Resources for post-RTO workplaces appear inadequate, state employees say

State employees say the resources at their workplaces will likely prove insufficient to support a full return to office on July 1.

Since California Governor Gavin Newsom issued the return-to-office order on March 3, 2025, state employees have protested the change. The executive order mandates that employees work in the office four days per week, an increase from the current two-day requirement.

As the deadline to return to office grows nearer, state employees worry about steep transportation costs, childcare and space constraints.

Transportation

Employees set to return to office four days per week have expressed concerns about the rising cost of gas and parking as they are asked to commute to work more frequently.

Angela Musallam, the deputy director of communications for the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR), wrote that state employees are advised to take incentives to bike, vanpool or use public transportation as they return to the office.

“Employees are encouraged to review the Return-to-Office Resources webpage, which outlines the tools and supports available to assist with the transition,” Musallam wrote.

For Monica Tarbuskovich, an employee in the California Civil Rights Department, the out-of-order light rail station across from her workplace and limited parking options nearby make commuting to work necessary but costly.

“I live in Rancho Cordova and I have a daughter that I have to take to school every morning,” Tarbuskovich said. “It’s far, so I can’t really bike, and vanpool would be tricky because I have to drive my daughter to school. Light rail was one option that could have potentially worked…but the station completely closed about a year and a half ago.”

According to Tarbuskovich, who works in the May Lee State Office Complex, there are only 1,500 parking spots available for approximately 5,000 employees returning to work. She pays an $8 fee each time she enters the parking lot.

Service Employees International Union Local 1000 President Anica Walls said that increases in parking prices make commuting more burdensome for state workers, and that she hopes employees will be able to park for free in state-owned lots in the future.

“I think there are ways to help workers mitigate some of these exuberant costs, especially when they’re coming to these areas to do their job,” Walls said.

Marielle Rhodeiro, a research data specialist with the State Water Resources Control Board, said her commute to work on public transit is about an hour in each direction. To get to her downtown office from her suburban home, she must take two buses and the Light Rail.

Rhodeiro worries that an increased number of commuters each day may cause delays and crowding on trains, especially because Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) has not announced plans to schedule more frequent routes to the downtown area.

“The state is not attempting to work with any of the transit providers to facilitate getting to the office,” Rhodeiro said. “I’m worried…the trains are going to be standing room only, especially because they’re having issues with the existing trains.”

Childcare

Nicki Parisi, a compliance representative with the Franchise Tax Board, has a 1-year-old daughter who will require daycare if Parisi works in the office four days a week.

Parisi said that the Dependent Care Reimbursement Account program, which will permit larger deductions of pre-tax income after July 1, will help her pay for about six months of daycare for her daughter per year.

Rhodeiro, whose child is also in daycare on the days she works from the office, said the amount offset by the program is “insulting.” Though the state increased the maximum pre-tax deduction from $5,000 to $7,500, Rhodeiro said it has little effect on her yearly daycare bill of $20,000.

The State Water Resources Control Board where Rhodeiro works has an in-office daycare, but admission is competitive — when Rhodeiro applied for her child, she was placed 80th on the waiting list.

Workspaces

Because many more employees have been hired since teleworking began during the COVID-19 pandemic, some worry about cramped working conditions and shared office spaces.

“We anticipate that departments can meet the needs of the overwhelming majority of employees using existing state workspace, and we will continue collaborating with departments as needed,” wrote Monica Hassan, deputy director of public affairs for the California Department of General Services.

Heather Kessler, president of SEIU Local 1000’s District Labor Council 788, which includes most of downtown Sacramento, said that space concerns are exacerbated by “mass hiring events” that occurred during the pandemic, sometimes of as many as 20 to 30 employees at a time.

After July 1, some offices will assign employees to cubicles on a daily schedule. Because of this, many workers will transport equipment to and from work each day — a necessary task because there will not be a designated space for their belongings at work.

“Employees have already started to [express] concerns about needing to carry their ergonomic equipment back and forth on a regular basis,” Walls said. “That’s not only a space issue, but a health and safety issue.”