By Kyle Ching, 2025 CLA Intern
TO: Sophia Kwong Kim
Chief of Staff to Assemblymember Mike Fong
Dear Sophia,
My name is Kyle Ching, and I recently met you during CAUSE’s Capitol Summit trip to Sacramento on July 17, 2025. I was inspired by your story and the meaningful work that you do behind the scenes in Sacramento to make California a better place for all of us.
You don’t know how much my eyes lit up when you told us that you attended USC Price for your Master of Public Policy–the same school that I graduated from this past year. More than anyone else that I have met in government, you share the same laser-focused commitment to policy that I feel within my heart. Your commitment to education policy shines through in every higher education bill that Assemblymember Fong introduces, and it was so interesting to learn how your elective courses at USC’s policy and education schools shaped that passion. Selfishly, I felt a burst of pride to know that I attended the same school as someone so knowledgeable and influential in shaping policy at the state level.
More than that, I was fascinated by the many roles you have held in the state capitol and the eventful journey you have taken to become chief of staff. From being a legislative aide to legislative director to consultant for the Assembly Education Committee, I began to see a possible path for myself in Sacramento should I end up there after law school. As you shared with us how you reluctantly left your position on the Education Committee to become chief of staff to Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell, I laughed a little because I think I would have that same hesitancy to leave a dearly loved policy job for a bigger role on the political stage. However, it’s very clear to me that if there was ever a person made for the gargantuan task of being a chief of staff in Sacramento, it is you. You are one of the smartest and most efficient people I have ever met, and I now look up to you as a role model for my future career.
During the Q&A, one of my fellow interns asked you if you would ever consider running for office yourself—your answer to this resonated with me deeply. You said that you loved shaping policy more than anything but were not as enthusiastic about the fundraising and politicking part of being an elected official—instead, it was the less-acknowledged but crucial behind-the-scenes work that kept you in Sacramento. While I believe you would make an incredibly strong candidate for office, I feel exactly the same way about running for office. Your acknowledgement, though, that working on the staff and in the background was still an effective and important way to shape policy reassured me that I don’t need to be in the spotlight to effect meaningful change.
In sum, I am so grateful to you for giving us your time and providing me with such valuable insights. I hope I get the chance to talk with you more soon.
Fight On! Kyle Ching