California wants to give dispirited federal workers a job

A young lawyer for the Environmental Protection Agency had a heavy feeling as he headed to work one morning last week. Like many EPA staffers, he’s been distraught over the steady stream of negative news about the Trump administration’s plans for his agency and what it all means for his future. That morning the White House had released its budget proposal, calling on Congress to cut 31 percent of the EPA’s budget, more than 50 programs and 3,200 of the agency’s 15,000 employees. The lawyer’s subway stop, the Federal Triangle Metro Station, dumps people out under a grand archway between two entrances to the EPA’s ornate limestone DC headquarters. As he road up the escalator, he encountered a small group of people standing in the cold wind, passing out fliers and holding signs that read: “fight climate change; work for California.” A man with a bushy gray mustache exclaimed: “I’m recruiting for California jobs!” and introduced himself to the EPA lawyer as Michael Picker, the president of California’s Public Utilities Commission, which regulates electric companies and other utilities. Picker explained that he has 250 job openings and more on the way. California’s Air Resources Board and Energy Commission also have opportunities for federal employees frustrated with the direction the Trump administration is headed. “All the jobs will have impacts on climate change in some ways,” he said.