Newsom Vetoes Telework Flexibility Bill and Upholds In-Office Mandate for State Workers

Pleasanton, California — Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed legislative efforts to expand remote work options across California agencies, preserving his statewide directive requiring state personnel to report in person at least four days each week.

The veto rejected Assembly Bill 1729, which would have empowered individual agency directors to establish telework as an operational baseline while requiring formal written rationales whenever in-office attendance was mandated. The proposal also directed state administrators to establish a public tracking system monitoring facility lease reductions, commuter emissions, and workplace efficiency.

In his formal veto message, Newsom emphasized his perspective that face-to-face engagement remains vital to running public agencies, concluding that institutional defaults favoring remote duty would hinder departmental performance.

> "This measure, by limiting departmental flexibility and encouraging telework to be the default work arrangement, takes the state’s telework policy in the wrong direction." — Governor Gavin Newsom

For Pleasanton, an East Bay employment center in Alameda County with over 79,000 residents, state labor guidelines shape local workforce commuting patterns across the Interstate 580 and 680 corridors.

The executive decision arrives as labor leaders representing roughly 100,000 public employees with SEIU Local 1000 organize a strike authorization vote over compensation and workplace terms. While legislative proponents argued telework yields significant fiscal savings on office leases, dissenting lawmakers supported the governor, maintaining that direct in-person coordination strengthens civic administration.

Sources: https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/09/newsom-veto-telework-bill/

Sources

calmatters.org