Tipline Investigation: Local musician waiting for unemployment benefits forced to sell instruments
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - We have another followup to the chaos within California’s unemployment system. Our series of reports have clearly shown how some people are desperately trying to survive as they deal with the broken system.
Ernie Orosco and his bands, Ernie and the Emperors and The Brian Faith Band, are well known in the Santa Barbara area. They’ve played at venues up and down the coast for decades. But, when the pandemic hit the music stopped.
Orosco has suffered through tough times recently, including the death of his brother Cory.