u/Teachtostate2022

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

I encourage you to check this out. It's very wonky, but if you're interested in learning more about the opposition to AB 1729 submitted by the Downtown Sacramento Partnership like I am, you're going to look into some of the organization's statements in the past years.

The position of this organization for years now has been moving away from mandates and changing up how they use downtown space. I believe an obvious answer for their opposition to AB 1729 is "They want money." True. But I am still genuinely perplexed as to why they would oppose a bill that tries to get agencies to right size their office space, as fraught of a directive as that may be given the Governor's EO.

If you would like to reach out to Downtown Sacramento Partnership to ask them why they would like mandates to guide downtown's foot traffic, I encourage you to submit a question to their website here:

https://www.downtownsac.org/about/contact/

Or feel free to call them at 916-442-8575

I would love for them to explain how the Governor's approach to mandating 4-day office attendance with no operational benefit fits into their vision for the future of Downtown.

Personally, my ask for them when calling or emailing is “Clarify how DSP’s opposition to AB 1729 is consistent with its stated vision of making downtown a destination of choice rather than a destination of obligation / and reconsider the organization’s opposition if that position depends on compelled state-worker attendance.”

This isn't the biggest priority right now. Our bill is doing well, but I truly believe it is important to engage with the stakeholders on the bill whenever possible. They threw their hat in the ring and I'd like to engage with them too.

P.S. The Downtown Sacramento Partnership is chaired by Angelo G. Tsakopoulos, father of Lt. Governor Kounalakis.

Hello, r/CAStateworkers

Last week was pretty big for AB 1729, the state telework bill. We passed Appropriations! That is the kind of committee where the Governor's office and Senate leadership could have swooped in to keep the bill from moving forward, but we pushed hard and got our bill to its final vote. I want to give some information on what happens next… how we can continue advocacy… what we should look ahead to… and how we can put it into context with other things happening right now.

First off. What is going on with the bill right now? Where is it headed?

The bill is headed to the Senate floor where it will be voted on at some point before the Senate session ends - August 31st. The bill’s authors and co-authors are currently checking on votes for the bill through their staff and will put it on the floor for presentation when they believe it has sufficient votes - a 2/3 majority or higher or 27 or more votes. It currently has 19 votes in support and 1 vote against across 3 committees. It has support from Senate Majority Leader Ashby. It may also have support from Senate President Monique Limon, but that remains uncertain until we see a vote. The bill is in excellent shape and has powered through its final and most opaque committee, Senate Appropriations. From here on out, we should expect the bill to do great closing out and move on to the Governor’s desk.

If the bill passes a full Senate vote, it will move onto the Governor’s desk. The Governor will then have 12 days to sign from the day it is presented to his Office. NOTE: This is not 12 days from the bill passing the Senate necessarily - it is 12 days from when it is presented to the GO. This is something that will need to be tracked.

If the Bill is presented anytime after August 20, the 12 day deadline shifts to the Governor’s overall September 30 deadline.

We will keep an eye on the Senate floor and share out on updates as they arise, but for now, the actions remain largely unchanged. Though one of the things that’s really nice right now is that we get to make A LOT of thank you calls and thank you visits to Senators and staff which is awesome. We also can narrow in and work on encouraging and persuading a smaller targeted group.

Major timelines - Senate’s last day of session is August 31st. Governor’s deadline to sign/veto is September 30th. If the Governor signs, it becomes law. If the Governor doesn’t sign BUT also doesn’t veto, then the bill becomes law after 12 days. If the Governor vetos the bill, there may be no immediate legislative tool to override because they may be out of session by that date. The only way to overturn a veto is to call the legislature back into session via a mechanism like Joint Rule 52 (note this example of JR 52 is from 2022) - more on that if needed! Basically, JR 52 is a mechanism where any 10 legislators can sign a petition and, if approved by Assembly and Senate leaders, legislature reconvenes and can vote on overrides. I’m talking to some staff now about this. It’s still not something to think about too much right now. For now, we keep advocating to Senators and now to the Governor’s Office.

For now, think about this. We’ve been spreading our advocacy across so many members of the legislature - up to 80 all at once in the case of the Assembly. Imagine the possibility of getting off the Senate floor with a big approval vote and being able to channel our entire advocacy laser beam towards the Governor’s Office. Keep focusing on talking with Senators for now, but look forward to when we get to focus all of our attention in that direction. The day may coming very soon! Here is where we need to be now in my opinion regarding AB 1729.

Actions - Focus on Legislature AND Governor’s Office!

Action #1A (Highest value) - Visit Senators Offices

Visit the Capitol swing space, 1021 O Street. Go through the security line and up the elevators to the 6th, 7th, or 8th floor - where Senate offices are. You can visit these offices anytime during regular business hours - I'd say 9 AM - 4 PM.

I have led dozens of folks on this process and each time, folks have been excited to do it again. It’s a cool experience. I hope you’ll take this on. I will encourage you to go yourself, form a little small group and use the resources below, or DM me if you want to attend alongside me during one of my visits. If you go with friend or coworkers, it is quite possible to knock out huge portions of the Senate in just 20 minutes.

If you're in Sacramento and near downtown, I really want you to try doing this. I have a protocol ready for you to support your visits. Or if you can make a trip to your own Senator's field office locally, please do! I promise I make it as simple as can be.

Edit and print copies of this leave-behind - print as many copies as you’d like to leave behind; one per Senator and staff. I recommend printing at least 10, but if you want to go big and visit as many Senators as possible, print up to 40. Remember, you do not know when the Senate will vote on this so it’s always best to get out as soon as possible.

