Sacramento state employee: Newsom’s RTO order will cost me $730 a month

Sacramento Bee ^ | May 15, 2025 | By Natasha Hornischer

[artichokegrower]

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s executive order for all California State Employees to return to the office (RTO) four days a week does not currently have a price tag for California taxpayers. Increased costs for expenses such as rent, furniture, moving services and supplies has not yet been calculated, but as a state employee at CalRecycle, I can tell you that the cost for state employees is very clear and very dramatic.

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TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS:

[artichokegrower]

Instead of working at home, every month I will burn more gas to smog up Sacramento (approximately $130), pay for parking in crowded downtown ($200) and have to keep my son in childcare one-and-a-half hours longer on in-office days ($320). I will also have to occasionally buy lunch (about $80) because what mother has time every morning after packing her child’s lunch to pack herself one? That means Newsom’s RTO order will cost me $730 every month.

Welcome to our world.

[rktman]

Should have been putting that aside every month.

[Qwapisking]

Could quit. Otherwise quitcherbitchen.

[Bon of Babble]

This just tears me up....NOT.

[Tell It Right]

So what were workers like this person doing with that extra $730/month she saved for the past 5 years? That's $43,800. Investing into a simple S&P 500 index mutual fund would have been handy. Especially if it was either in an IRA (tax break now) or Roth IRA (tax break later), however with up to $35K or $40K max contributions total over 5 years, so the rest in a plain taxable account.

If in a Roth IRA, and if you had started it in 2020 (5 years ago), you can take the contributions portion out now penalty free and let the earnings keep growing tax free. So take your $730/month out of the first $43,800 that you hopefully wisely invested.

[Wuli]

I am sorry for the person who will now have more personal expenses for going to the office instead of working from home. I’d say she needs to look for a job in the private sector, but with companies leaving California maybe that’s not possible for her, so maybe she needs to flee to Arizona, Nevada, Texas or Florida.

[HombreSecreto]

And from the article, no mention of a husband. Single mother.

And no picture. Her complaining about meals? Likely she could afford to miss a few, hence no picture.

Get a job in Woodland and avoid the commute to Sacramento. 45 minutes and she’s complaining? Try the commute in SF or LA. 45 minutes is nothing.

[IYAS9YAS]

Yeah. Commuting sucks. But it beats being hungry and homeless.

[silent majority rising]

In the decades that I worked for someone else, I was ‘forced’ to drive to an office and stay there all day, but for 5 or 6 days per week. Such abuse!

[bobbo666]

Or, mebbe, not be a single mother? Sounds like it.

[bgill]

Oh, to live in CA where you get everything you wanted.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

For crying out loud, Natasha Hornischer, grow up. Go FIND A NEW JOB, buttercup.

Government "workers" thoroughly disgust me.

[Mean Daddy]

My company is still work from home. COVID was perfect timing in that our downtown building was falling apart so most people could WFH and there’s no new building on the horizon. Not filling my gas tank, miles on car etc. has been a blessing.

I’m eligible to retire but if I did, I would still want to do something so rather then retire from my current job & go work somewhere where I’d have to take a pay cut, drive, I’m staying put. Its nice having the option though.

[DownInFlames]

Just wait ntil you are down to 1 refinery.

[rktman]

Roger that. A friend just changed jobs after WFH for 5 years. It was a rude awakening having to go TO your job. But the old one was too toxic so.......off she goes.

[monkeyshine]

CalRecycle? I don’t know what they do but my guess is we could shut them down and not even notice. California so needs to be DOGE’d.

[monkeyshine]

When she is making her kid’s lunch why on earth could’t she also make her own? It would take maybe 60 seconds of additional work.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Instead of working at home, every month I will burn more gas to smog up Sacramento (approximately $130), pay for parking in crowded downtown ($200) and have to keep my son in childcare one-and-a-half hours longer on in-office days ($320). I will also have to occasionally buy lunch (about $80)

The gas bill is high because your state regulations and taxes massively increase the price in your state.

Parking is high because of California city crushing zoning and land use regulations.

The lunch price is high because your state imposed insanely high minimum wages. Also, you could get off your lazy ass and pack your lunch rather than eating out every day.

[cuz1961]

does not currently have a price tag for California taxpayers.

/

WTH is THAT supposed to mean ?

You having to actually GO to work some how costs taxpayers ?

Fear porn propaganda at its worst.

SO full of crap .

[Lizavetta]

I will also have to occasionally buy lunch (about $80) because what mother has time every morning after packing her child’s lunch to pack herself one?

Uh, you pack them at the same time. Some people even do it the night before.

Two sandwiches. Two apples/pears/plums cut up. Two cheese sticks. Two boiled eggs. Two containers of last night's leftovers. (One's desires may vary, of course.)

What a freaking crybaby. She's describing what WE ALL did back in the day and now it's just too hard.