Who knew that losing tens of billions of dollars to fraud could be such a resume booster?
From January 2019 to July 2021, Julie Su served as California’s Secretary of Labor, overseeing the Employment Development Department (EDD) during the coronavirus pandemic. During that time, California’s EDD paid out upward of $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims, making headlines for some truly memorable stories of fraud.
For example, in November 2020, CBS Los Angeles reported:
“A Fresno girl who just celebrated her first birthday is collecting $167 per week in unemployment benefits after a claim was filed on her behalf stating that she was an unemployed actor.”
CalMatters reported that same year:
“California may have paid up to $1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims filed on behalf of prison and jail inmates.” This staggering fraud included hundreds of thousands of dollars in payouts to death row inmates, such as Scott Peterson, infamous for murdering his pregnant wife.
Despite this massive failure in oversight and management, Julie Su “failed upward.” In July 2021, President Joe Biden appointed her as the United States Deputy Secretary of Labor. After Labor Secretary Marty Walsh left his post, Su served as acting Labor Secretary for the remainder of Biden’s presidency.
However, her nomination to be the official Labor Secretary faced resistance even from Democrats in the U.S. Senate. During her time as acting Labor Secretary, Su primarily pushed the interests of Big Labor, including advocating for stricter limits on independent contracting — a move that sparked debate about the future of gig work and labor rights.
Now, Julie Su has resurfaced with a new role in New York City. She has been named Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice under New York City Mayor-elect and democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani.
“Welcome to A New Era, Julie Su!” declared Mamdani on X (formerly Twitter) on December 19.
“As former U.S. Secretary of Labor, Julie played a central role in fighting for workers, ensuring a just day’s pay for a hard day’s work, and saving the pensions of more than a million union workers and retirees. A lover of Queens, she’s joining us as NYC’s first ever Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice.”
It’s almost too on the nose that someone who oversaw the staggering theft of public funds in California is now tasked with imposing “economic justice” in New York City.
When asked about Su’s selection, Mamdani told the New York Post, “I’m aware of the deputy mayor’s record, and I’m very excited to have her.” Unsurprisingly, he remains unbothered by her past management shortcomings and is eager to have a union ally with the political savvy to continue advancing progressive causes.
What happens to New York City in the coming years will, of course, be the choice of its residents. As H. L. Mencken famously said, “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.”
It will certainly be a spectacle to watch how much damage Su and Mamdani can do in the name of economic justice. At least the silver lining for Californians is that Su is now across the country — not back home helping to unravel the Golden State.
https://www.sgvtribune.com/2025/12/23/californias-julie-su-finds-a-new-home-in-socialist-new-york-city/
