SACRAMENTO, California: Starting July 1, California state employees will be required to work in person at least four days a week under a new executive order signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

The move aims to increase collaboration, innovation, and accountability, according to the governor.

"In-person work makes us all stronger — period," Newsom said in a statement. "When we work together, collaboration improves, innovation thrives, and accountability increases. That means better service, better solutions, and better results for Californians while still allowing flexibility."

The mandate will likely face opposition from labor unions, which have previously resisted efforts to reduce remote work. About 95,000 state employees currently work remotely or in a hybrid capacity. Last April, Newsom required employees to return to the office at least two days per week, citing efficiency and mentorship benefits.

His latest order argues that staggered schedules have diminished those benefits and points to private sector companies that have also increased in-office requirements.

Legal battles over return-to-office policies are ongoing. Last year, an arbitration ruling upheld the state's authority to mandate in-person work, but the union representing state attorneys, CASE, has appealed. Other legal challenges are still in progress.

Timothy O'Connor, CASE president, criticized the governor's decision, arguing that remote work has improved productivity and saved state funds. "We think this is just sudden, comes out of nowhere, and it's a misguided mandate that really ignores the benefits of telework," he said. "This is a very harsh order."

Newsom framed the change as an issue of fairness. His order notes that more than half of the state's 224,000 workers, including law enforcement officers, healthcare workers, and maintenance staff, have been reporting to work in person throughout the pandemic. Many others have since returned to the office.

In addition to the return-to-office mandate, the order includes provisions to expedite the hiring of former federal employees for critical roles in firefighting, weather forecasting, forest management, mental health, and the sciences. The hiring provision comes amid widespread layoffs at the federal level.