Press-Telegram: Long Beach launches paid fellowship for students interested in local government

Alfredo Santana, Press-Telegram

Long Beach has launched a paid fellowship program for seniors at local universities and community college students interested in careers in local government.

The city has partnered with Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Long Beach City College to launch the Long Beach Public Service Corps, a program through which 50 participants will gain work experience and build skills for various occupations.

The deadline to apply, which can be done online, is Thursday, Nov. 30.

The fellowship program was initially proposed by Mayor Rex Richardson as part of his “Opportunity Beach Agenda,” presented earlier this year during his the State of the City address.

The Long Beach Public Service Corps will be funded with a one-time $300,000 allocation, which the City Council approved in early September.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Long Beach Public Service Corps program,” Richardson said in a recent press release, “which will inspire college students and recent graduates to seek careers in public service through hands-on experience.”

Long Beach announced the new program on Wednesday, Nov. 22, a day after the Carson City Council approved a similar program with CSUDH.

“This new initiative will not only create opportunities for our youth,” Richardson said about the Long Beach program, which will also include his alma mater, CSUDH, “but will also strengthen our talent pool by cultivating pathways for the next generation of leaders in local government and civic organizations.”

Participating fellows will work at various city departments from February to June. They will have the opportunity to work with professionals to gain insights into how city departments function and contribute to important projects benefiting the Long Beach community.

To be eligible, students must be seniors at CSULB or CSUDH, or LBCC students who are about to get an associate degree or certificate.

The Economic Development Department’s Workforce Development Bureau, operating as Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network, will support the design and implementation of the Long Beach Public Services Corps.

Eli Romero, workforce officer with Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network, which will oversee the program’s management, said students from 18 to 30 years old are encouraged to apply.

Selected fellows will earn $22 an hour, with weekly schedules to be arranged from a minimum of 15 hours to a maximum of 30. The fellow will be limited to 400 hours of assigned work each.

The program, Romero said, will have spots in each city department, as well as one at each of the nine City Council offices.

“This is work specific within the city itself,” Romero said. “This is really work on public service programs where we want to create a sense of camaraderie and a team approach, and have discussions on public service and government.”

Besides the paid fellowship, students will participate in a series of professional development workshops created to highlight important topics in public service, such as budgeting, community engagement, crisis management, sustainability, ethics and policy.

Fellows will also complete a project based on learning activities with the Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Youth Development, which will inform the planning of the 2024 Youth Festival and the 2025 Youth Week.

Mike Munoz, Long Beach City College’s superintendent-president, said the Long Beach Public Service Corps will give students an opportunity to enrich their academic experience with invaluable city work.

“By participating in the Public Services Corps,” he said, “our students will become more knowledgeable members of the community, make a positive impact on the city of Long Beach, and gain a deeper understanding of how to make a career in public service.”

CSULB President Jane Close Conoley said the university is proud to partner with the city to bring local career opportunities to beach students.

“Placing our highly qualified students into pathways for internships and contextualized educational experiences in city departments,” she said, “guarantees our community can secure the talent it needs for the future right here from the beach.”

The program, Richardson said, will put students on the road for full-time employment with Long Beach.

“Don’t miss the opportunity to make a lasting impact right here in the city of Long Beach,” Richardson said in a promotional video.

Romero, for his part, also urged students in neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 to apply because the city wants to ensure equity and access.

“We want to have a healthy pool of applicants,” he said. “But we also need to highlight that we want to see this particular group of applicants.”

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