If California is truly as progressive as it claims, why don’t Capitol interns get paid?

If California is serious about equity and diversifying its workforce to address entrenched systemic racism, it can start by paying interns who work at the state Capitol.

It’s unconscionable that more than 90% of interns who work in the state Capitol go unpaid. Since 2018, about 96% of California Senate interns hired went unpaid and, in the Assembly, about 94% of interns were unpaid, according to a recent Bee report.

California’s Democratic-controlled Legislature likes promoting its pro-labor, pro-union and pro-workers’ rights voting record. Yet the Capitol’s reliance on unpaid internships, which disproportionately bars students of color, is fundamentally at odds with California’s progressive values.

The long-term consequences are dire: they worsen income inequality, perpetuate existing racial inequities and directly affect social mobility. Unpaid internships favor financially privileged individuals who can afford to work without an income and often rely on parental support.

They also sustain gender pay gaps. Women are less likely to receive pay for college internships and account for 81% of unpaid internships. Unsurprisingly, paid internships are more likely to result in full-time work than unpaid internships are.

Recently, California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said it’s “speculative” to assume that paid internships attract more diverse candidates. Existing data would beg to differ.

In fact, students of color are less likely to secure paid internships, altogether. White students account for 71% of unpaid interns; Latino students account for 10%; Black students account for 7% and Asian American students account for 4%, according to a 2019 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Additionally, the study found that white and Asian students were more likely to be paid, Black students were more likely to not get paid and Latino students were more likely to never hold an internship at all.

Passing up any opportunity — paid or not — can jeopardize future career plans for college students attempting to get their foot in the door of California politics. It also puts them at a disadvantage compared to others who pad their resumes. That’s why some students who take on an unpaid internship often have to take on side jobs just to make ends meet

Four interns spoke to Bee reporter Kim Bojórquez anonymously about their experience working unpaid internships at the Sacramento Capitol while simultaneously working additional jobs. One man said he worked an unpaid internship for a Democratic assemblymember in 2017 while also juggling school work and two side jobs to cover living costs. One woman said she worked as an unpaid intern for an assemblymember during the summers of 2013 and 2014 while working a food service job in the mornings — sometimes waking up as early as 3:45 a.m.

According to Rendon, a critical bonus of interning in the California Legislature is the opportunity to network and make connections. This also means that unpaid internships perpetuate the exclusivity of politics: who you can afford to know helps you get ahead.

Some students take on unpaid internships in exchange for college course credit. But experience and networking doesn’t pay the bills.

Democratic politicians such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have already resolved to pay all interns on their staff. AOC, who pays her interns $15 an hour, teamed up with the nonprofit Pay Our Interns, a group founded in 2016 and led by two formerly unpaid interns of color. The organization raised the issue in the California Capitol.

“Unpaid interns are answering the phones for nearly every State Legislative Office, and are on the frontlines in helping Californians navigate the COVID-19 crisis. It is unacceptable that these essential workers are unpaid, and we need to take action,” Carlos Mark Vera, co-founder and executive director of Pay Our Interns, said. “California is a leader in creating equitable workplaces, and the state’s government must be the next priority for progress. If the state of Indiana has prioritized paying its interns, I’m confident that California can do the same.”

Some California assembly members have paid their interns by moving around funds. Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, D-Bell Gardens, was able to pay an intern this year because a member of her staff was on maternity leave, while Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, used money from her own budget to pay for meals and transportation passes for interns.

But state legislators should not have to shuffle around money just to pay interns what they deserve. California officials need proper funds earmarked solely for paying interns.

Pay Our Interns is proposing that the California Legislature allocate $27,000 a year for each lawmaker — a $3.2 million request per year — to pay interns. That’s a small price to pay to bolster opportunities for California’s emerging workforce.

Ending unpaid internships is in the best interest of California’s future. The California Legislature must abandon this privileged practice of unpaid internships that bars young, diverse talent from entering politics and bringing forth ideas and policies that could improve the communities they serve.

This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.