The LegiSchool Project: 2012 Real World Civics Summer Internship

Transcription

1 The LegiSchool Project: 2012 Real World Civics Summer Internship

2 THE LEGISCHOOL PROJECT IS A CIVIC EDUCATION COLLABORATION BETWEEN CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO AND THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE. THE PROJECT S MISSION IS TO ENGAGE CALIFORNIA S HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN MATTERS OF PUBLIC POLICY AND STATE GOVERNMENT. EACH YEAR THE LEGISCHOOL PROJECT ORGANIZES THE REAL WORLD CIVICS SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM. THIS PROGRAM GIVES A SELECT NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SACRAMENTO AREA THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE STATE GOVERNMENT IN ACTION! DURING THE INTERNSHIP STUDENTS SPEND TWO WEEKS INTERNING IN THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH IN AN ASSEMBLY OR SENATE OFFICE AND TWO WEEKS INTERNING IN AN EXECUTIVE BRANCH OFFICE. ALSO, STUDENT INTERNS PARTICIPATE IN MANY INTERNSHIP ACTIVITIES SUCH AS COURTROOM AS A CLASSROOM, A MOCK HEARING, AND A BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR OF THE STATE CAPITOL.

3 Alejandro Bravo Pleasant Grove High School In Assemblymember Cedillo s office I was given a HANDS ON experience of the bill-making process. On top of the more typical intern work, I attended committee hearings, Assembly floor sessions, and even had lunch with Assemblymember Cedillo. You can only learn so much about government from newscasts, school, and Transformers. Here, I ve been provided with an understanding of government that I couldn t have learned anywhere else. Also, I got to wear a suit every day. Alejandro in his own private office! Working at the Governor s Office of Planning and Research really offered me more insight on modern environmental and fiscal issues that California faces. I spent time researching government documents like An Urban Strategy and writing about how I think California cities could be improved. There really is no perfect solution to solving all of California s problems, and working here has shown me how complex the government efforts to fix them are. Alejandro with his legislative mentor and office staff (left) Alejandro with his executive mentor and office staff (right)

4 Courtroom As a Classroom Following the visit to the Superior Courthouse we toured the Sacramento County Jail courtrooms and learned from Judge Bogert s experiences. One of our group days involved a visit to the Superior Court of California, where we witnessed several judicial proceedings and spoke to Judge De Alba about his work. Both visits provided us with very real perspectives on the judicial branch of government, as opposed to the limited scope provided by textbooks. It was also a very fun experience! - Intern Alejandro Bravo

5 Shaina Ghuraya Franklin High School LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE My mentor Jazmin (to the right) made this an exciting learning environment, giving me my own desk to complete assignments and always keeping me tuned in to what was happening in the Capitol. Working in Senator Vargas office was a unique experience. Senator Vargas was very open and helpful. He allowed me to brief him on bills and type up his talking points for committee hearings. I was lucky enough to have two superb mentors, Anika, the Legislative Director, and Sarah, the Fellow. They taught me so much about the Secretary of State's office and allowed me to have hands on experience in dealing with legislation such as writing position letters. Anika even let me meet Secretary of State Debra Bowen! Philly Crosby, the Assistant Deputy Secretary of State for Legislative and Constituent Affairs, gave me the opportunity to deal with issues constituents were facing. I researched their problems and formed answers to their questions, all with Philly's guidance. "During my time here, I got my own cubicle which made me feel very professional and allowed me to be able to take on more assignments due to my computer access."

6 CalPERS Tour Our tour of CalPERS taught us a lot about the state retirement system, pension as well as where the money for pensions comes from. One thing we did not except to see was the vast amount of greenery throughout all the buildings - CalPERS even won an award for it! "The tour was very informative and the most important lesson we took away from there was that it's never too early to start saving for retirement!" - Intern Shaina Ghuaraya

7 Alexandrea Henry Antelope High School LEGISLATIVE EXECUTIVE Ali and her legislative mentor Mukhtar during the internship. Aided in designing CSAC (California Student Aid Commissions) website for college bound students. Gained new insight on the process of financial aid, Cal grants, and scholarships. Completed a sample bill analysis. Gained new insight on how California s government works! Assisted in reviewing current legislation. Provided insight and opinions regarding current issues and legislation. Experienced office routines: filing, faxes, answering phone calls, researching, copying, etc. Attended committee hearings in relation to office legislation. Learned the whole process of enacting a bill. Ali and her executive mentor Sean. This is a great opportunity that most teens do not have the pleasure of enjoying! Provided a youth s perspective on many controversial topics related to my placement office. Learned the process of how the executive branch correlates with the legislative branch.

