If California forces state workers to commute, it passes up $225 million in savings. Can we afford that? 

What if you learned about a state initiative that takes cars off California’s congested roads, cuts fuel consumption, and lowers carbon dioxide emissions — all backed by years of data and requiring no new technology or infrastructure? What if it saved taxpayers a quarter-billion dollars annually?

As an air resources engineer with the California Air Resources Board, I can confirm that a policy already exists to accomplish those goals: state employee telework. For six years, I’ve watched it deliver exactly what my colleagues and I work to achieve daily — reduced emissions and cleaner air.

You’d assume Gov. Gavin Newsom, who touts California’s climate leadership on the global stage, would champion and expand such a policy. Instead, his administration plans to require state employees to double their in-office days from two to four days per week, starting July 1.

That’s why Professional Engineers in California Government urges the Legislature to support Assembly Bill 1729 to strengthen our state’s environmental stewardship and leadership by fortifying its commitment to flexible telework for state employees.

The measure, introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee, would codify telework as a core component of state employment. It requires departments to develop and maintain robust telework programs and implement them in situations “identified as being both practical and beneficial to the organization.” The bill also mandates regular public reporting on emissions reductions, fuel savings and other benefits the program achieves.

Currently, the state’s policy provides telework “to the fullest extent possible,” but that has all the force of a polite suggestion. AB 1729 would prevent administrations from arbitrarily rolling back a proven climate solution and establish telework as a permanent tool in California’s environmental toolkit.

When COVID-19 triggered the state’s vast expansion of telework in 2020, the environmental impact was extraordinary. 

State data from 2022 and 2023 show that teleworking eliminated 1.08 billion commuter miles — equivalent to 2,258 round trips to the moon. The policy saved state employees a cumulative 27.2 million hours of commute time, or more than 3,100 years of driving. 

The environmental outcomes: 44.2 million gallons of gasoline were not burned, and nearly 393,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide was kept out of the atmosphere.

These are measurable climate wins that align perfectly with California’s quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decrease congestion on public thoroughfares. Bringing tens of thousands of state employees back to the office four days a week only adds vehicles to California’s already congested roads, increasing gas consumption, pollution and commuter frustration.

A vast body of research indicates telework is good business, too. Productivity studies, departmental audits, and internal reviews consistently show remote and hybrid teams have maintained or even improved efficiency. 

Good government operations don’t have to come at the planet’s expense.

There are also substantial fiscal benefits. The State Auditor found last year that telework arrangements can save California an estimated $225 million annually through real estate consolidation and reduced overhead.

To date, the Newsom administration has not offered any data to justify its plan to curtail telework.

If California wants to lead on climate, it must align its commitments with its workplace policies. When telework delivers documented environmental benefits at scale — fewer cars, less fuel, cleaner air — while saving taxpayers money, the path forward is obvious: continue and, where possible, expand that program.

California has a choice: climate-smart, fiscally responsible governance, driven by data, or return to outdated office routines that undermine the state’s own environmental and budgetary goals.

In California, our commitment to the environment should not stop at the state office door.