- Review these reminders 

- Make a plan to visit Senators on this list - I would do a mix of encouragement visits and thank yous

- Visit the Senate offices

Action #1B - Make Calls

Use this phone bank. Make thank you calls! Especially to Majority Leader Senator Ashby - 916–651-4008. I have re-sorted the phone bank so you have new calls to make given your birth month.

NOTE: Many Senators are already on record supporting AB 1729. Make sure you check to see if they have already voted in support of the bill in the phone bank and issue a thank you call of support accordingly!

Action #2 - Contact Governor’s Office

The ask is simple. Encourage Governor Newsom to sign AB 1729 if it reaches his desk after a Senate floor vote. There are several ways to do this.

Treat it the same way you would a persuasion call to a skeptical member of the legislature on the bill.

• Call the Governor’s Office @ (916) 445-2841
• Send your leave behind letter to
  •  Governor Gavin Newsom, 1021 O Street, Suite 9000 Sacramento, CA 95814

Putting this bill into the context.

This bill does not exist in a vacuum. It emerged in response to the first RTO mandate in 2024 and from The 2025 telework audit. The bill was initially spearheaded by Assm. Josh Hoover and authored by Assemblymember Lee. The bill is written to advance the cause of telework in the state. The bill is a substantial endorsement of telework in state services. It does NOT include any specific command for agencies to adopt a particular telework or office work schedule but it does affirmatively establish telework as a core part of state services. The bill makes it more challenging for agencies to justify a blanketed mandate in the same language as any other agency and has an urgency clause which means its provisions - including agencies having to adopt unique and operational justification for any office work, using telework where practical (no specific definition of practical) - would take effect immediately upon passage. It also would re-establish the telework dashboard.

What does day #1 look like if the bill passes? Hard to say. There could be substantial announcements about telework within agencies. There could be far more heated disputes about what justifies an operational need and agencies scrambling with the lame duck governor’s order and this new statue that will have just passed...

I’d like for people to primarily consider the bill a key piece of leverage in the overall battle for telework at the state. A big piece of leverage. In our current arrangement, the executive branch is creating office and telework policies largely on its own.  Policies that can be changed and manipulated for opaque or political reasons. By contrast, in a world where AB 1729 is passed, the legislature would have placed into statute an affirmative expectation that agencies maintain telework where it is practical and beneficial… and that agencies explain in writing when their operational needs require employees to report to a workplace. This is not the current legislative landscape. That's the point of the bill. Modernizing, updating, and embracing a new workplace norm for the long haul. That is a significant statutory rebuttal to the Governor’s blanket approach to telework. That is an important tool for workers and even management to leverage.

The language of the bill is clear in its framing. At the end, it reads: “The state faces projected budget deficits that will benefit from the existing and projected budget savings of reducing state agencies’ facility costs, while ensuring the long-term commitment to recruitment and retention advantages of a rational telework policy. Any delay in demonstrating the state’s commitment to a telework policy meeting these goals will cost the state budget and each agency’s effort to attract and keep expert employees.”

This is in opposition to the Governor’s current policy, which is costing more money in leased space for no recored operational benefit ... and in ways that harm recruitment and retention. That is the leverage of the bill.

We've come very far. So let’s keep going. We have almost completed this bill’s journey for the term. A few more yes votes and some persuasion towards the Governor’s office and we’re done with AB 1729’s journey. Incredible work so far. Let’s keep it up.

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

A post I made last week provides a pretty clear state of play for AB 1729, the state telework bill. It is politically popular and healthy so far in the Senate. It currently sits in its last committee of the Senate, Appropriations. Appropriations will have an update for us on whether the bill moves ahead to the Senate floor this term for a final vote during its August 13th Suspense hearing.

That means we have at least three more solid days of advocacy on this step.

This week, I am still going to encourage the same actions as I did last week to keep the bill moving along.

This week, your most important actions for this bill continue to be making sure you are contacting key Senators and keeping in touch with the broader Senate overall as we angle towards a possible full Senate vote.

I'd like to see everyone try three actions.

First one is quickest...

Second is most influential...

Third is a backup if you can't do the second or just want to keep engaging this week.

Action #1 - Call these three key Senators.

• Senator Limon (Senate President, Santa Barbara / Oxnard) - 916-651-4021
• Senator Ashby (Majority Leader, Sacramento) - 916-651-4008
• Sabrina Cervantes (Chair of Appropriations, Riverside) - 916-651-4031

Many of you have already called these Senators and asked for their support. I know it is awkward and bizarre to continue calling, but it is still important. The game is not sharing your message once - it's making it clear to Senate staff that this bill is important, that it is being tracked, and that the bill deserves a full vote and consideration on the Senate floor. We project our political power not by sharing a message once, but by demonstrating a continued and powerful push.

Whether you have called before or you are calling for the first time, remember to always be kind, courteous, and respectful. Staffers are state workers just like us. When a staffer answers, they will likely just log your support and hang up. That is not a symptom of a bill doing poorly or staffers that do not care for the bill. It is a sign of call volume. So as always, be respectful and courteous. It is a really busy time for them.

When a staffer answers, they will say "Office of Senator _____." You can simply say "Hi my name is [your name] and I am a state worker for [your agency]. I am calling to encourage Senator ____ to support AB 1729, the state telework bill and advocate for its release from the Suspense file so it can receive a full vote."

