Intern (Government and Public Affairs)

Please note, this posting will remain open until June 22, 2022. We anticipate interviews for this position will be held in five to six weeks.



A paid internship at SCAG offers students practical work experience, providing them with an opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with experts/colleagues in their academic field of study. Under general supervision, an Intern at SCAG will perform a variety of routine administrative and technical duties in support of a department, which may include researching, writing, and presenting reports and recommendations.



SCAG is currently seeking 3 interns in the Government and Public Affairs Division, supporting our Legislation, Media and Public Affairs, and Regional Services departments.



Legislation

The Legislation intern will support the department in legislative analysis, research and correspondence, the Legislative Communications & Membership Committee (LCMC), SCAG’s letter writing program, and various administrative duties. The intern should have basic knowledge of state and federal governmental organization, operations, processes and procedures and have the ability to engage in policy evaluation, research and reporting.



Through the Legislation Department, SCAG provides regional input to Congressional lawmakers, the Administration, and federal agency officials concerning the broad spectrum of issues encompassing SCAG’s core jurisdictions.


In state legislative matters, SCAG’s efforts are focused on stabilizing and enhancing transportation funding while preserving the authority and flexibility of local government and transportation entities to best utilize available resources to meet the needs of an ever-growing region.




Media and Public Affairs



The Media and Public Affairs intern will support the Media and Public Affairs department with communications, outreach, social media, contact management, and event planning. The intern should possess strong communication and organizational skills and be familiar with major social media platforms and their reporting features.



SCAG’s Media and Public Affairs Department performs many key functions for the agency, such as deploying strategic communications to further agency priorities and foster public understanding of long-range regional planning. The department aims to produce clear and consistent communications, media, and promotional campaigns that exemplify agency values and standards, and enhance the SCAG brand as a respected and influential voice for the region by increasing awareness of agency’s work and purpose.



Regional Services



The Regional Services intern will support the Regional Services department in community engagement, communicating with SCAG’s member agencies, and monitoring and reporting on relevant activities from SCAG’s members and stakeholders. The intern should have excellent communication and comprehension skills and an understanding of elected offices.



Regional Services is the frontline “eyes and ears” to the community, elected officials, and stakeholders in helping SCAG to fulfill state and federal requirements per SCAG’s designation as the metropolitan planning organization and multi-county designated transportation planning agency for the region. Regional Services assists the agency to strengthen community engagement, to maintain and increase participation from SCAG’s members and in supporting the regional transportation planning, programming, and policy making process to fulfill SCAG’s vision, mission, goals, and objectives approved by SCAG General Assembly and Regional Council. Regional Services is responsible for maintaining and keeping open the lines of communications with SCAG member agencies, elected officials, the planning community, public\private and non-profit stakeholders, and the public. Regional Services monitors the activities of SCAG’s members, comprising cities, counties, county transportation commissions, federally recognized tribal governments and other stakeholders in the region and reports back on issues, conflicts and constraints that may impact the ability for SCAG to fulfill state and federal planning requirements.



Internships will approximately begin late-July and will be limited to a maximum of 29 hours a week for the duration of the internship (999 hours[SK1] ). Interns are expected to work at least 15 hours per week.



SCAG is deeply committed to embodying the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and advancing racial equity throughout the Southern California region. SCAG encourages applications by members of all underrepresented groups.



As a mission-driven organization, SCAG is committed to attracting and retaining talent who embody SCAG’s values. SCAG's workforce is passionate and committed to innovation that improves the quality of life for all Southern Californians. When you join SCAG, you can expect a culture where collaboration and teamwork is fostered.




SCAG operates as a hybrid organization because we recognize that work can be successfully performed in various locations. Designing a work environment and culture where SCAG’s mission, effectiveness, and collaboration can be more flexibly served demonstrates our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) by supporting work-life balance for our employees, retaining our existing dedicated staff, and increasing access to new talent pools.



As part of our Work@SCAG hybrid approach, employee's eligibility in the three work models (office, hybrid, remote) will depend on the department, position, responsibilities, and duties. All work models require employees to work from a location based within the SCAG region.




SCAG’s COVID-19 Prevention Program, which includes our vaccination policy, can be found here (Download PDF reader).




