Local Government Internship
The Robert T. Matsui Local Government Internship offers students the opportunity to get firsthand municipal experience in California's political and policy making communities. One student each year will be selected for an enlightening internship in a branch of local government of the student's preference.
We will help place you in the internship that you find most interesting, whether it is working in a mayor's office or interning for a local school board. The internship will involve full time work during the summer. To help with living costs and transportation we will award up to a $2,000 stipend.
All students currently enrolled at UC Berkeley are encouraged to apply!
Deadline to apply is January 27, 2012. Download an Application Now
Jake Brymner
2011 Local Government Intern
Jake Brymner, senior, spent the summer in the office of San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener. Wiener was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2010 to represent District 8, which covers the Castro, Eureka Valley, Upper Market, Noe Valley, Duboce Triangle, Diamond Heights, Glen Park, Corona Heights, Buena Vista, Twin Peaks, Mission-Dolores, and parts of the Inner Mission.
Read Brymner’s evaluation of his internship:
Prior to starting my internship in the Office of San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. While it wasn’t my first internship, it was my first foray into the world of San Francisco politics and the first time I was involved in local government. Perhaps, if forced, I could have hazarded a few guesses about what my experience would be like: constituent relations, urban policy (and politics), office work, a closer view of how things worked in City Hall, and a crash course on San Francisco. However, I wouldn’t even have gotten close about how much I would learn about all these topics.
One of the first impressions my experience left upon me was one of depth. Going from causally-observing outsider to under-the-dome ‘insider’ overnight made realize how expansive the universe of a single city could be. Having the opportunity to directly see the myriad of interests and constituencies represented at City Hall, every day, put what was previously only a theoretical understanding into practice. It was heartening to see the diversity of San Francisco embodied in its politics, and instantly brought back to mind the Federalist Papers readings from Political Science 1: Intro to American Politics.
I also had the chance to see what I had learned from my California Politics course put into action. I was fortunate to have the chance to see a budget process up close, since right when I arrived for my first week, the Budget Committee, on which Supervisor Wiener sat, began finalizing its recommendations. My proximity to the process let me gain an understanding for the constraints on legislators, at all levels, during budget season, and a window into how budgets are made possible politically. I also had my first endeavor in the field of ballot measures when I helped guide several ballot guide arguments through their (often times arcane) submission process.
I couldn’t write about my experience without mentioning the amazing people I had the chance to work with. Both of the Supervisor’s legislative aides were not only helpful and constructive to my own experience, but also vastly knowledgeable about the city, its people, politics and policies, and, to top it off, fun and easy to work with. I found not only Supervisor Wiener, but all other public servants in City Hall, to be extremely hardworking and capable. Seeing how San Francisco’s Supervisors worked hard and were able to come together and talk, if not always agree, was both instructional and inspirational.
Sarah Belford
2010 Local Government Intern
What should a Cal student do during the hot summer days between semesters? Work at a frozen yogurt stand? Hang out with high school friends? Sarah Belford had other ideas -- like working for the mayor of one of the largest cities in the country.
Belford scored a 10-week internship in San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's office through the Local Government Internship program at IGS' Robert Matsui Center.
The Irvine junior split her time 40-60 between the mayor's press office and the legislative affairs office that acts as a liaison with the Board of Supervisors.
"It's really exciting," said Belford. "My supervisors in each office make sure I get an educational experience out of the internship. So sometimes I will sit in on meetings with the supervisors and take notes."
One particularly frenzied time time in the office occurred when legislation requiring cell phone providers to disclose radiation levels emanating from their devices went before the board. Belford and other interns had to handle a flurry of press activity for the controversial measure. She was also in the office during the famously contentious budget process between late-May and July, and she learned some valuable lessons just by observing the back-and-forth between the mayor's office and the board.
Since the communications office has a small staff, many of whom left to work on Newsom's Lieutenant Governor campaign, Belford and other interns were thrown into a number of substantive, challenging job roles.
Besides handling press inquiries, Belford was responsible for updating social networking tools like Twitter, YouTube and blogs, putting together legislation binders for the mayor to read, and tracking press coverage of the mayor's key issues. She even had enough time to take a summer class in comparative politics to make sure she fulfills all of the requirements of her ambitious double major.
Belford, a double major in political science and business administration (through the Haas School of Business), got connected to Newsom's office after talking to internship director Ethan Rarick about her interests and future plans. Next spring Belford will study business and economics at the University of Bocconi in Milan, Italy, as part of Cal's study abroad program.
Her internship experience last summer was so fruitful that she hopes to find more in the next two summers, possibly working for a nonprofit or NGO.
One of the highlights of the summer was getting to walk next to Mayor Newsom during San Francisco's famous Gay Pride Parade in June.
"Walking down Market Street was pretty cool," said Belford.
Belford said that incoming Cal freshman and sophomores should be thinking about taking advantage of the many internship programs Berkeley has to offer.
"You have to try to get as involved as possible, whether that's working for service groups, or getting internships," she said. "Take classes that interest you, and you're bound to find parallels between classes in political science and what you might want to do in your career."
Claire Doran
2009 Local Government Intern
Since being chosen as the Matsui Local Government Intern, I have had the opportunity to work closely with the Center's staff to explore where my interests might place me, and with their assistance I have secured a full-time internship with Supervisor Bevan Dufty in San Francisco.
I intend to use my internship as an opportunity to explore the inner
workings of local government. As a Peace and Conflict Studies major, I
have learned to appreciate exactly how central the local government is
in responding to the needs of community and the diverse populations
that exist within. My experience in Supervisor Dufty's office (and in
the extremely diverse and progressive city of San Francisco) will
provide me with a unique lens with which I can examine the role of
local governments and conflict resolution in the future.
The most exciting aspect of this internship is the promise of
reciprocal growth and transformation. I will certainly bring my
passion, knowledge and energy to the office to effect change, just as
working with the people in the office, in City Hall, in local
organizations, and citizens in the community will undoubtedly change me
as well.
This notice required by the U.S. Department of Education:
The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education through a Congressionally directed grant award. The contents of this website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
