News Analysis Data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows how much the California employment situation has worsened since before the pandemic. Since February 2020, the month before businesses were closed, California has lost 861,000 jobs. About 490,000 workers have left the labor force all together. Another 370,000 people still wanting to work cannot find a job. Job loss in California is about a quarter of all job losses across the United States since before the pandemic. There are now 4.2 million fewer jobs in the United States, compared to February 2020. The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metropolitan area has been particularly hit hard. About 250,000 people have left the labor force, and another 200,000 would like to work but cannot find work. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim accounts for about one-tenth of all U.S. job loss since the month before the pandemic. Elsewhere in California, San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward has seen …