UCLA Luskin Urban Planning Professor Chris Tilly spoke to the Associated Press about the push by California and other states to bring employees back into the office, rolling back remote work for hundreds of thousands of public-sector workers who kept public organizations operating during COVID-19. The story follows California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent surprise announcement ordering state workers to be in the office at least four days a week starting July 1, 2025. The executive return-to-office order is similar to those in other states including Texas, as well as on the national level and among the largest corporations in the U.S. Experts don’t expect widespread quitting by employees but predict top performers may leave while recruitment and retention take a hit. “States are going to have to increase salaries or fatten up the benefits package in other ways if they’re asking people to forgo this flexibility,” said Tilly, who studies labor markets.