2025 Environment and Policy Internships (EPIC): CA Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) / Strategic Growth Council (SGC)
Job Title: Land Use and Climate Innovation Intern
Department/Team: CA Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation / Strategic Growth Council
Location: Hybrid or fully in-person in Sacramento, CA (1400 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814)
Duration: 35-40 hours per week for ten weeks over the summer
Reports to: Adrienne Moretz (Special Advisor, Innovation and Partnerships), Sean Kennedy (Deputy Director, Energy Investments)
Areas of Interest: Community-led climate initiatives, community engagement, environmental justice and equity
About the CA Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the Strategic Growth Council:
The CA Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) is the State’s Comprehensive Planning Agency. LCI is responsible for formulating long-range goals and policies spanning numerous issues, including land use, state and local planning, climate change, environmental justice, renewable energy, transportation, health, and military affairs. The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is housed within LCI and is a cabinet-level body responsible for the implementation of policies through grant programs and policy initiatives related to affordable housing, sustainable communities, transit-oriented development, infrastructure, conservation, health, and social equity.
Position Description/Scope of Work:
Interns at LCI and SGC will work on a variety of projects that further the Governor’s policy and planning priorities. Interns will have a hands-on opportunity to learn about state government and policy implementation. The interns will gain skills in policy research and writing, land use planning, local government outreach, interagency coordination, legislative analysis, and more.
At LCI/SGC, the student may have the opportunity to:
- Collaborate with programs within SGC, other state departments and agencies, federal officials, community leaders, and industry organizations to develop initiatives for new programs and identify the need to establish new and/or revise/improve existing programs.
- Lead and participate in staff meetings, attend and provide training to staff, handle special projects, provide work status reports, serve on inter-agency working groups, participate in SGC initiatives, and perform other job-related duties as assigned.
- Develop external facing materials to build relationships with federal agencies, philanthropies, California communities, and other relevant audiences (e.g., blog posts, fact sheets, trainings, recorded content)
- Collaborate with SGC program teams to develop community-led stories and understand project data/information that can be used for external storytelling
- Work with Deputy Director of Energy Investments to lead implementation of SGC responsibilities contained in Executive Order N-2-24 on Infill Housing, including investigating and reporting on processes, permits, and other administrative actions that can be adjusted to create flexibility and lower the per unit cost of infill housing
List of Potential Projects:
- Connecting Communities Initiative: Intern may support external communications efforts, grant research/applications for the Connecting Communities initiative, which supports SGC grantees and unawarded applicants in accessing federal funding and demonstrate proven strategies to advance community climate leadership.
- Energy Investments: Intern work on projects related to the Energy Investments portfolio, which supports communities historically excluded from the benefits of California’s energy transition through dedicated outreach, engagement, and technical assistance, while working across the broader portfolio of grantees and applicants to create pathways to alternative funding opportunities, such as those available under the Inflation Reduction Act and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
- Health and Equity: Intern may work on various projects to advance health and racial equity in California, including through the Health in All Policies Task Force.
- Affordable Housing: Intern may research how to advance State policy objectives through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities grant program.
- Intern projects, to an extent, can be tailored to the intern’s specific areas of interest.
Desired Skills/Qualifications:
Ideal candidates are self-driven and independently motivated, can balance multiple projects at once and meet deadlines, are highly professional and responsible, have strong verbal and written communication as well as analytical and organizational skills, and demonstrate a strong interest in one or more of the subject matters that LCI and SGC cover. Please see the LCI and SGC websites for more information on the areas of work.
Bonus skills: Experience with graphic design/web design/multimedia skills, communications/outreach skills, legal or legislative analysis.
Logistics:
- EPIC fellows are required to work full-time (35-40 hours per week) for 10 weeks over the summer, and will receive a stipend of $8,000 - $9,500, depending on financial need. This stipend is intended to help cover living and transportation expenses during the fellowship, which the student is expected to arrange and coordinate.
- Start and end dates are flexible (start date no later than July 7, 2025).
Eligibility:
Stanford undergraduates from all academic disciplines are encouraged to apply, and applicants may vary in academic interests, public service involvement, and experience. Learn more about our previous EPIC cohorts! Students must be enrolled for winter and spring quarters of this year and be in good academic standing to be eligible for a fellowship. Applications will only be accepted from students who will be enrolled as undergraduates for the following academic year, so unfortunately, graduating seniors cannot apply. The one exception to this rule is seniors who will be working toward a co-term degree during the following academic year. Co-term students must be in the undergraduate billing group in spring quarter. Please refer to the Haas Center for Public Service's website for additional Cardinal Quarter Undergraduate Fellowship Program Policies and Requirements.
Note: students are only eligible for one Stanford-funded full-time experiential learning opportunity during the summer, and are not permitted to engage in another full-time internship, job, coursework, or volunteer opportunity. Students are responsible for arranging and paying for their own housing and transportation during the fellowship.
Requirements:
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Spring Quarter:
- Commit to working full-time (35-40 hours week) for 10 consecutive weeks
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Complete an online program orientation through the Haas Center for Public Service
- This will include designing a personal learning plan that you will share with your site supervisor and academic mentor
- Complete the Engaging in Ethical and Effective Service in-person workshop or worksheet
- Meet with your assigned Stanford academic mentor at least once prior to the start of the fellowship (more check-ins during and after your experience are encouraged)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in spring quarter, as your schedule allows
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Complete and submit all required forms and paperwork
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Summer Quarter:
- Engage in your full-time fellowship (starting no later than July 7, 2025; exact start date to be determined with your site supervisor)
- Attend EPIC cohort building events and activities in the summer, as your schedule allows
- Submit a mid-summer evaluation
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Submit a final project report, complete a program evaluation, and correspond with donor(s) as requested by program staff
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Fall Quarter:
- Debrief with your academic mentor at least once
- Attend a de-briefing meeting for the purpose of reflecting upon and evaluating summer experiences
- Participate in outreach activities to share your experiences and help publicize the program
