California’s $225 Million Mistake: How Newsom’s Return-to-Office Mandate Ignores Common Sense and Wastes Taxpayer Dollars

In a state grappling with fiscal challenges and rising costs, California’s government continues down a costly path by ignoring clear evidence that remote work can save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. A recent audit from the California state auditor’s office obliterates any pretense that Governor Gavin Newsom’s push to bring state employees back to the office is rooted in productivity or financial prudence. Why Are Hardworking Californians Forced Back at Great Expense? The audit, commissioned by state lawmakers after Newsom first mandated a two-day in-office minimum following the COVID-19 lockdown, exposes a glaring lack of data behind the governor’s...