That's it. That's the ask. If the staffer is interested in engaging further, you can always share more, but that is a really key set of moves for this week.

Action #2 - Senate Drop ins. Visit the Capitol swing space, 1021 O Street. Go through the security line and up the elevators to the 6th, 7th, or 8th floor - where Senate offices are. You can visit these offices anytime during regular business hours - I'd say 9 AM - 4 PM.

I had the opportunity to lead about 20 folks through Senate drop ins last week. It was awesome. Many of the attendees shared that it made them feel much more connected to the process and that they had no idea how interesting it would actually be. I will encourage you to go yourself, form a little small group and use the resources below, or DM me if you want to attend alongside me during one of my visits. If you go with friend or coworkers, it is quite possible to knock out huge portions of the Senate in just 20 minutes.

If you're in Sacramento and near downtown, I really want you to try doing this. I have a protocol ready for you to support your visits. Or if you can make a trip to your own Senator's field office locally, please do! I promise I make it as simple as can be.

• Edit and print copies of this leave-behind - print as many copies as you’d like to leave behind; one per Senator and staff. I recommend printing at least 10, but if you want to go big and visit as many Senators as possible, print up to 40.
• Review these reminders
• Make a plan to visit Senators on this list - the first 9 names are the 9 most important!
• Visit the Senate offices - prioritize Appropriations, leadership, and thank you / encouragement visits

Action #3 - Continue calling Senators on the phone bank

This is as important as ever. Stay in touch with your own Senator and make sure to make thank you calls.

***

Briefly, I want to shout out one Senator in particular who has been especially supportive of our bill lately based on my visits.

Senator Dahle of Chico area. Senator Dahle has been hearing a lot about this bill in both the Government Organization and Appropriations committees. She is one of our bipartisan champions on this bill. She represents parts of rural Northern California has has fielded lots of calls and visits from state workers in her area. I just wanted to shout out her office in particular for being so welcoming and receptive on this bill. I have no idea if they ever read these posts, but I hope her team sees this. Anyway!

***

There will be updates on the override front if we clear Appropriations. I will chart out some advocacy points for us in that regard as best as I can along with my many, many helpers, many, many legislative staffers, and truly fantastic legislators who have supported this bill along. We are not alone in this work by any stretch of the imagination.

Please do not talk yourself out of trying anything. These actions are critical and you will be making a difference. That is undoubtedly true. I cannot tell you how absolutely disconnected I was from all of this process even 6 or 7 months ago. Stay engaged. You will be amazed at how much you will learn and experience as you try stuff out, especially if you drop in to Senate offices.

Good luck to us all. Keep working and stay focused. Hope for the best.

Hello, r/CAStateworkers

It is hard to believe how far we have come with the state telework bill, AB 1729. We are heading into a very consequential week for the bill.

Why is this week so important and what is the bill’s status?

Reminder that AB 1729 is a bill that compels agencies to write unique operational justifications for why it needs any office space. It assumes the benefits of telework long-term and reinstates the telework dashboard. It significantly shifts the framing for telework from “cool perk” that a governor can take away with a blanket mandate… to operational asset that the state needs to protect, expand, and use as a priority tool for getting its work done. It is written with an urgency clause which means there is no delay for its implementation. If the bill is enacted, agencies will not be able to simply name any supposed benefit of physical presence e.g. “Collaboration” and apply it loosely to hold up a cumbersome, opaque mandate. Rather, agencies would have to write up unique justification for why its employees would need to report to a physical workspace any amount of time based on operational necessities.

The bill is currently going into Senate Appropriations where it will likely be held in the committee’s suspense file. That file is where bills that cost more than $50K to implement receive additional fiscal review before being released  for a full vote on the Senate floor or held (I.e. tossed aside for the remainder of this legislative term). We know that our bill can be used to save the state far more than it may cost to hire analysts at DGS to oversee a telework dashboard. In fact, the most recent analysis published by the Senate Appropriations committee of our bill is highly favorable to the bill, I would argue. What that means to me is that our bill’s status is fiscally strong and even widely political popular based on its current votes (67-7 in favor in the Assembly, 17-1 in favor so far in the Senate).  Our bill is one of the top bills in conversation at the Senate right now. That is incredible. 

However, that does mean our bill is guaranteed to sail through suspense. If the Governor does not want to publicly address this bill via a veto, he would presumably leverage Senate leadership and the Appropriations committee to find a reason to hold onto the bill and not let it move forward. This is the benefit of the Appropriations committee. They don’t have to debate the bill’s policy publicly. This committee can - at times - act as a convenient shield from public scrutiny of a popular policy not moving forward.

That is why this week is so important. 

This week, I am asking each and every one of you to take actions to communicate to Senators your support for the bill and convey clearly to key Senate leaders that we are paying attention to this bill and are not going to let it disappear without accountability. 

That means that, more than ever, this week is the most important week for this bill’s progress in a looooong time. I am going to detail high impact actions I’d like you to take on to the best of your ability this week. I encourage you to tell your coworkers, family, and friends to take action as well. This is a BIG week.

We are doing great with this bill. It is popular. It is strong. We just need to keep our push going in this week. We can do this.

See below a list of actions I’d like you to take. Please help me out by spreading these out so we can make a big impact.

Action #1 (For state workers who work/live near Downtown Sacramento). Make lobby visits to Senators’ offices. Try to do this at least once, maybe a couple times.

