(Sacramento, CA) — California’s economy is still at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic. The federal Labor Department reports that more than 236-thousand Californians filed initial claims for unemployment benefits during the week ending August 29th. About 196-thousand new claims were filed in the state the week before. Officials say layoffs are still happening as a result of Governor Newsom’s decision in mid-July to roll back much of the reopening of the economy during a spike in COVID-19 infections.