Los Angeles city workers continue working from home five years after the pandemic while federal and state employees return to offices, leaving Downtown LA’s economy in ruins and Mayor Karen Bass silent on the crisis devastating local businesses.
Story Snapshot
- 48,000 LA city employees still working remotely or hybrid with no citywide return-to-office policy, despite Trump ending federal remote work and Newsom mandating 4 days in-office for state workers
- Downtown LA government offices operate at only 45% of 2019 capacity compared to 76% national average, gutting foot traffic and revenues for surrounding businesses
- Mayor Karen Bass remains completely silent on implementing any return policy while business leaders warn of “apocalyptic” economic consequences
- One-third of Downtown’s workforce consists of government employees, making their absence catastrophic for the urban core’s recovery
Government Workers Ghost Downtown While Private Sector Returns
Los Angeles city employees maintain widespread remote and hybrid work arrangements with zero accountability, creating a ghost town in what was once the bustling Civic Center. Nearly 48,000 municipal workers who filled Downtown offices before 2020 now operate under decentralized department policies with no unified mandate from City Hall. This stands in stark contrast to President Trump’s decisive action ending federal remote work and Governor Newsom’s order requiring state employees in offices four days weekly starting July 1, 2025. The absence of leadership from Mayor Bass has allowed this taxpayer-funded work-from-home paradise to persist while private sector workers nationwide have returned to their desks.
Economic Devastation Mounts as Bureaucrats Stay Home
Downtown LA businesses face existential threats as government office activity languishes at 45% of pre-pandemic levels based on cell phone data analysis. Public sector workers comprise approximately one-third of Downtown’s total workforce, with 94,500 government employees across city, county, and federal agencies. Nella McOsker, President of the Central City Association representing 300 Downtown businesses and landlords, warns that continued remote work risks severe setbacks to an already struggling business community. Restaurants, retail shops, and service providers that depended on daily foot traffic from City Hall and surrounding government buildings have watched revenues collapse while city bureaucrats enjoy the comfort of home offices paid for by Angelenos’ tax dollars.
Leadership Vacuum Enables Union Protection Over Public Interest
Mayor Karen Bass has refused to issue any public statement or policy directive on returning city workers to offices, creating a power vacuum where individual departments operate independently without accountability. City Administrative Officer Matthew Szabo oversees approximately 200 staff who work just two days weekly in-office, exemplifying the lackadaisical approach permeating city government. Employee relations lead Malaika Billups acknowledges departments are “doing their own thing” while promising a citywide policy in “the next several months”—the same vague timeline bureaucrats have offered for years. This deliberate inaction protects union interests over the economic vitality of Downtown, revealing how government prioritizes employee convenience over serving constituents and supporting the private businesses that generate actual tax revenue.
Federal and State Action Exposes City’s Dysfunction
The contrast between decisive executive action and LA city’s paralysis couldn’t be starker. President Trump terminated federal remote work arrangements, recognizing that government accountability requires physical presence and oversight. Governor Newsom escalated California state worker requirements from two days weekly in 2024 to three days in April 2024, then four days effective this July, citing improved collaboration and accountability. Even LA County achieved 72% of employees working primarily onsite according to a 2024 audit. Los Angeles city government stands alone in its refusal to implement basic return-to-office standards, demonstrating how entrenched bureaucracy resists reform even when sister agencies and other government levels take action.
Taxpayers Fund Empty Buildings and Failed Urban Core
Angelenos pay for government office space, utilities, maintenance, and infrastructure that sit largely unused while employees work remotely. The Downtown LA Alliance identifies remote work as a top challenge alongside public safety concerns and negative media coverage—problems exacerbated by reduced foot traffic and eyes on the street. A 2022 Personnel Department survey revealed 36 of 39 city agencies planned permanent hybrid or full remote policies, yet those guidelines mysteriously disappeared from the city website without replacement standards. Business advocates have lobbied for return-to-office policies to revitalize the urban core, but their pleas fall on deaf ears at City Hall where mayor and administrators face no consequences for leaving Downtown in apocalyptic decline while collecting full salaries and benefits.
Sources:
Remote Work Still Dominates With Los Angeles City Workers
Governor Newsom Orders Return to Office
Strengthening the Los Angeles County Workforce Audit Report
Newsom Orders State Workers Return to the Office
