u/Mysterious_Still6724

People outside of state work often do not understand this issue and simply say, “Just go to work.” But when you really break it down, this is a red flag for everyone.

This is not just about state workers not wanting to be in an office. It is about leadership, power, and who is expected to carry the burden.

On July 1, the same day many state workers are being forced back into the office four days a week, California’s gas tax is also increasing. The state gasoline excise tax is going from 61.2 cents per gallon to 63.4 cents per gallon.

Some people may say, “That’s only a few cents.” But that is exactly the problem. It is never just one cost. It is the gas tax, gas itself, parking, food, childcare, clothing, vehicle wear and tear, commute time, and the stress of rearranging daily life, all while raises are delayed and the cost of living keeps climbing.

That is not shared sacrifice. That is shifting the burden downward.

Governor Newsom is using state workers as an economic tool. The message is basically: downtown Sacramento is struggling, businesses need foot traffic, commercial real estate needs bodies in buildings, so state workers will be forced to absorb the cost.

This is not just a workplace policy. This is a warning sign.

If this is how someone uses power over state workers, imagine how that same mindset could look on a national scale. When state workers become a tool to protect business interests, real estate interests, political optics, and economic talking points, that should concern everyone.
And when public officials or their families have major real estate interests tied to the same downtown areas being “revitalized,” the conflict-of-interest concerns are obvious. Even the appearance of state workers being forced back into offices to support private and political interests should be enough to raise serious questions.

People need to stop looking at this as a simple “go to work” issue. This is about how power is used, who benefits from it, and who is forced to pay for it.

State workers are not props. We are not a downtown stimulus package. We are not responsible for fixing Sacramento’s economy by sacrificing our time, income, health, and family life.

Before anyone supports him on a national level, they should look closely at how he treats state workers when he already has power.

Everyone should be paying attention.

Come to the State, they said.

You’ll have work-life balance, they said.

It’s better than private sector, they said.

They really value their employees, they said.

You’ll get to work from home, they said.

Sometimes the lower pay is worth it because of the flexibility, they said.

Look at all the money you’ll save not having to commute anymore, they said.

And now here we are, being told to come back into the office more often, absorb the cost of commuting, parking, gas, time, and the daily disruption, while the pay still doesn’t magically stretch any further.

At some point, the benefits people used to justify lower wages start disappearing, and employees are left wondering what exactly we are supposed to be grateful for.

Wednesday, July 1st, at the Capitol.

Wear your purple.

Rally with us.

I’m an analyst, not management. My job involves working directly with agencies, answering questions, handling technical issues, and participating in calls with external partners.

Our department is now collecting state-issued phones from analysts, while many managers are keeping theirs.

What made this especially frustrating was that the announcement was presented as “exciting news.”

Maybe that wasn’t the intention, but when employees are facing increased in-office requirements, higher commuting costs, reduced flexibility, and now the loss of work tools, describing it as “exciting” felt disconnected from the reality many of us are experiencing.

The employees who regularly communicate with agencies and stakeholders are losing mobile communication tools, yet we’re still expected to provide the same level of responsiveness and customer service.

At some point it starts to feel like every change moves in one direction: more requirements, fewer resources.

I’m genuinely curious whether other state departments are seeing similar decisions. Are phones being removed based on actual operational need, or simply based on classification?

Because from where I’m sitting, the people doing the day-to-day operational work seem to be losing tools while being asked to do more with less.

Thinking about applying to CalPERS and had a quick question for current employees. Is the employee parking actually fully free, or is it only certain days/shuttle lots? I thought I saw “free parking” mentioned in a posting, but I’ve heard mixed things. Just trying to understand the real setup before applying.

Dear leadership,

Respectfully, we do not want Star Wars theme days.
We do not want forced fun.
We do not want mandatory bonding.
We do not want kitchenette snacks presented like a revolutionary morale initiative.
We do not want “culture activities” during the workday.
Nobody has ever sat in traffic thinking:
“Honestly, this commute is worth it if someone dresses like Darth Vader today.”
We are packing up fully functional home office setups, driving to a beige fluorescent office, paying for gas and parking, opening the exact same Teams meetings we could have joined from home, and then being told morale is improving because someone put themed decorations near the copier.
The Force is not strong in this building.
What employees actually want:
less commuting
less performative enthusiasm
less “let’s build culture”
more autonomy
to leave exactly at 4:00 without being trapped in a mandatory icebreaker about our favorite pizza topping
The beatings will continue until morale improves.
Thank you for listening.