Why Newsom’s Return‑to‑Office EO Doesn’t Hold Up

Nowhere in this EO does Newsom cite any performance failures or productivity losses under telework. In fact:

• State workers kept the government running during a global pandemic.
• Departments met deadlines, closed budgets, supported emergencies, and responded to public needs.
• Many agencies publicly praised remote performance in past reports.

Yet now, he’s saying: “Get back in your cubicles, just because I said so.”

Using “collaboration” as a vague excuse without data = corporate gaslighting.

“Increasing in-person work expectations... will promote trust with members of the public...”

This is laughable. Newsom is implying that:

• Public trust hinges on whether YOU are physically seen sitting in a fluorescent-lit office.
• Employees must perform presence to be valid.

If you have to watch, you’ve already admitted you don’t trust.

“This order addresses disparities in in-person work expectations...”

This is infuriating. Instead of using equity to improve conditions for the most burdened employees, he uses it as a hammer to drag everyone down:

• "If janitors have to come in, so should analysts."
• "If peace officers are on-site, so should program staff."

That’s not equity. Instead of lifting people up, he's forcing more people to suffer in the name of “fairness.”

This is equity theater at its worst—weaponized against the very people it’s supposed to protect.

Nowhere in this order does Newsom address:

• The climate impact of 200,000+ daily commutes
• Air quality, traffic, infrastructure costs, or emissions

This is the same governor who claims to be a climate leader. And yet, forcing state workers back into cars is literally a backslide on every environmental front.

Your Tesla doesn’t cancel out 224,000 forced commutes, Gavin.

“Flexible work schedules and reasonable accommodations will remain available.”

Cute language. But he just mandated a four-day in-person minimum, unless you beg for an exception.

So technically yes, flexibility is “available”—if you:

• File paperwork
• Disclose personal issues
• Navigate bureaucracy
• Get lucky

This is flexibility with a leash. And most workers won’t even try.

That’s like saying “You can still eat cake… if you pass this 9-level gladiator course.”

“You’ll still get hybrid schedules!” → Minimum 4 days in-office.

This isn’t a hybrid model—this is reverse telework. Telework becomes the rare exception. Four days in the office becomes the default, regardless of:

• Job type
• Performance
• Public need

So much for "modernizing state government."

This is the old-school, butt-in-chair mentality wrapped in modern buzzwords.

Everything about “case-by-case exceptions” opens the door to:

• Favoritism
• Ableism
• Retaliation
• Inconsistent policy enforcement

How does one employee qualify for telework while another doesn’t? Based on what? There’s no transparent standard.

Discretion without accountability is just discrimination waiting to happen.