EPIC: CA Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, Strategic Growth Council

Summer 2023 Fellows:

Angel De Dios

Summer 2024 Fellows:

Summer 2025 Fellows:

Office Description

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is the State’s Comprehensive Planning Agency. OPR 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. It also serves several important functions in the administration of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) is housed within OPR and is 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.

Description of the Work

Interns at OPR 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.

Potential Projects:

Wildfire: Intern may work to support the Commission on Catastrophic Wildfire Cost and Recovery, housed at OPR. An intern may participate in research on wildfires in California.
Regions Rise Together: This initiative focuses on inclusive economic development and sustainable approaches to land use and transportation planning. Intern may engage with state policy makers with ideas about how to align funding and policy to support economic development in inland areas.
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.
Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Intern may support State policy work to support local, regional, and statewide climate adaptation and resilience planning and policy initiatives through the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP). Potential placements include ICARP’s Adaptation Planning Grant Program, Regional Resilience Grant Program, and the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program and SGC’s Community Resilience Centers and Transformative Climate Collaboratives programs.
Zero-Emission Vehicles: Intern may research and draft memos on the funding of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and setting up car share programming. Intern may also organize working groups, and catalog relevant studies, and models. Past interns have also worked on the Coast-to-Coast Smart e-Mobility program, which focuses on smart and clean transportation solutions, and had the opportunity to travel to Europe.
Bill Analysis: Intern may work with the Legislative Director to write bill analyses.
Intern projects, to an extent, can be tailored to the intern’s specific areas of interest.

Desired Skills

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 OPR and SGC cover. Please see the OPR and SGC websites for more information on the areas of work.

Bonus skills: Experience with GIS/modeling/mapping tools, graphic design/web design/multimedia skills, communications/outreach skills, legal or legislative analysis.

Internship Location: Interns must be based in California for the duration of the internship, with the possibility of hybrid and remote work available.
EPIC fellows have the option to work full-time (35+ hours per week) for 10 weeks (stipend: $7,500-$9,000, depending on financial need) or 12 weeks (stipend: $9,000-$10,500, depending on financial need) over the summer.