I have a protocol built for you to make this as easy as it can be. All the Senators work in the Swing space at 1021 O Street. You can visit 5 or more offices in less than 20 minutes of effort. If you bring friends or coworkers, you can hit half the Senate in 30 minutes. I have the tools for it to be that easy for you. All you need to do is…

• Edit and print copies of this leave-behind - print as many copies as you’d like to leave behind; one per Senator and staff
• Review these reminders
• Make a plan to visit Senators on this list - the first 9 names are the 9 most important!
• Visit the Senate offices and do a round of office visits

If you did the position letters, this is going to be even easier. I promise you this is high impact and extremely effective to keep our cause top of mind. I know it’s not easy to try something new like drop into these offices and nobody else may ever tell you to do this, but I am telling you it is extremely effective and you are not going alone. I have already made these trips myself with about 10 other folks. It went great. We had fun. It is simply a choice and I hope you take this on. I will be going a couple more times this week. You will feel empowered after doing it. You’ll feel like you’re really part of a big democratic engine. It’s pretty cool.

When visiting offices, please be so polite and respectful. Senate staffers are state workers too and they are very sympathetic to our cause. 

Action #2 - Make calls

Anytime you can afford to make calls during business hours, I will encourage you to do so. Each call can take the same shape…

A Senate staffer will answer and say something like “Office of Senator _____”

You will reply “Hi, my name is [your name] and I am a state worker for [your agency]. I am calling to encourage Senator ____ to support AB 1729, the state telework bill, as it moves through Appropriations.” If you are a constituent of the Senator, please mention that!

Staffers will probably say “Thank you” and hang up because they are tallying support calls. If they stay on the line, feel free to share any reasons why you think this bill is important.

My favorite line is “The bill does not mandate a specific number of telework days or office days. Rather it compels agencies to use office work and telework thoughtfully and transparently.”

Here are the most important calls to make.

• Calls to Senate leadership
  • Senator Limon (Senate President) - 916-651-4021
  • Senator Ashby (Majority Leader) - 916-651-4008
  • Sabrina Cervantes (Chair of Appropriations) - 916-651-4031
• Calls to your own Senator
• Phone bank calls - ESPECIALLY thank you calls

Many of you have already called Senators. I know it is so strange to imagine why you’d need to call again. My answer is that the game right now is not so rational as “I made a call. They have my message. I’ve already said what I needed to.” You are correct in some regard. You have done so much already. But the game right now is “I need to prove to the Senate that this bill is so important and that people are paying attention.” In other words, you are applying political pressure and consequence to the bill. That is why repeat calls are important. Staff need to convey the message of importance to the Senators and this is our avenue to make that happen.

We do not at all need to sound desperate or angry in our calls. Again, our bill is politically popular and supported pretty well. Please remain respectful and courteous. You want staffers to think after your call “Wow, that was a very polite and respectful and thoughtful call. I can’t believe the Governor sounds so crazy by contrast.” The guy was talking about falling in love at the office, for God’s sake. We can sound much more professional and thoughtful than that. Please represent our cause well.

Beyond that, just keep attending rallies and staying engaged with the process. I believe the reason our bill has done well is that we have done a good job staying sharp and educated on process. Things feel a lot less out of control, hopeless, and inevitable when you understand the actual mechanisms of power and control in the process. There are surely battles ahead, but this battle is one we can wrap our heads around. There are seven Senators who will be voting on moving our bill to the Senate floor. Four of them have already supported our bill once. Our bill’s analysis is favorable in the committee. Let’s move ahead as best as we can. Thank you for staying engaged with me and I hope we can keep putting the good work in.

Have a great week. Make your plans and DM me if you need any assistance. Let’s do this.

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

I have been communicating and meeting up with staffers in the legislature and wanted to forward some additional helpful advice for this week (and into next week). Something I'd like to share from conversations I've had is that the perspective within the Capitol is that the state telework bill is getting REAL attention. As in, of the bills that are currently advancing through final stages, the state telework bill is widely seen amongst legislators and their staffs as one of the BIG, important bills this cycle. That's amazing. We've done such a good job keeping our bill active and top-of-mind for legislators. I congratulate all of you for helping make that happen by engaging with the bill and keeping active with phone calls and outreach.

Action for today - ESPECIALLY if you are in Santa Barbara / Oxnard / Santa Maria area - Contact Sen. Limon and encourage her support of the state telework bill, AB 1729

Senator Limon serves as Senate president. Along with Senator Ashby, Limon exercises a great deal of influence in the Senate and can be in the position to champion the bill along through its final committee. She cares about her constituents, but she also cares about state-wide impacts for critical bills.

Here's a simple guide you can use to contact Senator Limon. I recommend doing this today or tomorrow.

1. Call Senator Limon's office at 916-651-4021

2. Introduce yourself - your name, your city, and your job

3. Include a clear ask: "I'm calling to respectfully ask Senator Limon to support AB 1729 as it moves through Senate Appropriation and through the Senate."

[You will likely get a "Thank you" from the staffer and a quick hang up here. Don't worry about it. Good work!]

4. But if they stay on the line for a moment, share some reasons why the bill is important for someone like Senator Limon

- AB 1729 brings greater transparency and accountability to state telework and office-space decisions

- AB 1729 does not mandate telework or prevent agencies from setting in-person work requirements when there is a legitimate operational need

- As a state worker, you believe workers and leadership affected by these decision should have a stronger voice in the process

- Share any of the bizarre implementation stories you have within your own agency to illustrate the importance of the bill

5. Thank the staffer for their time. Be courteous and kind.

Extra action. Please continue to make additional calls to your Senator and other Senators using the phone bank. It's updated with custom talking points and particular functions for calls (like thank you calls to the many Senators who have already supported our bill).

