SACRAMENTO – Assemblyman Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) released the following statement in response to the Newsom Administration’s decision to revoke existing flexibility for individual state agencies and implement a return to office (RTO) mandate for state employees by June 17, 2024:
“Governor Newsom’s decision to force state employees back to the office is harmful and counterproductive. This change in policy is not only harmful to thousands of my constituents who work hard serving California every day, it also severely undermines the state’s efforts to meet its climate goals and close its $73 billion budget deficit.
“I strongly urge the Governor to reconsider this RTO mandate and allow state agencies to continue harnessing the advantages of telework. While the Administration is moving backward, the Legislature is considering the expansion of telework options for its own employees.
“We have significant work to do to revitalize downtown Sacramento. Adding housing, addressing homelessness, and spurring economic development must all be part of the solution. But it should not be done on the backs of state workers.”
Assemblyman Hoover has formally requested an audit of the state’s RTO mandate questioning the rationale, timing, legality, and costs associated with the decision to rescind telework privileges for state employees. By and large, state agencies have praised telework policies and the enhanced productivity they provide.
The California Department of General Services currently manages 59 state office buildings totaling over 13 million square feet of office space, and spends over $600 million per year on rent to maintain more than 2,000 leases for state departments in privately owned buildings. Telework can reduce this footprint and provide substantial budgetary savings.
Telework policies have also eliminated nearly 400,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, reduced traffic congestion, and saved workers hundreds of dollars per month in vehicle expenses.
Josh Hoover represents Assembly District 7, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom, and Rancho Cordova and the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale, and Rosemont.
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