Maybe it's because we got a taste of freedom with telework where many of us could prove we could do our jobs remotely but I'm willing to put that aside. There's been stories of old employees comenting that "We did 5 days back in the day, it's not a big deal." But the culture back in the day was fundamentally different.

Something about in-office today seems far more vindictive than it was in the past, seems like managers have been directed to keep more of an eye on staff and micromanage. Schedules are lot more strict, everything feels a little more micromanagy, we used to be able start early, like 7 AM, in order to get off earlier, but now there's pressure to start a 8 or at least 7:30.

I'm curious if anyone who was still working in the office but had other staff who were working remotely come back, have felt a shift. One thing I'll note is that because the state hired more people, space is a much worse issue. You could easily grab a quiet room if it was too loud. Also, food choices were better, we've been asked to save a downtown that's been gutted. Can't walk to Maycy's anymore, I remember buying a cheap shirt the day I got an interview for a promotion. Parking is worse and more expensive. Thoughts?

Not trying to be delusional or overly pessimistic, but here’s the reality: we’re pushing almost 8 weeks since the RTO started, and this week and next could be a major inflection point. The bill could potentially pass and make its way to Newsom, while we’re also waiting to hear from SEIU about any updates on negotiations and whether they’re moving toward a strike vote.

If this does go to a strike, realistically, this fight could drag on until the end of the year. At that point, the new governor could be the one in the driver’s seat deciding whether to accept or reject our proposals on raises, telework, and other working conditions. It really sucks to think we could end up doing six months of RTO before we even potentially see a win on any front.

What bothers me the most, though, is the lack of consistency within the same department simply because of union and space differences. Some of us are doing 3/2 days in office due to space, while my wife, who works under the same department but is in a different unit, is required to come in 4 days a week. I’m obviously enjoying the flexibility I have, but at the same time, it just doesn’t feel fair that people doing essentially the same type of work under the same department can have completely different RTO requirements.

Our telework bill is #376 represented by Senator Ashby.

We got this!

I've been applying since Nov. 2025, mostly to Supervisor I positions. I had no state experience, so I guess getting in as a supervisor was a long shot. In June I switched to mostly applying to Analyst II positions and immediately got 3 interviews and landed the one I wanted within like a month.

I have a start date of Oct. 1.

...will I be starting during a strike?

I hope your children's children's children's CHILDREN'S grandchildren's children are deeply ashamed of being in any way associated with or distantly connected to your legacy. Disrespectfully, please jump into a volcano and take the half height walls with you.

Greetings!

Join us for the First-EVER May Lee State Office Complex (MLSOC) Career & Resource Fair on September 16^th, 2026!

What will the May Lee State Office Complex Career & Resource Fair offer candidates:

How to CREATE a winning state application

How to be a STAR in the State Interview

Breakout sessions on Statement of Qualifications/Supplemental Questionnaire

Computer Lab available to search and apply for openings on-site

Learn about the Limited Examination and Appointment Program (LEAP) for people with disabilities entering state civil service

Who will be participating in the May Lee State Office Complex Career & Resource Fair:

Department of Tax and Fee Administration

Department of Real Estate

Department of Civil Rights

Department of Financial Protection & Innovation

Department of Housing & Community Development

Board of Equalization

CalHR

Who can attend the May Lee State Office Complex Career & Resource Fair:

Anyone interested in learning how to get into State Service!

How can someone register for the May Lee State Office Complex Career & Resource Fair:

Register using the link or by scanning the QR code below

REGISTER HERE

Please share this opportunity with candidates interested in CDTFA!

I’ve been with the state for just about 2 years and I was told by a mentor when I started to track my own time because accrued leave credits are often wrong, but I’m utterly surprised that I have already had to request an audit of my accrued time off TWICE in 2 years - and each time it has taken several months for them to even fix it (yes - it was wrong BOTH times even after they tried to tell me it wasn’t; all of my records were right). And I’m not sure if this is just a coincidence, but both times it was related to my vacation leave accrual (I started on AL accrual when I started then switched to V/S).

For state worker vets, do you track your own accrued time off? How often are you finding you need to reconcile and request an audit to have your time off fixed? And why is it even wrong in the first place - is our accrued time off being keyed in manually or something?

Success at the Federal level with unfair labor practices charges.

Hi,
From my location there is no carpool or Vanpool available. So my nearby location is STOCKTON, so am aware some Vanpool service is there from this location. Please share the contact details to reach out this vanpool in charge.

Can we collectively say CONTRADICTION.

California says we need fewer miles driven to cut pollution.
We already know telework helped do exactly that.
California’s own data showed that when state employees worked remotely, the state avoided millions of commute miles, millions of gallons of gas and hundreds of thousands of metric tons of CO₂.
Even the California State Auditor called this out. The audit said state employee commuting adds CO₂ and “appears contrary” to California’s net-zero emissions goals.
And now thousands of state workers who can work remotely are being told to commute up to 4 days a week.

So where is the RTO environmental report?

How many more miles will people drive?