Bonus resource for today. You can send public access requests to the Public Employment Relations Board for documents related to Unfair Labor Practice charges, etc.

Here is the State's response to the PERB complaint. Just came in this week.

In addition, here is some information communicating about scheduled formal hearings from November 2-6.

That's all for now. Keep informed. We'll keep pushing everything along. Hope you sign up for strike school if you're in SEIU 1000!

Good morning, r/CAStateWorkers

EDIT: Check out a cool bonus resource at the bottom of the post!

I thought it would be best if I continue sending out an update post about once a week regarding how folks can stay involved in some critical actions related to AB 1729, the state telework bill, as well as stuff that may be going on in their own worksites.

Regarding AB 1729 - 3 actions this week

A reminder. The Senate is currently on recess, but the bill is going to be heard by the Appropriations committee on August 3rd. This would be the final committee the bill passes through before it would be eligible for a full Senate vote and a journey to the Governor's desk. The bill has been doing great so far - 67-7, bipartisan approval in the Assembly and, so far, 17-1, in the Senate after two committee hearings. As the bill continues, it will be useful for us to continue using the same channels we have been using for advocacy.

Below, I will highlight three actions we can take to keep the bill moving along:

1. If you reside in Sacramento / Elk Grove / Natomas, please contact Senator Ashby's office at 916-651-4008. If you are like me, you have already called her office multiple times. You are not necessarily communicating any new information, but you are signaling how important the bill is to you and how important it ought to be to Senator Ashby as it moves forward. Senator Ashby is majority leader and has significant influence in the Senate and even in Appropriations.

I'd recommending calling Senator Ashby's office this week / today and communicate the following:

- Your name / your job

- Your ZIP code

- A simple ask: "I am calling to encourage Senator Ashby to continue championing AB 1729, the state telework bill as it moves through Senate Appropriations and possibly on to the Senate Floor."

Ashby's staff hears so many calls. They are well acquainted with the bill. They are keeping a tally sheet of calls sharing support. Your call in support of the bill will serve as a reminder for the team to continue prioritizing the bill and ensure that the bill does not fall off their radar. This is very important.

2. For some of us, we have started to experience what a 4-day RTO implementation looks like within our agency. If your agency is like mine, it is very bad. Workarounds, exemptions, uneven implementation, verbal/written rule conflicts. All kinds of problems.

If your agency is either delayed or using workarounds to make the 4-day RTO look functional to the public, but you know that there is much more complex game of musical chairs going on underneath or weird exemptions, please submit a position letter to Appropriations using this protocol. Your input will help shape the conversation around the bill fiscally, highlighting not necessarily the costs of implementing the bill, but the fiscal consequences of NOT implementing the bill.

3. Make a few additional calls using the AB 1729 phone bank. 2-3 additional calls this week can do a lot for our bill. The many thank you calls we are sending are help shoring up goodwill for our bill and keeping a great relationship with Senate staff.

Regarding worksites

I hope. I HOPE that you are seeing occasional opportunities to participate in various actions in support of telework at your worksites. I recommend that all of you make whatever time you can to attend solidarity breaks, picketing events, and even strike school.

If you are a member of SEIU 1000, please take a moment to visit this page. I will recommend you attend a picketing event and sign up for one of the Strike School seminars coming up this month. Many members are - of course! - wondering about strike process. This is the place to learn about it and ensure that you are prepared to escalate with the full weight of the law and union support behind you.

For me personally, I am organizing ongoing No to RTO solidarity breaks outside of my work building every week. We have great attendance, but it started out slow. We are making plans to merge our breaks with a nearby building as well to make sure we raise a lot of noise downtown.

Feel free to DM me if you'd like to join in and I can send you some additional details if you'd like to participate. While I have been very active online at r/CAStateWorkers, I am happy to say that I work with a great team at my agency and building to do lots of cool stuff. If you're interested in getting stuff moving at your own worksite, I'd be happy to offer some additional guidance.

All that being said, I know things are tough. I know some of you are commuting (at least) up to 75 miles one way to get to a worksite where you are the only team member present just to do the same work you are doing at home. I know so many of you are dealing with enormous hardships. I encourage anyone and everyone to do what you can, when you can. It matters more than you think.

The Governor is struggling to make his vision a reality. Literal constraints of time and space are one barrier to him, but the other one is we are putting up a great fight. We are doing good work. Don't lose sight. Keep at it. We don't control the day that things go back our way, but the more effort we put in now, the quicker we get to whatever that day is. Lean on each other. Do good work!

BONUS RESOURCE

An SEIU 1000 member unearthed a copy of a CA Government Telework Pilot Report from 1990. It acknowledges, studies, and reports on the benefits of telework much like we are today. I had no idea the state of California had been so steady and clear eyed on the consensus understanding of benefits for nearly 40 years. Pretty amazing. Recommend you check it out!

Hello, r/CAStateWorkers

Try to do this by EOD Friday 6/26. However, afterward should be fine. Just need to ensure we stay ahead of committee deadlines.

As AB 1729, the state telework bill moves into Senate Appropriations, we are closing in on final arguments for the bill. Before moving into directions for the Appropriations committee, I want to note a couple of things:

1. 4 out of the 7 members of Appropriations (including the chair) have already voted in support of AB 1729.
2. What I have been told many times over is not to piss off Appropriations. Namely, sending a massive volume of phone calls pressuring the members directly.

