants Every Penny He Is and Isn’t Entitled To

Becoming an elected official is something I am very proud of, serving my community is a decision I made with the encouragement of my family because I believed I had something to give back first to Chino Hills and now the state. 

This is why I find it particularly disgusting when a representative repays his community by attempting to squeeze every possible dollar he can get out of it.

I have requested the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee, of which I am a member, to begin an investigation into the California Employment Development Department’s payment of $11,250 to a former city councilman from Rosemead, CA, John Núñez, who filed the claim after he lost a re-election bid in March of this year. 

Perhaps the California Employment Development Department (EDD) should be familiar with the Unemployment Insurance Code.  The law is very clear on this issue; Section 634.5 renders elected officials ineligible for unemployment benefits.  Despite this fairly strait forward bit of code the EDD approved the claim over the city’s objections. 

My fear is this is the tip of a large and costly iceberg.  Fraudulent or improper unemployment claims place additional strain on the businesses attempting to remain in California.  In this particular case it is costing local government precious resources in a difficult economic time.  This money needs to be returned to the city of Rosemead and EDD needs to be held to a higher level of accountability for its decisions.

This mistake should never have happened and it is my job as an elected official to ensure it doesn’t happen again.