Saratoga, California — Thousands of California state employees began working under a new four-day in-office requirement Wednesday as Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return-to-office mandate took effect.
Saratoga is a Santa Clara County city in Silicon Valley, about 50 miles south of San Francisco, with a population of roughly 31,000.
CapRadio reported that the order requires state employees to work in person four days a week, up from a two-day requirement. Workers and unions have pushed back, citing traffic, parking, pollution and child-care concerns.
SEIU Local 1000 and other state worker groups have protested the policy. The union also filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the Public Employment Relations Board, arguing that telework is a negotiable working condition.
A bill moving through the Legislature, Assembly Bill 1729 by Assemblymember Alex Lee, would let state agencies develop their own telework policies and would require a state telework dashboard measuring costs and efficiency.