Let's remind ourselves the purpose of the Appropriations committee. It is NOT a policy committee. Our bill has already been approved by relevant policy committees who evaluate it based on the merits of the office work/telework policy itself. Our bill was voted in support 17-1 between those policy committees it visited. It's doing great there. Appropriations is all about fiscal review. Its job is to assess whether the bill is worth the price - last committee cited the bill's price tag at $10M annually due to DGS overseeing the telework dashboard, etc. Our bill will likely be going into suspense again where it will be evaluated closely.

The plan.

We cannot necessarily speak to the cost of implementing AB 1729. However, we CAN speak to the cost of a world without AB 1729. I am going to encourage state workers who have knowledge and documentation of exemptions and/or workarounds from a 4-day RTO mandate to submit documentation of their agency's exemptions and workarounds through the bill's position letter portal. This documentation will help us share with the committee the anticipated costs of a blanket mandate. If we can document cleanly for the committee how agencies are using temporary or makeshift workarounds and help the committee anticipate some of the additional costs that would come ahead in the world of a blanket mandate... in the form of purchasing or leasing additional office space, facilities renovations, or equipment... I think we can make a clean argument for the bill that Appropriations will care about.

Why not just make phone calls?

As I mentioned earlier, phone calls may read as inappropriate political pressure, which won't work in our favor in Appropriations. This committee doesn't like that. Position letters will help us create a cleaner public narrative that doesn't rely on pulling attention from a bunch of staffers.

So what do we do?

1) Capture documentation of agencies using exemptions/workarounds. Redact names from the memos - the point of these memos is not to spotlight individuals but to document agency problems. Do not submit confidential, personnel, medical, bargaining strategy, security-sensitive, or legally protected information.

Examples include...

- Memos indicating exemption due to space needs

- Memos from agencies under the Governor indicating in-office schedules deviating from 4-days (e.g. rotating 3/2 schedules, 2 day schedules)

- Memos indicating relocation from your normal office to an alternate office location

- Emails indicating temporary workstations, delays in implementation beyond 7/1

- Emails with conflicting information from leadership e.g. "We have sufficient space" AND "We are working with facilities to evaluate and set up workspaces" in the same email

2) Open the Position Letter Template. As you review the document, delete red text and add in some of your own language. Ensure that you have summarized the workarounds/exemptions, provided a screenshot or image of your documentation, summarized the implications of your information (e.g. I believe my agency will be purchasing additional office space to meet this blanket mandate).

Before finalizing, be sure to delete any red text. Make your document look lovely.

When you have completed your position letter, download it as a PDF and save it on your device.

3) Log in or register an account with CA Position Letter portal. Once you have set up an account, follow the steps below:

- Type in under "Select Bill" - "AB1729"

- Leave session type as "Regular"

- Under Select Committee, select Senate Appropriations - NOT Assembly Appropriations

- Fill in the bubble for "Support"

- If sending in a PDF or Doc, select "Submit a letter instead"

- Click "Submit"

***

After doing all that or while you're completing that, be sure to open up the AB 1729 phone bank. I've updated it with records of how Senators have voted so far. I recommend you look up your own Senator, check whether they've voted yet, and either send them a "Thank you for supporting our bill" call or send them an encouragement/persuasion call.

I haven't completed talking points for all Senators yet, but it'll be ready in the next day or so.

Unless you are a constituent, DON'T call Appropriations members. We don't need to flood their lines. Focus on position letters. Call your own Senator.

Onward. Let's keep things moving.

Hello, r/CAStateWorkers

UPDATE: Ashby supports! current vote count 13-0. Nice work everyone!

Quick information for now. But the state telework bill has passed the Governmental Organization committee in the Senate. No opposition. Bipartisan support.

Keep an eye out for updated votes from members who were not here for quorum. I would advise that everyone do a couple things:

1. Pat themselves on the back for an excellent job staying engaged, sharp, and focused.
2. Don't read too much into absence during quorum. There are so many committees and Senate business happening right now and the Chair of this committee (like any other) is prioritizing efficiency and speed in voting when they have so much to cover. This is not something I'd read as "OMG they're not going on record!" We will get final vote tallies and we will learn more later on. Stay tuned!

Onward to Appropriations. If we pass Appropriations, it's full Senate vote and Governor's desk and... well, we'll get there if we need to. Just want to say. This is a real, active bill. Senate majority leader Ashby voted aye. The Chair of Appropriations just voted "aye" (they are also a member of the G.O. committee) and we'll see more soon. Good work.

One caveat for now. I do not plan to recommend massive phone bank outreach to all the Appropriations members due to the nature of the committee. It is responsible for fiscal review, not necessarily strictly the merits of the policy itself. It will need some sharper outreach and some more targeted constituent outreach, I'm sure, but I don't think it's advisable at the moment to send a zillion phone calls their way. I've heard it over and over again... "Don't piss off appropriations."

I'm taking that seriously. This bill is very politically hot. I'll update on some strategy soon. I will recommend soon regarding some thank you calls to Senators.

We're doing a great job. Keep up the good work!

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

I really appreciate how so many people have followed along AB 1729's journey through the California congress. Like many of you, I have never gotten so in the weeds on a bill and it's pretty amazing seeing the process work and seeing how influence works, etc.