8 Senate/Assembly Floor Tour: Senator Vargas Senator Juan Vargas graciously gave the insand-outs of the Capitol building. Shared the differences between the Senate and Assembly Floor. Explained the roles of the Democrats and Republicans during Floor Session. Showed interesting parts of the Capitol to the interns, that the public does not get the privilege of viewing such as the void. Answered and encouraged all questions that interns had regarding the Capitol s history and the roles of the Legislators that work there. Willing to take photos with the interns Introduced interns to important political figures throughout the course of the tour.

9 Holly Hillis Rio Americano High School Legislative Interning in Senator Ron Calderon's Office with Carlos Molina III was so much fun. We went to most of the Senate floor sessions and some committee meetings, including the Public Safety Committee, which I got to do a small research project on. I walked around with Carlos and a lobbyist for the TNT Fireworks company to talk to other offices about SB1468, a bill that would allow fireworks during New Years. Carlos was lobbying for this bill in preparation for the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization. We saw it pass through with only one "no" vote! I got to meet and talk to a lot of interesting people in the Capitol and there weren't any dull moments. My executive mentor, Amy, carved a watermelon and brought it into work one day! (below) Executive There were so many things to do at the State Treasurer's Office (STO). Amy Nabel was in charge of several research projects and we went to meetings or sat in on conference calls about them everyday. We also watched certain committee hearings to keep track of bills that affected the STO. I wrote a summary of the 33,000 comments that people sent in to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) regarding the possible implementation of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) programs, and researched San Diego's recent pension reforms. Everyone was so nice in the office. I even got a going away party! Holly received her own badge while working at the State Treasurer s Office!

10 HorseShoe Tour/Meeting With California s First Lady We took a tour of the Governor's Office with one of the current executive fellows. The office is shaped like a horseshoe and in the middle is a lawn. The walls of the hallways in the office are lined with local California artwork. Then we met the First Lady of California, Anne Gust Brown! She spoke to all of the Capital fellows and the LegiSchool interns about her early career in law and her current career as First Lady. She encouraged us to stand up for ourselves but always be respectful. First Lady Anne Gust Brown. The chair the First Lady sat in.

11 Corina Johnson Pleasant Grove High School During my executive placement, I worked at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). I worked on projects like DMV Vision 2015 and wrote up sample proposals for the SB 1298 (Senator Padilla s Autonomous Vehicles Bill). It was a wonderful experience to see how the DMV is directly impacted by laws that are passed by the legislature. Corina with Assemblymember Pan (left) and her amazing legislative mentor Motec Sanchez (right). Corina and her wonderful mentor Guadalupe (below), the badge Corina got while working at the DMV (middle bottom). For my legislative placement, I was in Assemblymember Pan s office. It was a unique opportunity to shadow the daily life of a member by attending floor sessions, analyzing bills, and interacting with constituents. Occasionally you even see celebrities walking around the Capitol. (Corina posing with Rob Schneider right).

12 Mock Hearing AB 1527 (Portantino): The ban on the open carry of long-guns Interns were introduced to a bill (AB 1527) and were then assigned different roles (opposition & support). Assembly members were played by our mentors (current capital fellows), and they drilled the interns with questions just like actual Assemblymembers. It was a great opportunity for the interns to put what they had observed over the past few weeks into action. This was a wonderful simulation of what we saw during actual hearings. It allowed me to really consider where I stand on certain positions. - Intern Corina Johnson

13 Macaulay Porter Rio Americano High School I learned so much about the inner workings of the Capitol and the legislative system during my time at the Assembly Republican Caucus Office of Policy I learned the caucus of each political party is responsible on summarizing, informing, and debriefing the Assemblymembers on bills. This includes bill analyses, meetings, and committee hearings. This requires a lot of experience in public policy. Overall I learned so much and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience which was unforgettable. Macaulay (third from the left) and fellow interns outside of the federal courthouse.

14 Federal Court Tour LegiSchool students learned the structure of the Federal Courts and how each of the judges are appointed while talking to Federal Court Judge Mueller. Supreme Court Appellate Courts District Courts FUN FACT! The Federal Courts handle roughly 2% of the states cases on an annual basis. Overall it was a great experience for us because we learned so much, visited Judge Muller's chambers, and got to go to a Federal Courthouse. - Intern Macaulay Porter

15 Archives Tour The words on the Constitution Wall(background) not only reflect their presence in the document, but their shape and size also represent their deeper meanings. For instance, the word Rights is the largest word on the wall and is slightly faded into the background, reflecting the wall s overall theme. The State Archives is home to everything from vintage trademark artwork to highway construction maps. Some former governors place their records in the State Archives, the most recent one being former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. FUN FACT! California was a bilingual state for the first 30 years of statehood. Everything had to be printed in English and Spanish, which is why the original Constitution(stored in a vault in the State Archives building) can be found in both languages. To the right, interns are looking at a book of original mug shots taken by criminals at San Quentin back in 1901! One of the many interesting thing you can find at the State Archives.

16 THE END 2012 LegiSchool Real World Civics Summer Internship