About the Internship Program
Each year, the Office of the Assembly Chief Clerk selects four interns from California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), the University of California, Davis (UCD), and the University of California, Merced (UCM). This internship offers students a rare opportunity to work inside the State Capitol and gain firsthand experience with the legislative process in a strictly nonpartisan environment. Interns serve as full-time staff members for eight months, taking on responsibilities as legislative clerks. Their duties include amending and proofreading bills, processing legislation and committee analyses, managing official paperwork, and acting as liaisons among the Assembly, Senate, Secretary of State, and Governor’s Office. Interns also receive the privilege of working on the Assembly Floor.
Professional development is a central component of the program. Interns participate in legislative process seminars, Capitol Institute courses on office procedures, and software training sessions. They benefit from mentoring and skill-building provided by experienced legislative clerks, as well as weekly Guest Speaker events featuring prominent figures in California politics. Past speakers have included legislators, senior policy staff from the Governor’s Office and legislative committees, newspaper columnists, and lobbyists. Interns also gain perspective through specialized tours of state facilities and by completing projects on parliamentary procedure.
Interns are paid and may earn UCD units/CSUS units/UCM units. Juniors, seniors, and recent graduates of all majors may apply. Interns begin employment in February and serve until September.
A history of the Chief Clerks' Legislative Internship Program was published in the Legislative Administrator magazine (Spring 2010 edition).
Click here to view the article.
Internship Information:
*Documents provided in PDF (Portable Document Format) require the free Adobe Reader software. Click the Get Adobe Reader button to download and install the Reader to integrate with your Web browser.
