Good Job News for California, not for Nation

So it seems that nationally, first time unemployment claims are up...again. Two weeks in a row, in fact. Bad news for the U.S.

But California has the largest drop of unemployment claims in the whole country, down about 5,000 claims. Good news for us!

If you want a better breakdown of the recession by state and county, take a look at the Oakland Tribune's Special Report page called "Faces of the Recession." There you will find a map tracking where the recession has hit the hardest, a database of announced layoffs, and another database of foreclosures. Useful stuff.