08/04/2017
I was raised on a ranch near a small rural town called San Ardo in the South Salinas Valley by immigrant parents who came to the United States in 1985. This town is often unknown, even by Salinas Valley residents.The south end of the Salinas Valley’s lack of exposure to the world and opportunities...
07/31/2017
During a recent lunch meeting, Deputy City Manager Stuart Schillinger asked myself and the other interns working for the City of Brisbane two questions: What is the most significant thing that I have found in my work, and what am I stuck on that we can work through together? These questions lead me...
07/26/2017
Demonstrating the real-world effects of net neutrality, and of losing it, can be difficult. It can be hard to illustrate how removing FCC rules preventing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from doing certain things has a very real impact on everyday consumers and disadvantages lower income internet...
07/21/2017
City Planning is relatively a new field for me. Last semester, I took my first City Planning course titled “Y-PLAN” (Youth - Plan, Learn, Act, Now). Through this course I was able to do what I am most passionate about, which is empower youth of color by including them in shaping the solution to the...
07/05/2017
Prior to this internship with City Manager Clay Holstine of the City of Brisbane, I had volunteered and interned for several local election races, in Berkeley and elsewhere. After the campaigns were over, I would closely follow the new council members’ actions and votes, yet I was largely unaware...
07/03/2017
The vast majority of Americans take Internet access for granted, and for good reason. The digital world is now an omnipresent force in the physical world, always a quick tap of the “home” button away. Nevertheless, in 2016 the Pew Research Center reported that for approximately 13%, of American...
06/21/2017
Last summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of Cal-in-Sacramento and intern for Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield); this experience opened my eyes to the endless policy activity that goes on in California, and especially at the State Capitol. As a result, I learned the legislative...
08/23/2016
Interning for Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin, I’ve had the unique experience to both research policy and to directly implement it. While interning for the Councilmember I was also appointed to the City of Berkeley’s planning commission. As a result, it was not uncommon for me to do...
08/10/2016
To start off the Administrators retreat, the Superintendent of the District showed us a video titled “It’s a New Day, Antioch,” created by Deer Valley High School students. It calls on residents to let go of the past and come together to make Antioch a better place to live (you can check out the...
07/28/2016
Every Tuesday morning at 500 W. Temple Street, five actors convene on the dais for a final performance. I have come to view government work as a show. Not in a bad way, but a great way. I don't mean that people are makebelieving or pretending, in fact government workers are very aware of the real-...