Return to office: State workers say looming mandate would cost more than money

State agencies are pushing return-to-office plans for two days a week in-office starting sometime in March .

State workers say they aren’t sold on the benefits of telework, stress, money and time spent on commuting.

State agencies concede that performance factors had no bearing on the decision to bring people back.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 2022 law that requires state operations to achieve net-zero emissions by 2035 .

CalEPA , CalHHS and EDD employees together saved more 20 million commute miles and avoided 7,384 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in November 2023 , the latest month for which data is available.

Cost estimates for individual workers vary widely, but the consensus is that return to office comes at a price.

Readers estimated they would need to budget anywhere from a few hundred dollars a month for parking and fuel to more than a thousand dollars monthly for those who need to buy another car or pay for child care.