One thing I'd like to encourage folks to do as the bill moves into its next committee is visit the bill's analysis page and check out the latest analysis from the Senate committee on Governmental Organization. If you didn't know, every committee or vote the bill comes to comes with a corresponding "analysis" where staff in the relevant committee or chamber draft out a perspective on the bill and what it means to them. The latest analysis, I think, contains excellent signals and clues for how we should be talking about this bill and telework as a whole. A lot of media, a lot of folks, want to make this bill about state workers and labor flexibility. From this point on, I think that framing is doing us a disservice largely. It's no longer about us. It's about taxpayer dollars, better government operations, and recruiting and retaining a top notch workforce.

I think the message from here on out needs to be: this is a bill for government transparency and accountability. For what it's worth, consider using a framing like this when talking about the bill: "Office work and telework are tools that should be used thoughtfully based on operational needs and benefits. This bill will help us achieve that."

You can find so many posts in this subreddit today, yesterday, last week dealing all the many problems and issues agencies are facing without transparent, coherent, and discrete choices on things like office space and telework. We should not be living in a world where people are afraid to reveal their agency's telework policy because it may "out" them. We shouldn't be in a situation where leaders are jamming multiple folks into cubicles because satisfying a number of days in office is overriding having a reasonable place to actually get your work done. We've become so used to shady, optics-driven governance in that regard. We are currently living in a world where the number of days in office is like a knob in the governor's office you can just move around. I don't care who you are or where you come down on in-office vs. telework, but we should all agree that is a non-optimal approach to handling this issue. We need a smarter system and I think this bill helps us get here.

If you read the latest analysis from the Governmental Organization committee, you will see that THAT is the reason the bill is advancing. Because it offers transparency and clarity that is currently not offered. Because it recognizes telework as a particularly powerful tool for workplace optimization that is extremely cost effective. Because it does not mandate any specific number of in office days or telework days. We're getting rid of the RTO knob. We've heard that from opposition who believe this bill is going to flip a switch and everyone's going to be working like it's March, 2020 again. No. No. No... Truly, this is about getting to a long-term strategy that people can be satisfied with. No more secret agency discretion. No more draconian badge swipe metrics. When you think about it, all that kind of stuff is just so truly bizarre and frankly a little childish. It's surprising we have come to accept that as a satisfactory form of measuring productivity or employee performance.

So for now as we continue to track the bill and head into some potentially nasty and challenging labor fights and struggles on July 1st on RTO implementation, I want folks to try their best to stay sharp. When you get a chance to talk to press or what not, I really recommend you talk about the organizational challenges of 4-day RTO, the waste of resources, the distraction it creates from your actual work, the ways agencies are fumbling implementation, and the importance of a thoughtful telework and office work strategy that leads to better outcomes.

I really think that is going to be the move to help this bill stay on the move and make sure the public is understanding this situation.

So for now, I recommend you check out the analysis and keep following along for more!

Hope to see you all out there on July 1st or participating in solidarity around California. Make sure to share those pictures! I really hope people feel proud of the progress we've made so far on this issue. There is going to be so much happening in the coming weeks. We are in a real moment here. This is going to get frustrating, exciting, weird, hopefully at some point inspiring. There will never be a sign from the clouds saying "YOU ARE IN A LABOR MOVEMENT" so I hope you all embrace that we are truly in something real here. Keep fighting.

P.S. In anticipation of some shenanigans on or after July 1st, I have reserved a backup email list/Substack to r/CAStateWorkers - I will not post or do anything with this Substack unless something happens that makes r/CAStateWorkers unusable. I just have no idea what to expect if things get really spicy. So I encourage you to add your email to that list if you want to stay in touch if things weren't working well on here anymore.

"Shout out to [SEIU 1000]. I know they're working really hard on telework and making sure we have telework policies of the 21st century that accommodate their needs and the needs of state government"

Short of reading tea leaves, I just want to say that our efforts and outreach are leading to some serious signaling. Keep up the good work. We are well on the radar.

Hi, r/CAStateWorkers

I'm pasting a section of my last post so that people can jump on a final action if they want for today. The Senate Committee on Governmental Organization is hearing our bill next week. If you'd like to put in a formal comment on the bill - this is one that gets used in the analysis on the bill, very important. I recommend you do so. This would be a step up from calling in. Directions below. Keep up the good work folks! I have a template ready for you.

Instructions:

Set up an account and submit a position letter.

- Go to CA Leginfo and register for an account

- TIPS: When registering for the account, you are NOT a lobbyist and you are NOT part of an organization if this is your first time doing this. Fill out the user information form and log in.

- Once registered and logged in, search AB 1729 on the webpage. Under "Select a Committee," select "Governmental Organization". Submit your position letter by this Tuesday at 5 PM!

- Type in a position statement of support for AB 1729 including whatever text you like. Use this template to get started. Either upload your letter as a file or paste in the text.

I recommend talking in your letter about your own agency's rollout of RTO. Is it disjointed? Does it contain lots of bizarre exemptions? Does it include workarounds? Let your Senators know. They need to understand this bill isn't just about state workers' access to flexibilities and operational benefits from that lens, we also want to highlight the state's inability to meet this 4-day mandate and why this bill effectively addresses that issue by giving agencies discretion

Bonus Action!

If you want to make some extra calls before you wrap up today. You can still reach out to labor committee staffers (hearing tomorrow!) and encourage them to support AB 1729. Their numbers are below.

