Record High unemployment in Bakersfield, San Luis Obispo (Fresno, Coachella: health insurance, daycare)

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by Capt. Dan

In many instances they ARENT paying the bills!

I know quite a few people who get paid under the table...and quite well. My old roommate used to get paid $15/hr as a sous chef for a well known winery and since he claimed $0 income, he also got food stamps.
Yes, I turned him in, and no, he's not the only person doing this.

[mateo45]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

I know quite a few people who get paid under the table...and quite well. My old roommate used to get paid $15/hr as a sous chef for a well known winery and since he claimed $0 income, he also got food stamps.
Yes, I turned him in, and no, he's not the only person doing this.

And no doubt that was because you're so civic-minded (BTW, aren't you the one who wrote about getting evicted last year?)....

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by mateo45

And no doubt that was because you're so civic-minded (BTW, aren't you the one who wrote about getting evicted last year?)....

Nope, I've never been evicted. I was given my 30 days notice because the landlord refused to fix the electricity and we went without it for nearly 2 weeks before he asked us to leave.

[mateo45]

Originally Posted by JetJockey

Nope, I've never been evicted. I was given my 30 days notice because the landlord refused to fix the electricity and we went without it for nearly 2 weeks before he asked us to leave.

I hear 'ya and apologies for being "snotty". Understood re: "foodstamps cheating", but unless it's a major crime or somebody's actually being hurt, just personally, the notion of "reporting folks to the guvmint" always seems kinda "distasteful" to me.

Somebody needs the money that bad, I'm not gonna bit€h about it, especially when compared to the gazillions in flagrant corporate theft (IAG, Goldman-Sachs, etc.), everyday right in front of us. I know, "wrong is wrong", so it's probably just "different strokes."

[Rhenzanite]

Originally Posted by mateo45

I hear 'ya and apologies for being "snotty". Understood re: "foodstamps cheating", but unless it's a major crime or somebody's actually being hurt, just personally, the notion of "reporting folks to the guvmint" always seems kinda "distasteful" to me.

Somebody needs the money that bad, I'm not gonna bit€h about it, especially when compared to the gazillions in flagrant corporate theft (IAG, Goldman-Sachs, etc.), everyday right in front of us. I know, "wrong is wrong", so it's probably just "different strokes."

Normally I wouldn't do it, but this guy was an a*hole...he 'sold' his food stamps to people so he could buy weed and alcohol.

Effectively, my money was being used to get him high and/or drunk. I think that was my biggest issue.

[NorCalLover]

I'm not surprised to hear about SLO's high unemployment. Even back in 2007 I had a very hard time finding a job there, and the one I got paid barely over minimum wage. I had a bachelors degree, and this was a "career" position in my field, believe it or not! I'm sure it's gotten worse since the economy crashed in 2008.

Families with kids seem to be moving out of the county in droves. Soon it will primarily be an area for young college students and retirees, even moreso than it is now. SLO is a beautiful place, but it's so hard to afford to live there!

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by NorCalLover

I'm not surprised to hear about SLO's high unemployment. Even back in 2007 I had a very hard time finding a job there, and the one I got paid barely over minimum wage. I had a bachelors degree, and this was a "career" position in my field, believe it or not! I'm sure it's gotten worse since the economy crashed in 2008.

Families with kids seem to be moving out of the county in droves. Soon it will primarily be an area for young college students and retirees, even moreso than it is now. SLO is a beautiful place, but it's so hard to afford to live there!

Yeah, its a great place for those tech saavy, work in pjs anywhere they please, telecommuter types though. Or for the retirees who can afford it. We have a few in our organization who get to telecommute from their city of choice. SLO is a good one for that. Or the medical profession with all the retirees, etc... would seem to provide some good job opportunities.

Aren't there some Fed/Gvmt jobs in the area as well?

Derek

[slo1318]

Seem like SLO has always had a fair share of cottage industries. Those based on either tourism, local food products, some tech, and some creative. I was surprised a few weeks ago I ordered to very high end sinks, and learned they are made in San Luis Obispo. A real niche company that sells nationwide.

[CA central coast]

Originally Posted by cdgoldilocks

I posted about these two counties because I have lived in both for extensive periods of time. I am fortunate. I am a nurse. My husband, on the other hand, has his commerical driver's license but does not want to do long hauls. He applied for a job making $9.50 an hour as a City bus driver. There are literally NO jobs. I look around at people in my community and wonder how they are paying the bills. Seriously.

It's all about the gov't., utility and service industries in SLO. Fortunetly my spouse has a good paying gov't. , since I was laid off (trades job) when the economy started to get really bad. I'm getting UI right now. But even with that good paying gov't. job, without my unemployment ins. it's scary to think what our situation would be. SLO is not the kind of place you want to live without a job. Unless you're homeless, because the weather is perfect.

[CA central coast]

Originally Posted by MtnSurfer

Aren't there some Fed/Gvmt jobs in the area as well?

Derek

1st, the County of SLO is the largest single employer in SLO County. Then you have the California Men's Colony, Atascadero State Hospital, Cal Poly and Cuesta College and the various city's employees. That's a lot of gov't. employment right there.

A lot of the good private sector jobs are at the nuke plant and the hospitals.

It does seem like there is an over saturation of construction workers here, but when the economy was good, EVERYBODY was working.