\u201cDuring the summer is a little hard for parents to come back to work full time because we have to figure out what to do with our kids during the day,\u201d said Rosaleen Ortiz de Jesus as she was on her way into work Wednesday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The California Department of Developmental Services employee says she arrived an hour early to allow herself time as state workers were expected to flood downtown Sacramento, but still had trouble finding parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I could figure out the child situation and the parking situation, I\u2019m fine coming back to work. Those are the big issues for me,\u201d Ortiz de Jesus added.<\/p>\n
Some state workers say they don\u2019t mind returning to the office for the majority of the time, but acknowledge it\u2019ll change road and parking conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspect probably the next couple days, since this is a holiday weekend, next week especially when it\u2019s a full week, that\u2019s when we\u2019ll really start to feel the pinch in terms of the traffic, the parking,\u201d said Eric Merrill, an employee with the California Department of State Hospitals, also on his way into the office.<\/p>\n
![\"merill\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dscf8859.jpg\")
Eric Merrill works for the California Department of State Hospitals poses for a photo on his way into work on July 1, 2026.Ruth Finch\/CapRadio<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel the pinch particularly for younger couples who have kids, you know dealing with daycare and now they have to shuffle it around,\u201d Merrill added. \u201cMy kids are older so it\u2019s not as bad for me, but I do feel for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other state workers are concerned their departments will not have the space needed to accommodate a large-scale return to office mandate after the state increased hiring during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of chaos because seating, preparation, those things they have quite figured it all out yet,\u201d said Monica Grimes, an employee with the California Department of Social Services.<\/p>\n
In making the case for in-person work, Newsom has argued his RTO mandate will increase productivity and bolster downtown businesses that have struggled since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
But many state workers have been publicly pushing back against the return to office mandate in recent weeks including members of SEIU Local 1000, the California Association of Professional Scientists (CAPS), the Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG), and the California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges, and Hearing Officers in State Employment (CASE). <\/p>\n
![\"walls\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dscf9180.jpg\")
SEIU Local 1000 President Anica Walls speaks to a crowd of SEIU workers on the capitol lawn on July 1, 2026.Ruth Finch\/CapRadio<\/p>\n
\u201cI refuse to be disrespected and pushed aside by this administration,\u201d shouted SEIU Local 1000 president Anica Walls at a rally on Wednesday in front of the State Capitol.<\/p>\n
The union filed an unfair labor practice complaint<\/a> against the administration with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) last month, alleging CalHR refuses to bargain in good faith for failing to consider remote work options. Bargaining representatives say the administration again rejected the union\u2019s remote work and pay proposals during negotiations this week. SEIU Local 1000\u2019s contract expired on July 1.<\/p>\n \u201cTelework is absolutely a negotiable working condition,\u201d Walls told CapRadio. \u201cThe state can’t simply make a unilateral decision that affects hundreds of thousands of workers without meeting its obligation to bargain.\u201d<\/p>\n CalHR acknowledged the unfair labor practice charge in a statement to CapRadio, but declined to comment on labor negotiations with state worker unions.<\/p>\n \u201cCalHR respects the confidentiality of the bargaining process and does not speak on ongoing negotiations. CalHR remains committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith with SEIU Local 1000. The State has reviewed SEIU Local 1000\u2019s unfair practice charge filing and is responding as appropriate through the PERB process,\u201d said Angela Musallam, a spokesperson for CalHR.<\/p>\n Pending state legislation<\/p>\n A bill moving through the state legislature would enable state agencies to develop their own telework policies. It would also require the California Department of General Services to establish a telework dashboard evaluating the cost-savings and efficiency measures of remote work.<\/p>\n![\"capitol\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dscf9323.jpg\")
The California State Capitol building in downtown Sacramento on January 7th, 2026.Ruth Finch\/CapRadio<\/p>\n