Bugs have once again been found inside the California Department of Education headquarters in downtown Sacramento, prompting employees to leave the building and raising concerns among workers about returning to the office.

Employees were instructed to go home after bugs were detected in the building, according to state workers and union representatives.

They say it’s not the first time. Union representatives and employees confirmed to CBS News Sacramento that this is the second bug-related incident at the headquarters in the past two years.

“If they’re in one place, it’s very easy for them to be throughout the entire building,” said Anica Walls, president of SEIU Local 100.

The discovery has renewed concerns about workplace safety, particularly as state employees prepare for expanded return-to-office requirements.

“Let’s do what’s necessary and make sure that our employees stay safe and that when they are in the building, they’re not contracting or taking home anything that they don’t need to be,” Walls said.

The California Department of Education confirmed the building experienced a bed bug incident in 2024. However, officials said they are still awaiting pest control reports to determine whether the insects recently discovered are bed bugs or another species.

State workers say they want a permanent solution rather than temporary fixes.

“It’s smart to fix the problem the correct way rather than trying to just mitigate the issue and shut down certain floors,” Walls said.

While most state agencies are scheduled to move to a four-day-a-week, in-office schedule beginning next week, California Department of Education employees will continue their current hybrid schedule of two in-office days per week through the end of the year.

In a statement, the department said it is working with the Department of General Services and pest control specialists to inspect the entire building.

“As stated in the message to our employees, we are actively coordinating follow-up inspections and remediation efforts and will provide updates as soon as additional information becomes available,” the department said.

Union representatives said the department was responsive during the previous infestation and expressed hope for a quicker resolution this time.

“Last time, they were really receptive to the conversations with employees, which was good. We’re hoping for another good outcome, hopefully just a little more expedient this time,” Walls said.

CBS News Sacramento also spoke with a local pest control company, which said that if the insects are confirmed to be bed bugs, treatment could take several months.

The process typically involves repeated inspections and treatments every one to two weeks, including high-heat treatments reaching approximately 160 degrees and extensive cleaning to prevent the infestation from returning.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Two weeks have passed since officials closed four blocks of Uintah Street to repair damage under a bridge over Shooks Run Creek, and we’re now learning specifics about the response.

Officials said that the city was the lead entity in the repair response, with Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) providing a supporting role.

The closure began late in the afternoon of June 10 for what officials described as emergency bridge and utility repairs between Prospect and Institute streets, east of the Colorado College campus.

Officials said that on the previous day, a routine bridge inspection by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) discovered a large “void,” or sinkhole, under the bridge that compromised a utility line.

But officials didn’t explain how the void developed or how they repaired it until earlier this week, when Richard Mulledy, the city’s public works director, elaborated on the situation.

“It was about a six-foot by eight-foot void,” he explained. “That void was really caused by an abandoned storm sewer line and then a leaking manhole. It’s something that we see from time to time, but really doesn’t happen often.”

Crews approached the problem from under and above the bridge, with workers excavating into the street to access the utility lines.

“The utility line being compromised was an active storm sewer line,” Mulledy said. “It was sort of hanging out in the open and was unsecured. The old storm sewer line had been abandoned for decades and was starting to fail.”

Crews removed the old stormwater pipe, repaired the manhole, and backfilled the void with a material called “flow.”

“Flow fills almost like a kind of liquid concrete,” Mulledy detailed. “And that’s a really great structural solution. So, we filled that entire thing up, made sure the void is closed, and made sure it’s structurally sound.”

He added that the bridge is around a century old, the same age as most bridges across the creek.

“This was identified and got fixed in 48 hours, rather than let something structural fail, and then we’d be in a big, giant construction project,” Mulledy said. “The structure itself, I don’t think, was ever really threatened.”

The closure ended on Saturday, June 13.