Gavin Newsom Faces ‘Mass Exodus’ Warning As Return-To-Office Mandate Sparks Backlash Among California Workers

California state workers are warning Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new return-to-office mandate could trigger a “mass exodus” of employees as thousands prepare to return to in-person work four days per week beginning July 1.

The policy has ignited fierce opposition from state workers and union leaders who argue that employees have successfully kept state government operating under hybrid and remote arrangements since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I feel like there will be a mass exodus. I feel like the state needs to be ready for a mass exodus,” said Anica Walls, president of SEIU Local 1000, which represents state workers in Sacramento.

“We have individuals who have been teetering retirement, who look at this 4-days a week when they have been doing their job efficiently in a hybrid schedule will probably send them into a retirement,” she added.

The controversy has become so intense that a billboard near Sacramento now warns motorists about future traffic congestion tied to the mandate.

Workers argue the governor’s order disregards years of effective telework arrangements.

“Since COVID, we have been working and doing the jobs and being efficient and doing the jobs to keep California running,” Walls said.

“This mandate, as overarching as it is, does not give departments the space to bring back our workers as needed.”

Questions also remain about whether state agencies have sufficient office space to accommodate the return of employees and how the administration plans to handle departments that have downsized their physical footprints during the remote-work era.

At a May budget presentation, Gavin Newsom acknowledged concerns about the policy but defended the value of in-person work.

“Change is hard. I’m empathetic,” Newsom said.

“Everyone has unique criteria, circumstance. We try to accommodate for that. I mean, four days a week, nice to see you again. I mean, would be nice to see you again, nice to see you again, nice to run into you in the hall, nice to develop a relationship, nice not feel so alone.”

Business leaders have largely supported the return-to-office order, arguing that in-person work benefits both organizational culture and local economies.

“There is a lot of value in bringing people back to the office. The ebb and flow. The next generation of workforce. There is a value in experiencing by observation,” said Robert Heidt, president of the Sacramento Metro Chamber.

“I can’t imagine that we can sustain an acceptable level of business and commerce with everyone remote. It just doesn’t make sense,” he added.

Meanwhile, state workers have packed committee hearings in Sacramento to advocate for AB 1729, legislation that would require agencies to offer telework options or justify why certain positions must be performed in person.

The bill’s author, Alex Lee, said he has heard overwhelming opposition to Newsom’s mandate from workers across the state.

“I have heard from so many state workers from even the Bay Area all up and down the state who said this is the thing that matters the most to them,” Lee said.

“They don’t want to move. They love their job, but they aren’t willing to move after working 4-5 years in state service.”

Supporters of telework estimate that remote work arrangements save California taxpayers up to $225 million annually and want the state to create a public dashboard tracking those savings.

When asked whether employees could abuse telework arrangements, Walls defended state workers.

“I have no doubt that our members are in the spaces they need to be and to successfully produce and do the job that they are assigned to do,” she said.