It is bad enough that California’s stringent environmental laws have driven up the cost of energy, food, and housing. Now, public-sector unions are weaponizing the state’s most powerful environmental statute to avoid showing up for work.Getting California’s unionized state workforce back into the office has been a challenge ever since the COVID lockdowns ended. Until June 2024, state employees eligible to work remotely were not required to show up at their offices for even a minimum number of hours. Some departments imposed their own rules, but there was no statewide rule. Since then, state workers have generally been required to report in person two days a week.To his credit, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wants to raise that minimum from two days a week to four. Unions oppose this because they would rather keep collecting taxpayer-funded paychecks at home than return to the office where taxpayers can see them.
Newsom issued an executive order requiring most state workers to return to the office four days a week by July 1, 2025, but unions fought back with billboards across Sacramento attacking him. Newsom caved, delaying the mandate until July 1 of this year.
Now, with that date just a short time away, unions have a new trick. The public-sector union representing California state lawyers is threatening litigation to block the return-to-office, arguing that it violates the California Environmental Quality Act. Because of the absurd breadth of this law, the argument is not as much of a stretch as it should be.
