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California Unemployment Insurance Board adopts $85.1 million spending plan for 2025–26
Summary
The California Unemployment Insurance Board unanimously approved its 2025–26 spending plan on a 5–0 vote, setting a $85.1 million total budget (including benefits), a $14.5 million operating reserve and a personnel plan of 384.5 positions that includes funding for 32 potential hires.
SACRAMENTO — The California Unemployment Insurance Board voted 5–0 to adopt its spending plan for fiscal year 2025–26, approving a total proposed budget of about $85.1 million including benefits and a $14.5 million operating reserve.
The budget was presented by Chief Administrative Services Officer Robert Silva, who told the board the personnel spending plan would include ‘‘a budget of only 384.5 positions and $42,800,000 in salaries’’ while retaining a reserve to respond to workload changes.
Board members said the reserve will allow the agency to respond quickly to any future surge in unemployment appeals without immediate disruptive cuts to operations. The plan retains a small allowance for overtime, funds 32 placeholder positions the agency may fill if workload requires them, and proposes modest increases in training, software, and limited facility upgrades.
Silva said the proposed reserves reflect recent workload declines: the board entered the current fiscal year with about 39,372 open cases, down from 82,670 cases earlier in the recovery period. The plan also anticipates carrying forward ongoing allocations for attorney general services and modest IT and premises needs. Silva told the board that, ‘‘operating with this level of reserve would provide us with the opportunity to pivot to targeted increases in overtime, to address workload blips, or increase recruitment altogether in the event of something more significant economically.’’
Board members asked for follow-up briefings on the composition of attorney general billings and requested a public list of the IT prioritization committee’s work items so the board can monitor enhancement priorities.
The board approved the motion to adopt the budget after a motion by Chair Michael Allen; the motion passed with all five members voting yes.
The board also approved the meeting minutes earlier in the session by voice vote.
No public commenters spoke on the budget at the meeting; the board held no closed-session items related to the appropriation.
What happens next: the spending plan will be submitted as the board’s request for the governor’s October budget revision and tracked through usual state budget hearings. The board’s staff said they will continue monthly monitoring of caseload and staffing needs and report any recommended changes back to the board.
