Overview

• The mandate applies to about 95,000 state employees who currently work remotely or in hybrid setups, requiring them to return to offices four days a week starting July 1.
• Governor Newsom emphasized the benefits of in-person work, including improved collaboration, innovation, and accountability, while allowing limited telework exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
• The order aligns California with national and corporate trends, following similar mandates from the White House and companies like Amazon and JPMorgan Chase.
• Labor unions have criticized the decision, citing increased costs for workers and arguing that remote work has proven effective and beneficial for productivity and work-life balance.
• The executive order also aims to streamline hiring of former federal employees for key disaster response and emergency roles, addressing vacancies in areas like firefighting and weather forecasting.