Committee Chair Sen. Lola Smallwood Cuevas (LA) - 916-651-4028

Sen. Dave Cortese (San Jose) - 916-651-4015

Sen. Maria Elena Durazo (LA) - 916-651-4026

Sen. Tony Strickland (OC) - 916-651-4036

Sen. John Laird (SLO / Monterey) - 916-651-4017

Hello, r/CAStateWorkers

AB 1729, the state telework bill has some important events coming up this week and next week. I'm going to share with you a set of actions you can take on the bill. Take them ASAP. For ultimate, ULTIMATE convenience, I am going to rank those actions from what I consider the lowest lift (very little time needed, easy effort) to highest lift (most significant, highest effort and most powerful). Let's keep our actions going and thank you again for contributing this bill's journey!

I want to remind everyone as well that AB 1729 compels the state to treat telework and office work as tools that need thoughtful implementation, no more clunky mandates that dismiss the immense benefits of telework.

P.S. Check out the bottom for some Senators I've highlighted who may be especially interested in hearing from particular state worker populations.

Level 1 - Lowest Lift

Contact your Senator.

- Go to Find your Representative

- Click on your Senator's website

- Scroll down. Look for "Capitol Office" or "District Office" - call either number

- Inform staffer who answers that you are a constituent calling to encourage Senator ______ to support AB 1729, the state telework bill as it moves through the Senate. Include any reason why you think they should support the bill. Here is a list of AB 1729 talking points you may find helpful. In addition, consider talking to the staffer about your own agency's rollout of RTO - perhaps there is some inequity, space challenges, workaround and exemptions, perhaps your agency isn't even communicating about RTO (or not sending schedule change memos) because they don't have space or secretly hope things change before July 1st. Your Senator is your confidant in this matter. Tell them what you know!

Level 2 - More calls

Call Senate committee members.

- Go to the AB 1729 Phone Bank

- There are 18 Senators we are spreading out calls for. Select your birth month to get a set of 1 or 2 to call.

- Same process as above. Talk to the staffer and encourage the Senator to support AB 1729 for a reason of your choice. BE KIND AND COURTEOUS PLEASE. You are not necessarily a constituent and you should represent our cause as best as you can.

- Make sure to send the phone bank to your state worker friends

Level 3 - Friends get involved

Text your non state-worker friends/family in California a message about the bill and a call to action.

- Copy this link to the General AB 1729 outreach directions

- Copy this message:

"Hey! State workers are trying to pass AB 1729, a bill that would bring more transparency and accountability to return-to-office decisions instead of letting agencies make vague or wasteful mandates. If you have a few minutes, I'd like to see if you can call your Senator and encourage them to support it"

- If you're really helpful, you may help look up your friend's Senator's phone number so they don't have to do that. You're an expert by now.

Level 4 - Put it in writing!

Set up an account and submit a position letter.

- Go to CA Leginfo and register for an account

- TIPS: When registering for the account, you are NOT a lobbyist and you are NOT part of an organization if this is your first time doing this. Fill out the user information form and log in.

- Once registered and logged in, search AB 1729 on the webpage. Under "Select a Committee," select "Governmental Organization". Submit your position letter by this Tuesday at 5 PM!

- Type in a position statement of support for AB 1729 including whatever text you like. Use this template to get started. Either upload your letter as a file or paste in the text. I recommend talking in your letter about your own agency's rollout of RTO. Is it disjointed? Does it contain lots of bizarre exemptions? Does it include workarounds? Let your Senators know. They need to understand this bill isn't just about state workers' access to flexibilities and operational benefits from that lens, we also want to highlight the state's inability to meet this 4-day mandate and why this bill effectively addresses that issue by giving agencies discretion

Level 5 - Show up for the bill in hearings

Attend committee meetings. Be on your BEST, most PROFESSIONAL and COURTEOUS behavior at these hearings.

Labor Committee. 930 AM June 17. 1021 O Street, Room 2200. Assemblymember Lee (AB 1729's author) is presenting the bill. Let's show him our support.

Governmental Organization Committee. 9 AM June 23rd. 1021 O Street, Room 1200. The agenda does not yet have AB 1729 on it but I suspect it will soon. Check back here.

Level 6 - Make a visit

Request to meet with your Senator or their staff.

- ANY constituent is entitled to request a meeting with their Senator. They are your representative.

- Go to your Senator's website. Find a link to "Request a Meeting" - typically under "Contact Us" section.

- Take any meeting you are offered. At the end of whatever meeting you get, if it's not with the Senator directly, ask if you can meet with the Senator.

- This is literally the process lobbyists are using much of the time. Congratulations, you are a professional.

If you learn anything about your Senator’s support go ahead and report back here if you can!

Special Notes

I just want to note three Senators I am thinking about in terms of persuasion. I believe these Senators may be especially interested in hearing from particular populations of state workers on how telework has supported their career and how AB 1729 could be useful for maintaining and improving state operations for the long time.

Sen. Bob Archuleta (Governmental Organization Committee) - very interested in issues affecting military and veterans. If you are a veteran or active military and are seeking to connect with an office that would be receptive to you on this bill, I would recommend contacting them. They represent parts of LA and Orange County. 916-651-4030

Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares (Governmental Organization Committee) - leader of her chapter of Autism speaks. If you are a neurodivergent state worker who has benefited from telework or hybrid flexibility, I recommend contacting them and telling the staffer a bit about your story. They represent Santa Clarita Valley. 916-651-4023

Sen. Dave Cortese (Labor Committee) - serves on the Disability Caucus. If you are a state worker with a disability or health condition that has benefited from telework or hybrid flexibility, I encourage you to call their office and tell them a bit about your story. 916-651-4015

Let's go to work folks. Keep up your momentum. Don't worry about July 1st. This bill could pass in August. Let's get a long term telework strategy in place for our state.