California Community College part-time faculty members are eligible for unemployment benefits between semesters as well as during the summer unless you are working another job over the summer or between semesters where you earn more than your unemployment grant would be.
As soon as you give your last final exam, you should contact the local Employment Development Department (EDD) office and file a claim, or reactivate a claim you have already have if you applied between semesters. You will receive benefits starting from the date that you apply. If it is a new claim, you will have a one-week waiting period before the benefits start, so don’t delay. You can also claim for the period between regular terms and summer school.
Your LAST most recent employer information (regardless of the length of time you worked for the employer) including name, address (mailing and physical location), and telephone number (including area code).
Your last date worked and the reason you are no longer working (i.e., assignment completed).
Your gross earnings in the last week you worked, beginning with Sunday and ending with your last day of work.
Information on all employers during the past 18 months, including name, address (mailing and physical location), period of employment, gross wages earned, hours worked per week (Sun-Sat), and hourly rate of pay.
Your driver's license or ID card number.
Your citizenship status (which may include your alien registration number).
You can apply through the EDD website
Your unemployment claim may be initially denied, especially is you have been assigned a class in a future semester. However, the California Court of appeal recently upheld the Cervisi decision, which argued that a teaching assignment is contingent on enrollment, funding, program changes, or bumping by a full-time faculty member and is therefore not a "reasonable assurance" of employment.
When you appeal the denial of your claim (which you should!), use this statement:
“I am a part-time, contingent, community college instructor, with no contract and no reasonable assurance of re-employment.”