SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California’s jobless rate remained at 9.8 percent in December, the same rate as in November, the state Employment Development Department said Friday, holding steady after dropping below 10 percent in November for the first time since the beginning of the recession. EDD said 1.8 million Californians were unemployed in December, slightly below the previous month but down by 255,000 since December of 2011. The unemployment rate then was 11.2 percent. The department said construction, information, and educational and health services fields showed the biggest job gains between November and December. Still, the department’s surveys showed that nonfarm …