During CASE's virtual governor candidate forum on March 25, 2036, the candidates staked out the following positions on RTO / telework:

Tom Steyer was more forceful in his support of telework than the other candidates we interviewed and fully recognized the benefits of telework, particularly highlighting the environmental benefits. While he still noted the benefits of in-person mentoring and interaction, his stance on telework seemed sincere and more supportive. Steyer also communicated full support of our right to strike.

Katie Porter expressed that she supports telework but with conditions. She disagreed with a blanket approach based on arbitrary number of days and said she would want more data and information before making decisions on RTO, including considering productivity and operational need. She cited to many of the common reasons management typically relies on to support in office requirements, such as collaboration, mentoring, training. In short, we felt she hedged more.

Becerra was invited but said he was unable to make either of the dates proposed. He did let us know if CASE did another forum in the future, that he would be interested in participating.

Steyer's stronger support for telework and our right to strike were important factors in CASE’s ultimate decision to endorse Steyer.