Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday made what appear to be his first public comments on his recent order calling state workers back to offices four days a week and suggested that it was about more than just collaboration and government efficiency.

He said he was also thinking about the “mom and pop” businesses, like sandwich shops, that are struggling to make ends meet.

“They’re just desperate to see people back on the sidewalks,” Newsom said. “I’d like to see people walk in the streets again.”

The comments, which the governor made during a career advancement event in Modesto, offered additional insight into Newsom’s decision, which goes into effect this summer.

On Wednesday, he echoed the justifications outlined in an executive order issued on the subject March 3 , which said it was to improve collaboration, efficiency and public trust in state government.

The governor said he thinks a fully in-person workweek is ideal but stopped short of saying that he would issue a five-day directive.

“We’re public servants,” Newsom said, “and I think it’s important to show up for each other, for ourselves, connect with folks.”

He added in-person work strengthened government workers’ output and productivity. He also noted that remote work was denying opportunities for the next generation of state workers by limiting their career path.

“I think the people of this state deserve our full energetic commitment,” he said. “For, I think, the vast majority of us, certainly in my office, we’re so much better off, so much more productive, so much more creative when we’re together.”

Newsom seemed to suggest that prior to the pandemic, one day of remote work would have been celebrated by state employees by saying the four-day schedule was the “gold-standard dream.”

Newsom also pointed to other public employees, like teachers, who work in person as further reason government employees should be back in state buildings.

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond cited similar reasons — “to be in alignment” with teachers — when he alerted California Department of Education employees they would be expected to return to offices four days a week. As an elected official, Thurmond has the authority to establish a different telework policy than the governor.

On the topic of remote work, Newsom also gave another reason for his decision: Technology and social media have made individuals more isolated from each other. In 2023, the former U.S. Surgeon General issued a report on the “epidemic of loneliness.”

Newsom said the trend of becoming more connected through technology, yet more isolated from each other, was particularly worrying among young men. He noted that many boys have come to admire figures like Andrew Tate, a social media influencer who has been accused of sexual assault and human trafficking, though he has denied wrongdoing.

“I just really feel strongly we need to get out of Facebook and get back on the street and see peoples’ faces,” the governor said.

Asked whether he would call state workers back to offices five days a week, Newsom said, “If people want to go back five days a week, I think we’ll all be better off.”

But he stopped short of saying that he would order them to do so.

“We went from two to four,” he said, “that may be my contribution to this cause.”

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