What does Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order mean for state workers?

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The statewide stay-at-home order Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Thursday appears to change little for the state’s workers, who are required to report to work unless they have reached a different agreement with a supervisor or are using leave.

A Department of Industrial Relations executive sent out an email following Newsom’s announcement addressing the new order, along with similar orders from local officials:

“State and local health officials have determined government service is essential and government sector employees are exempted from the stay-at-home or shelter-in-place directives,” Chief Deputy Director Victoria Hassid said in the 10:36 p.m. email.

CalHR Director Eraina Ortega issued broad guidance to state departments and to workers on Tuesday and Wednesday regarding the state’s coronavirus containment efforts related for its workforce.

»» Find full State Worker coverage here.

Ortega said department leaders should use teleworking where possible, and set out a variety of scenarios for what departments should do in cases where telework isn’t feasible, including offering administrative time off as a last resort.

Some state workers who have continued to report to well-populated offices have grown frustrated with a lack of urgency or by seemingly arbitrary decisions from some managers about who may work and who may not.

Three of them launched an online petition demanding more assertive action from the governor. It had 700 signatures Thursday.

Following Newsom’s announcement Thursday night, the Department of Industrial Relations took a firmer stance on workers who are 65 or older and those with chronic health conditions, who are most at risk from COVID-19.

“While a previous directive identified otherwise, employees 65 and older and those with chronic health conditions will be provided ATO if telework and flexible work schedules are unavailable, and they are subject to a local stay-at-home directive,” Hassid wrote in the email.

Have a story idea or a tip? Contact Wes Venteicher at wventeicher@sacbee.com or reach him on twitter @wesventeicher.

This story was originally published March 20, 2020 at 11:20 AM.