Just in case you thought the news couldn’t get any worse for Californians, the Department of Labor now reports that unemployment in the most populous American state has reached 11.5%.

California’s unemployment rate shot up to 11.5% in May, its highest level since current record-keeping began more than three decades ago.

That’s a substantial increase over a revised rate of 11.1% in April, the U.S. Department of Labor reported this morning. …

Only four states have higher unemployment rates than California: Michigan at 14.1%, Oregon at 12.4% and Rhode Island and South Carolina, tied at 12.1%.

The massive budget crisis and continuing recession will almost guarantee that California’s unemployment rate will only go up over the summer.