Thousands of SEIU Local 1000 members walked off the job Wednesday, October 21, staging picket lines at 20 locations across California, from San Diego to Eureka, and marching to the state Capitol in Sacramento.

The union, which represents roughly 100,000 state employees across more than 140 departments and agencies, has been without a contract since late June.

Union President Anica Walls called it the first strike in the union's history, telling members in Sacramento, "Take a look around; you're all making history."

Workers including nurses, custodians, cooks, DMV employees and office workers joined the action, and members of other state employee unions — CASE, CAPS-UAW and PECG — stood alongside them.

The walkout is only the second state worker strike in California history, and both have occurred under Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to the Sacramento Bee.

It followed a strike authorization vote in which 96.2% of participating members supported the action; the union last authorized a strike in 2016 but no walkout followed, Patch reports.

Walls described the action as a "lawful unfair practice strike," saying the state needs to "come back and bargain in good faith."

CalHR attempted to block the walkout through the Public Employment Relations Board, but Patch reports the board rejected the state's broader request, allowing roughly 95,000 workers to strike subject to essential-staffing requirements.

In San Diego, union leaders argued wages have not kept pace with living costs. "I have members who live in their cars," Dorrie Steadman, a state nurse and president of the San Diego area SEIU Local 1000, told ABC 10News.

Bargaining-unit vice chair Tom Krieger said the state countered union proposals "with zero across the board."

Newsom's office declined to answer questions about the strike, redirecting reporters to CalHR, which said the governor would not comment while negotiations are ongoing, PBS KVIE's Abridged reports.

Workers directed sharp criticism at the governor's four-day return-to-office mandate, which took effect July 1, and in September he vetoed a bill that would have required departments to give written justifications for in-office requirements.

Sacramento State political science professor Wesley Hussey told Abridged that with just over two months left in his term, Newsom has little incentive to engage: "I think this a strike more so to the next governor than the current governor."

The strike raised concerns about disruptions to government services, but KSBY reports the impact in San Luis Obispo County appeared limited, with DMV visitors there reporting little to no delays and no local Caltrans disruptions.

Union members say the one-day action was designed to show they are prepared to take further steps if talks remain stalled, and Walls warned it "won't be the last time we show the State our collective power."

CalHR spokesperson Angela Musallam said the agency "remains focused on achieving a fair and responsible agreement with SEIU Local 1000 and continues to be available at the bargaining table."

Mediation sessions are next scheduled for October 30, according to the Sacramento Bee, after California's labor board found the sides at an impasse this month.

The union has endorsed Democrat Xavier Becerra, who an Emerson College poll released Wednesday showed holding a 27-point lead over Republican Steve Hilton.

Hussey suggested Newsom may leave a deal to his successor, and noted that a new governor's first-year budget is typically the previous governor's, with the new administration's priorities emerging by the May revise.

Walls, meanwhile, said the union is prepared to hold the picket line until a deal is made — potentially waiting for a new governor next year.