Who knew that losing tens of billions of dollars to fraud could become 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. The resulting scandal is well-known: California’s EDD paid out upwards of $30 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims.
The fraud cases were both staggering and memorable. For instance, 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.” Another report from CalMatters in 2020 revealed that “California may have paid up to $1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims filed on behalf of prison and jail inmates.” Shockingly, payouts even reached death row inmates, including Scott Peterson, infamous for murdering his pregnant wife.
Despite these massive failures, Julie Su advanced in her career. President Joe Biden appointed her as the United States Deputy Secretary of Labor, a role she held from July 2021 to March 2023. Following Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s departure, Su served as Acting Labor Secretary for the remainder of Biden’s presidency.
However, even Democrats in the U.S. Senate were reluctant to confirm her as the official Labor Secretary. During her time as Acting Secretary, Su largely championed the interests of organized labor, pushing for greater restrictions on independent contracting.
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!” Mamdani declared 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.”
The appointment is almost ironically fitting—Julie Su goes from overseeing the staggering theft of public funds in California to now being tasked with imposing “economic justice” in New York City.
When asked about her selection, Mamdani told the press, according to the New York Post, “I’m aware of the deputy mayor’s record, and I’m very excited to have her.” Unbothered by her previous management shortcomings, Mamdani welcomes Su’s political savvy and union ties, which he believes will help advance their agenda.
What happens to New York City in the coming years will ultimately be up to 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 impact Julie Su and Zohran Mamdani can have in the name of economic justice. The only silver lining? She’ll be across the country and not back in California contributing to its challenges again.
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2025/12/23/californias-julie-su-finds-a-new-home-in-socialist-new-york-city/