Despite significant bipartisan support, Governor Newsom has vetoed ACSS sponsored legislation that would have maintained and restored flexible telework options for state employees, including excluded employees. ACSS sponsored AB 1729 to push back on Newsom’s Executive Order mandating departments require employees to be in the office at least 4-days per week.
In vetoing AB 1729, Newsom said that while he believes in-person collaboration is an essential part of a productive and effective workplace, the state’s existing telework process includes a process for departments to consider exemptions on a case-by-case basis. The veto message says the measure “by limiting departmental flexibility and encouraging telework to be the default work arrangement, takes the state’s telework policy in the wrong direction.”
The Administration’s insistence on all state employees returning to office a minimum of four days per week is the wrong policy direction. The Legislature passed AB 1729 because telework has been successfully used by state departments and agencies for six years. A State Auditor report noted that the vast majority of state departments “experienced improved or unchanged productivity after implementing telework” and that departments benefited from “lowering costs, reducing the amount of office space needed, and improving recruitment and retention, without negatively affecting productivity or customer service.”
Despite the veto, ACSS will use the legislative support for AB 1729 to urge the next Administration to implement a sensible flexible telework policy. In a few months, the next Governor will have the opportunity to rescind the 4-day mandate and return to hybrid telework schedules that can generate $225 million in cost savings, reduce emissions and congestion, and save state employees time and money while improving productivity by reducing unnecessary in office days. The ACSS Board of Directors will also consider returning to the Legislature for statutory changes to support maintaining flexible telework schedules and restoring the telework dashboard to track costs and environmental benefits.