By admin 
Gov. Gavin Newsom had until Sept. 30 to address bills approved by the Legislature. He signed off on and vetoed several bills affecting California’s state workers.
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These items ranged from telework policies to combat Newsom’s four-day return-to-office mandate to recognizing new state holidays.
Here’s what to know:
What state worker bills did Newsom veto?
State worker telework bill
California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 1729, which would have asked state agencies and departments to encourage telework and create a centralized dashboard to track related efficiency metrics. The bill was sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who vetoed it.
The governor stands by his return-to-office mandate that on July 1 brought many state workers to the office four days a week. Newsom has equated RTO to a three-day weekend.
“While I fundamentally believe in-person collaboration is an essential part of a productive and effective workplace, the state’s existing telework policy includes a process for departments to consider exemptions on a case-by-case nature,” Newsom wrote in his veto message. “This measure, by limiting departmental flexibility and encouraging telework to be the default work arrangement, takes the state’s telework policy in the wrong direction.”
Eyes are now on state worker unions to negotiate RTO policies. Assemblymember Alex Lee, D-San Jose, said he would consider reintroducing the bill next session if a solution isn’t found by then.
Public safety worker pensions
Lawmakers approved a measure to offer more generous retirement benefits for public safety workers. However, the bill was vetoed by Newsom.
Assembly Bill 1383 would have lowered the retirement age from 57 to 55 and give unions more room to negotiate pensions. Supporters say the bill would help California and local governments hire and retrain these employees. Those opposed to AB 1383 say it would have increased unfunded employee pension liabilities for government entities. Members of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System who participate in Social Security are eligible to receive up to $155,081 per year in retirement benefits, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting. The proposed cap would have increased it to $184,500.
In his veto message, “increase state and local government costs.”
What state worker bills did Newsom sign?
State scientist raises
State scientists were scheduled to receive special salary adjustments on July 1 ranging from 3% to 5%, but the Legislature didn’t initially fund the wage increases after the Department of Finance omitted it from the proposed budget. The raises were outlined in the California Association Professional Scientists UAW Local 1115 collective bargaining agreement. State law doesn’t require the Legislature to fund economic proposals, but if it fails to do so, new negotiations can occur.
A trailer bill was amended to fund the raises and published online days before the legislative session ended. The bill passed in the Legislature and garnered Newsom’s signature.
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Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
A bill spearheaded by Assemblymember Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, will add Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha to a list of state holidays and will allow state employees to use holiday credit for the two Islamic holidays. It’d also enable community colleges and public schools to close.
“California’s workforce reflects the incredible diversity of our state, and our holiday policies should reflect that,” Haney wrote in a statement. “This bill gives state workers more flexibility to use paid time they already have to observe important religious and cultural holidays.”
The bill, Assembly Bill 2017, passed easily through the Assembly and state Senate. Newsom signed it into law.
Cal Fire wages
Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2129 to require the state to bargain in good faith with firefighters to meet the objective of being within 5% of the average firefighter salary. The average wage is determined by analyzing 20 fire departments to be chosen by the Department of Human Resources and the firefighter union, Cal Fire Local 1881.
Cal Fire Local 1881 says wages haven’t kept up with inflation, according to previous Sacramento Bee reporting.
“A top-ranked Cal Fire engineer with a family of four qualified for free school lunch because of his income, that tells you how much we’re struggling,” said union President Tim Edwards previously. “If you look at other departments, over the last few years, they’ve gotten significant raises to match inflation, and our work has not gotten lighter; in fact, it’s gotten worse.”
Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year that also asked for the 15% average salary window. This year’s proposal differs from last years by making it an objective of bargaining “in good faith” rather than a mandate, according to a legislative report.
“This bill would create significant cost pressures for the state and circumvent the collective bargaining process,” Newsom wrote in last year’s veto message. “State employee salaries, along with other components such as health and pension benefits, should be determined through collective bargaining.”
The measure was approved by the Legislature with only one lawmaker voting against it.
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This story was originally published October 6, 2026 at 5:00 AM.