Mayoral Internship Program: An Overview

The Mayoral Internship Program provides a unique opportunity of experiential learning for some of this country's best and brightest undergraduate and graduate students. Those selected to participate will be assigned to a team—headed by a Senior Advisor or Deputy Mayor—and will work closely and, at times, in concert with all levels of government, in addition to City commissions and departments, on a breadth of issues related to the team's focus area. Placement assignments are made based on a combination of factors, including the needs of the Mayor's Office and the Mayoral Intern's skill set and expressed interest in a specific area.

Mayoral interns will perform a variety of tasks, which may involve policy research and development, drafting memoranda and briefs, community engagement, outreach and education, and legal research and analysis. Interns will also be invited to participate in brown-bag lunches with senior staff and tours of city landmarks that have included the Port of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles International Airport, Tillman Water Plant, LA LIVE, and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.

The Candidates

Prospective mayoral interns will be recent high school graduates with admittance to two or four year colleges or vocational schools, undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates of institutions of higher learning. Ideal candidates will have strong written and oral communication skills, a record of academic achievement, a demonstrated commitment to public service, and an ability to work in a fast-paced environment. They will also have great interpersonal skills and an understanding of the importance of maintaining a high level of ethics and integrity in the work environment. All applicants must have a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 to be considered.

Opportunities

Internship opportunities are available in the following areas:

• Administration – Work on creating a plan of action and strategy for the Mayor's Office of Administration
• Chief of Staff – Respond to urgent matters; and coordinate and support the work of the Mayor's senior staff.
• Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) – Work with team responsible for developing policy and overseeing the departments that serve the children, youth, and families of Los Angeles. CYF works with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Recreation & Parks, Libraries, and other departments, to optimize the City's support of essential services for all the City's children, youth, and families. CYF works in concert with community organizations and City and County governmental entities to provide curriculum-enhancing wrap-around services to several of the Mayor's Partnership Schools
• Communications – Contribute to the development and implementation of media strategies using appropriate awareness and sensitivity. Gain hands-on experience in media relations, website and press material development, and special events and press conference planning.
• Education – Work on the Mayor’s education agenda and assist on providing analysis of policy matters, including researching ways to increase LAUSD funding and changes in the law that would grant LAUSD and the Partnership Schools increased flexibility
• Energy and Environment – Work on the Mayor’s green agenda and assist on providing analysis of policy matters, including those affecting the service delivery of water and power to City residents.
• Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) – Assist in coordinating gang prevention, intervention, reintegration and youth development initiatives across the City. GRYD’s goal is to increase educational and employment opportunities for our City's youth and create safe communities where our young people can thrive.
• Homeland Security and Public Safety – Work on City's Master Emergency Operations Plan and related annexes, research public safety policy initiatives and reforms, and assist with grant compliance issues.
• Legal Counsel – Assist in providing legal advice to the Mayor and to members of his staff on a range of federal, state, and local matters through, among other tasks, conducting legal research and drafting memoranda.
• Legislative & Intergovernmental Relations –Work on legislative matters at the federal, state, and local levels by conducting research, drafting correspondence, preparing briefings, and organizing official trips for the Mayor.
• Neighborhood and Community Services – Work toward broadening opportunities for civic engagement among City residents and other community partners
• Office of the Census 2010 – Assist the Mayor’s Office of Census 2010 in securing a complete and accurate count of all residents of the City. An accurate count will ensure that the City receives its fair share of federal and state funding for important programs and, ultimately, determine whether our residents will have full political representation in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento. Be involved in an extremely important initiative and work directly with the Executive Director and her staff, community based organizations, and other stakeholders. This opportunity comes around every ten years.
• Office of Economic and Business Policy – Assist with revamping the City’s approach to economic development, business attraction and retention, and job creation. OEBP is charged with overseeing Airports, Harbor, Water & Power, Building & Safety, LA Convention Center, City Planning, Community Development, Community Redevelopment Agency, Housing, Homeless Authority, Film LA, Minority Business Opportunity Center and LA, Inc and leads the mayoral initiatives to streamline construction and business creation permits, create and preserve affordable housing, direct city procurement to local firms to create jobs, and moving Angelenos out of homelessness by building permanent supportive housing connected to social services.
• Performance Management & Finance – Assist in improving delivery of City services by creating service delivery initiatives in partnership with City departments and measuring initiative results against desired outcomes; provide assistance in addressing the budgetary needs of the City.

Applicable Deadlines

Below, please find the timeline for the summer 2010 internship program (May 16 – September 3, 2010).

• Application Deadline: March 31, 2010
• Notifications to accepted applicants: April 23, 2010
• Group Orientation: June 21, 2010

Online Application Process

Alliance Resource Consulting, Inc. (Alliance) has worked and will continue to work with the Mayor’s Office in promoting the Mayoral Internship Program at diverse universities and colleges throughout the United States. All applications to serve as a mayoral intern must be submitted online through Alliance’s website, which can be found by visiting www.allianceresourceconsulting.com/intern

Once on Alliance’s homepage, the applicant will need to click on the "Current Searches" icon. He or she will then need to click on the "Internships" icon at the top of the page. The applicant will be taken to a page with the heading “Internship-City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office.” The applicant should click on the “register” icon at which time he or she will be prompted to create a login account.

Once the applicant has logged in, he or she will be requested to provide additional information including a cover letter, a resume, a writing sample, references, and areas of interest, e.g., Mayor’s Office of Housing and Economic Development and Office of the Counsel to the Mayor. It is absolutely imperative that all requested information be provided if the applicant is to be considered.

Problems Applying Online? If an applicant has any technical difficulties applying online, he or she should directly contact Syldy Tom of Alliance at (562) 901-0769 Ext. 334.

Compensation

The Mayor's Office will work with those universities/colleges that offer students an unpaid/course credit option or that provide funding for public service work. A limited number of stipends may be available to selected mayoral interns only after a review and determination has been made by the Mayor’s Executive Team. Limited space for parking is also available.

General Questions

All general, day-to-day questions and referrals concerning the Mayoral Internship Program should be directed to Thomas Nakanishi in the Office of the Counsel to the Mayor at (213) 978-0724. For any management/programmatic questions, please contact Gabriel Sandoval, Deputy Legal Counsel to the Mayor, at (213) 922-9754.

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