OUR LOCATION

SCAG headquarters is located in the hub of busy downtown Los Angeles, at Figueroa and 7th streets. SCAG has recently relocated to the 900 Wilshire Building, a new, multi-use hotel and office complex that features state of the art architecture and technology. The downtown area has expanded with LA Live, new restaurants, music, sports, shopping, libraries, museums and theaters. SCAG is in a culturally diverse area near Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Chinatown, Olvera Street and Grand Central Market. Southern California boasts near-perfect weather and close proximity to mountains, beaches and deserts, which encourages physical fitness and year-round activities.



For ease of commuting, the LA office is located across the street from the Metro Red Line 7th St. station and is easily accessible by commuter trains and buses serving surrounding areas. Metro's light rail and subway connect downtown LA to Hollywood, Universal City, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Azusa, Long Beach and many vibrant and up-and-coming neighborhoods.



WHO WE ARE:

Founded in 1965, the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) is a Joint Powers Authority under California state law, established as an association of local governments and agencies that voluntarily convene as a forum to address regional issues. Under federal law, The SCAG region encompasses six counties (Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura) and 191 cities in an area covering more than 38,000 square miles. The agency develops long-range regional transportation plans including sustainable communities' strategy and growth forecast components, regional transportation improvement programs, regional housing needs allocations and a portion of the South Coast Air Quality management plans. Currently, the Regional Council consists of 86 members.



WHAT WE BELIEVE



MISSION

To foster innovative regional solutions that improve the lives of Southern Californians through inclusive collaboration, visionary planning, regional advocacy, information sharing, and promoting best practices.



VISION

Southern California's Catalyst for a Brighter Future.



SCAG CORE VALUES

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  Be Open: Be accessible, candid, collaborative and transparent in the work we do.
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  Lead by Example: Commit to integrity and equity in working to meet the diverse needs of all people and communities in our region.
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  Make an Impact: In all endeavors, effect positive and sustained outcomes that make our region thrive.
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  Be Courageous: Have confidence that taking deliberate, bold and purposeful risks can yield new and valuable benefits.

Legislation

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  Assist with the Legislation Departments letters program which provides member jurisdictions and stakeholders with letters in support of grant program applications.
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  Assist in analyzing proposed Federal and State legislation and their impact on department legislative priorities and programs.
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  Provide staff support for the LCMC by helping prepare staff reports and attending meetings.
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  Assist the department with drafting letters, fact sheets, analyses, reports, and other materials.
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  Assist with office support functions, such as maintaining files and trackers.
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  Other duties as assigned.

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  Compile relevant news on transportation and housing for the daily SCAG Morning Clips newsletter
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  Research contacts and update contact database
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  Develop content for various outreach channels for SCAG programs
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  Design and present new social media campaign ideas
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  Create and compile content to be posted on the SCAG intranet
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  Support the planning and hosting of signature events
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  Measure and report on the results of communications and outreach efforts
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  Other duties as assigned

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  Attend meetings, events, workshops, conferences to broaden understanding of planning, programming, projects and policy making organized by cities, counties, cog’s, county transportation commission and non-profit organizations.
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  Create a list of public sites to hold SCAG RTP\SCS public workshops and SCAG RC District Elections, including contacts, administrative requirements, fees and site characteristics.
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  Create a Regional Affairs Officer Handbook.
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  Identify new CRM contacts that need to be added to CRM (e.g. City level Department Director positions not currently included in CRM).
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  Continue updating of Tribal Government Regional Planning Board SCAG data contact Updates
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  Other duties as assigned

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: An undergraduate or graduate student who is currently enrolled in a university or community college taking classes toward a Political Science, Public Policy, Public Administration, Government, Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or Journalism degree, or who has graduated within the previous 12 months.



KNOWLEDGE OF: State and federal legislative organization, operations, processes and procedures; legislative publications; principles and procedures of legislative record keeping; Principles of journalism including standard format, AP style rules, grammar, and spelling; editorial styles; and English composition; principles, practices, methods, and techniques of communication; marketing and media principles and concepts; public relations, media advocacy, and community affairs; Principles and practices of project management; sources of information related to a broad range of outreach and communications programs and services; software such as Windows, Microsoft Office Suite, MailChimp, Customer Relationship Management; Research and report preparation methods and procedures; modern office procedures, methods and computer software and hardware; basic principles and procedures of record keeping; principles of mathematics; English usage, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.