US EditionCalifornia union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office
The bill would require work-from-home options for state agencies, mandate written in-person work justifications, and track $225 million in annual savings, union leaders said.
- As the July 1 deadline nears, one of California's larger public-employee unions is pushing legislation to make remote work permanent as Gov. Gavin Newsom's office mandate approaches.
- After widespread pandemic telework, state agencies adopted remote work allowing state employees to save on commuting, but the Department of General Services stopped reporting savings in 2024 despite a state auditor's estimate of $225 million yearly.
- Backers note the union's size and past spending as leverage, with Assemblymember Alex Lee's measure requiring agencies to offer work-from-home to the fullest extent and create a dashboard tracking savings; the Professional Engineers in California Government represents more than 15,000 state engineers.
- Existing mandates already show some state agencies require three in-office days and the Legislature largely mandates staff be in the Capitol, causing tension and uneven implementation, as Newsom's return-to-office push angered thousands of state workers.
- Supporters argue the bill enshrines flexible telework to advance shared public goals: savings, environment, traffic, recruitment, noting last year's law extended telework for local officials and advisory groups.
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San Bernardino Sun
Press-TelegramCalifornia union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom readies back-to-office
By Yue Stella Yu | CalMatters One of California’s larger public employee unions is pushing legislation to make remote work a permanent option for state workers as the clock ticks down on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s July 1 mandate for most employees to be in the office four days a week. The measure, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Milpitas Democrat, would require state agencies to offer work-from-home options “to the fullest extent possible” and p…
Bipartisan bill aims to preserve telework for California state workers
As the deadline approaches for Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order mandating California state workers return to in-person work four days a week, there is a new bipartisan effort to change state law and allow the current telework structure to continue.
Associated Press News
California union pushes work-from-home bill as Newsom calls state employees back to the office
One of California’s larger public employee unions is pushing legislation to make remote work a permanent option for state workers as the clock ticks down on Gov.
Homebody state employees push for permanent WFH – claim four days in the office is too many
The work from home bill — which would require "detailed, written justification" for coming into the office — is authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee, a Milpitas Democrat, and backed by roughly 15,000 members of the Professional Engineers in California Government union, representing state-employed engineers and related professionals.
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