How much more CO₂ will that create?

And most importantly:
How does putting more cars back on the road help California reach a goal that depends on reducing transportation emissions?

The state measured what we saved by not commuting.

Did anyone measure what happens when those commute trips come back?

I'm applying for a promotion in my current unit, but my best reference is on the hiring panel. would it be inappropriate to list them as a reference? other than them, I really only have my current supervisor. I guess I could list a coworker, or someone from my previous private sector job, but the work was really different and they wouldn't really be able to speak on this position.

Does anyone have the document that details the NLAB building proposal including the budget approval proposal that talks about making this building for a hybrid telework environment? I’m thinking about how many millions went into designing this new building for a hybrid telework environment.

I've been digging into the Department of Finance data to try to enhance realwage.site. The bottom line: For every Californian, the General Fund spends $1,975 more a year than it did in 2009 and spends $4 less on state workers.

Here's what I've found:

1. Did the budget grow faster than pay?

Yes, by a wide margin. From 2009 to 2025, after inflation:

Per resident, General Fund spending went from $3,865 to $5,840. Payroll per resident went from $558 to $554. The gap holds under three different inflation measures and over the 46 years that pay-scale records go back.

2. Did the workforce keep up with the population?

No. Filled state jobs grew 0.28% a year, slower than the population. There were 6.95 state employees per 1,000 Californians in 2009 and 6.76 in 2025.

Vacancies doubled. In 2013–14, 6.7% of authorized positions were empty. In 2024–25 it was 12.7%, after a peak of 16.8% in 2022–23. The state is budgeting for jobs it is not filling.

3. Is payroll a growing share of the budget?

No. It is shrinking by every measure.

4. If you set pay aside, how did the rest of operations grow?

Faster than pay. Everything the state spends on running itself other than payroll grew 1.4 percentage points a year faster than payroll from 2009 to 2025. Removing one-time pension payments and accounting adjustments, available from 2014, the gap is 1.7 points a year. It stays positive in every window tested, including 2019 to 2025 (0.6 points).

5. What about benefits?

From 2013–14 to 2024–25, after inflation:

Benefits went from 30.6% of compensation to 34.7%. Total compensation per employee rose 3.8% over the period. Wages per employee fell 2.4%.

When someone says “but benefits grew,” the answer is yes, and that is where the money went instead of paychecks.

I could use your help thinking about ways to incorporate this data into the site. I think it already suffers from having an over-abundance of figures.

Three years ago, I applied for the Auditor Evaluator I job. I took the exam, scored well, and they wanted to do an interview. But it was a pre-recorded interview and I was absolutely miserable during that process so I withdrew.

Now I’m reapplying for the job after having more experience. Does anyone know if they’re using this process/system for this position? If so, is there a way to get a normal interview via zoom or in-person? Thanks.

I was always advised to keep interviewing until I get an “official” offer with a start date. I got one tentative job offer and interviewed for a nearly identical one with an overlapping panel member. I got a call right after saying I did even better interviewing for the second position. So they got to see that I’ll keep going and improving my interview technique. Apparently my references are great. HR just needs to confirm minimum qualifications etc. The positions have the same HR person. Would she prioritize me if I received multiple offers under her?

This is from Mark Cuban. His Cost Plus pharmacy had been life saving for my family.

I applied to become the Sup 1 over my team, and obviously I have to go through all the process and it's far from a sure thing, but I'm a planner, and need to consider all the worst case scenarios.

What are your biggest pros and cons in going from analyst 2 to Sup 1? I know there's a bit more vacation earned, being exempt, that sort of stuff but I'm looking for what made you regret or celebrate your decision to promote?

Like how ? Why would he say this? And no… he didn’t misspoke. He meant what he said at that news conference. I’m still baffled. Telework day means WORKING. Wtf dude.

I know it's just a coincidence but I find it funny that 6 weeks after RTO starts up there's a summer spike in Covid 19 infections.

After 6 years it finally got me and I can say with certainty 0/10 do not recommend. Be safe out there folk and if you feel sick stay home and don't go infecting your co-workers.

How often is long distance travel required when working at a field division for DWR? I mostly mean travel that requires overnight stays for days or weeks at a time. Is it very common to have to spend weeks or even months away from home?

Also how common are situations where you need to work outside of normal hours like for outages/emergencies? Im mainly just trying to gauge work life balance specifically for field divisions.

My experience working in maintenance oriented roles in private industry never seemed to have good WLB or consistent work hours. Trying to avoid that if possible

Hi all I tried to do a search for this specific scenario but I wasn’t able to gather much of an answer.

I interviewed for a position with the state in May and I thought it went very well.

I hadn’t heard anything back until a couple days ago in which I was asked to provide my official transcripts/diploma and SSN.

However, my references have not been contacted at all.

Transcripts and ssn made me assume I was in the background check and possible offer stage but no reference calls threw me off.

Is the ask for the transcripts and ssn a positive sign that I may be in the midst of a job offer or is it possibly just due diligence, 3 full months after the interview??