California’s troubled Employment Development Department squandered millions on cell phone plans for devices that were shoved in closets and left unused, according to an investigation released Friday.

The California State Auditor revealed that the agency, better known as EDD, wasted more than $4.6 million on monthly service fees for more than 6,200 mobile devices meant to be used for its unemployment insurance branch.

EDD squandered millions on cell phone plans for devices that were shoved in closets.

During the Covid pandemic, the agency acquired 7,224 mobile devices — cell phones, smartphones, and wireless hotspots — allowing staff handling a spike in unemployment claim to work remotely.

In April 2025, years after Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded the state’s stay-at-home order, the agency

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