Gavin Newsom wants state workers back in offices. Shouldn’t he govern in person, too? | Opinion
At the beginning of Gavin Newsom’s bromance of a podcast with right-winger Charlie Kirk, the governor talked about how his 13-year-old son, Charlie, wanted to ditch school and stay home to watch the action.
“And I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re in school,”’ Newsom told his son the night before. The next morning, “He literally would not leave the house.”
Kirk asked the governor if his son actually stayed home.
“Of course not,” Newsom said. “He’s not here for a good reason.”
For Newsom, it was a day of good parenting and bad governing.
Why is Newsom wasting a weekday at home in Marin on a podcast when he is asking just about every other state worker to come to the office four days a week, to do their actual jobs?
Why do rules seemingly apply to everybody else, save for Gavin “French Laundry” Newsom?
For all the right reasons, Newsom is seeking to do more of the public’s business in public offices.
“State employees are the backbone of our government, and we are blessed in California with public servants who devote their time and talents to the smooth operation of critical services and public infrastructure,” Newsom said in his March 3 announcement. “In-person work makes us all stronger — period.”
So why is Newsom ditching his day job to stay home in Marin for some virtual jawboning with the likes of Kirk? Doesn’t Newsom’s governing in-person matter as well?
In his executive order, Newsom’s back-to-work dictum does not apply to himself. Rather, it applies to “all agencies and departments subject to my authority.”
Not surprisingly, employee organizations that represent state employees are fighting back. They have filed an “unfair practice” allegation with the California Public Relations Board, which can referee disputes between state managers and rank-and-file employees. The complaint could lead to a hearing before an administrative law judge.
Newsom moved his family from Fair Oaks to Kentfield, an unincorporated community in Marin County, last year. He purchased his new home for $9.1 million. Whenever he does commute, it’s roughly 90 miles from home to Sacramento each way.
Newsom should hope that this judge doesn’t live in Sacramento. Because watching this play out from the 916 area code perspective, Newsom’s stay-at-home tendencies can look anything but fair.
The governor’s problem isn’t that he’s lazy. He was a fixture in the Los Angeles area for weeks after the devastating January fires. He was right to head to Washington to make his case for disaster relief with President Donald Trump. He has been right to mute his criticism of the president as tens of billions of dollars in assistance for California hang in the balance.
But California elected Newsom, twice, to be its governor. We did not elect him to be our podcaster, to stay at home in Marin on a school day to tell us how unfair it is for transgender athletes to participate in competitions.
The next time (if there is one) that Newsom tries another such podcast, his son most certainly should attend. It should be on a weekend in Marin. During the work week, Newsom needs to lead the state workforce by example. He needs to be in Sacramento as much as possible. There is plenty of good reason, and fundamental fairness, to govern in person.
This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Gavin Newsom wants state workers back in offices. Shouldn’t he govern in person, too? | Opinion."