Sacramento’s return-to-office mandate is a lose-lose-lose situation | Opinion
.jpg "Two posters opposing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s return-to-office directive seen at a rally on Star Wars Day, Monday, May 4. Newsom’s Sacramento return-to-office mandate raises commuting costs, harms working families, may reduce productivity and conflicts with state climate goals.")
A lose-lose-lose situation
“State worker union tries novel legal angle to stop Newsom’s return-to-office order,” (sacbee.com, May 28)
In the discussion of the return-to-office mandate, no one disputes that it will raise expenses for state workers through increased costs for gas and parking, nor is there much question that a hybrid schedule is better for working families. There really isn’t even much debate anymore whether hybrid work affects productivity (and may actually raise it). And, as the State Attorneys & Administrative Law Judges’ union rightly points out, returning to the office also has detrimental impacts on the environment that are in direct opposition to the state’s official climate goals.
This has led to a situation where many state agencies are able to bypass traditional rule-making processes and utilize “emergency” regulation statutes if they are deemed to have a role in reducing the state’s carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. It’s interesting to see how quickly something ceases to be an emergency when it is politically expedient.
Geoffrey Fattig
Sacramento
Matsui-Vang showdown
“Rep. Matsui, Vang appear headed for general election showdown California’s 7th,” (sacbee.com, June 3)
As a constituent of the 7th Congressional District, I was wondering how long it would take for the Democratic establishment to defend Rep. Doris Matsui and disparage Sacramento City Councilmember Mai Vang. Matsui has been nonresponsive to constituents for years and refuses to help everyday constituents with real problems. She only lives in Sacramento during elections and never meets with constituents.
Vang is not a puppet or coward who hides from constituents or complex issues.
Larry Broussard
Sacramento
Stop gun violence
“To prevent another Stockton tragedy, invest in violence intervention | Opinion,” (sacbee.com, Dec. 23, 2025)
The month of June is National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a campaign meant to bring awareness to gun violence and to get gun violence statistics down — and keep them down.
If community members would like to get involved, they can text “ready” to 64433. There are also “wear orange” campaigns throughout Sacramento.
Mareka Cole
Sacramento
Generational consequences
“Trump administration to offer more leases for drilling in Arctic refuge,” (sacbee.com, April 18)
Our generation is being forced to live with the consequences of today’s decisions, including the push to open more public lands to oil and gas development. In the Arctic, temperatures are rising four times faster than the rest of the planet, and expanding oil and gas development will accelerate that.
The Arctic Refuge is sacred to Indigenous communities whose food security has depended on it for generations. Supporters of these lease sales claim that drilling will lower energy costs and boost the economy, though those economic promises have never materialized. New drilling would take years — if not decades — to produce oil and would do nothing to address today’s gas prices.
Once the Earth suffers, future generations bear the consequences.
Melissa Gonzalez
Thermal