Gov. Gavin Newsom at Monday 11/16/20 press briefing. (Photo: gov.ca.gov screen capture)
Déjà Vu: Gov. Newsom Orders State Workers Return-to-Office 6 Years After Original Lockdown Order
State Controller: there is no single precise public figure for exactly how many California state employees are working fully or primarily remotely,
By Katy Grimes, June 22, 2026 1:21 pm
California Governor Gavin Newsom is finally calling state workers back to the office, a full 6 years after sending everyone home to work remotely because of the Covid flu, and his statewide lockdowns. And the SEIU which represents them says state workers are threatening a “mass exodus.”
California state workers are warning Gov. Gavin Newsom could face a “mass exodus” after ordering employees back to the office four days a week beginning July 1. pic.twitter.com/AjluLu3ybM
— Mike Netter (@nettermike) June 22, 2026
How many state employees are well talking about? Well, that number isn’t readily available.
According to the California State Controller, as of mid-2026, there is no single precise public figure for exactly how many California state employees are working fully or primarily remotely.
The State Controller says California reports roughly 245,000 active state employees, including full-and-part-time, paid through the state payroll system as of May 2026, excluding California State Universities. Adding in CSU adds roughly 60,000–63,000 faculty and staff (as of recent fall 2025 data), bringing a broader total closer to 300,000+ when combined.
However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis claim broader state government employment is around 567,000–570,000, but this includes broader categories.
This should not be a difficult number to find.
Governor Newsom issued orders in 2024–2025 pushing for more in-office time: initially 2 days each week, then 4 days each week starting July 1, 2025-2026 for most telework-eligible staff.
SEIU Local 1000 union agreements delayed the full 4-day in-office mandate until at least July 1, 2026 for many workers. Departments largely reverted to pre-March 2025 telework agreements during the pause.
This means a significant portion of eligible employees – likely tens of thousands – are still on hybrid or remote-friendly schedules right now, though full remote (5 days a week) is less common than early pandemic peaks.
In March 2025, five years after his original Covid lockdown order, sending nearly the entire state workforce of “non-essential” workers packing in 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued his first “get back to the office” order… but it was not until July 1, 2025, and only 4 days a week.
Newsom’s original 2020 lockdown order locked down private sector businesses, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities, most of which were already back at work and school by the time he lifted his original lockdown order February 28, 2023 – three years later.
Newsom’s original return-to-the-office executive order requires “all agencies and departments within his Administration to update their hybrid telework policies to a default of at least four days per week by July 1, 2025. The order establishes a four-day-per-week in-office expectation, with further telework flexibilities granted on a case-by-case basis in light of individual circumstances, consistent with the executive order and existing family-friendly employment policies and legal obligations.”
“To further enhance the state’s workforce needs, the Governor is also directing CalHR to streamline the hiring process for former federal employees seeking employment in key roles, including firefighting, forest management, and weather forecasting.”
Blah, blah, blah.
President Donald Trump put an end to remote work by federal employees January 21, 2025, his first day in office. Trump’s executive order told directors of all federal departments and agencies to enforce a fully-in-person 5-day-workweek:
“Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.”
There are a lot of empty state buildings in downtown Sacramento. They could be repurposed if state workers don’t return. And after Gov. Newsom caved in on his order when the SEIU pushed back, state workers probably think they’ve got the upper hand.
An across-the-board termination order for anyone who refuses could take care of that. But that would take leadership.
The Globe has always wondered why the state wouldn’t move some of the big state agencies out of downtown to the nearby suburban cities of Rancho Cordova, Natomas or Elk Grove, where there is plenty of open space, some very large buildings, lots of parking, and the infrastructure in place to handle the traffic.
My bet is that the SEIU will prevail again.
A California native and Navy mom, Katy lives in Sacramento, CA.
