Gavin Newsom warned of mass exodus from California as new policy sparks fury

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.The looming mandate has sparked backlash from workers who say they have successfully kept the Golden State running under hybrid schedules since the COVID-19 pandemic, KCRA3 reported.“I feel like there will be a mass exodus.

I feel like the state needs to be ready for a mass exodus,” Anica Walls, president of SEIU Local 1000 — which represents state workers in Sacramento — told the outlet.“We have individuals who have been teetering retirement, who look at this 4-days a week when they have been doing their job efficiently in a hybrid schedule will probably send them into a retirement,” she added.The fight over Newsom’s order has grown so heated that a billboard along a Sacramento-area highway is warning motorists of future traffic jams tied to the policy.State workers argue the governor’s sweeping mandate ignores years of successful remote and hybrid work arrangements.“Since COVID, we have been working and doing the jobs and being efficient and doing the jobs to keep California running,” Walls said.“This mandate, as overarching as it is, does not give departments the space to bring back our workers as needed.”Exactly which departments are struggling with office space — and how the Newsom administration plans to address those issues — remains unclear.At a May budget presentation, Newsom acknowledged concerns surrounding the return-to-office order but defended the benefits of bringing employees back together in person.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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