By Jonathan Silverman, 2025 CLA Intern
This past week, I had a very meaningful trip to Sacramento. As an east coaster and non-California native, I had never been to Sacramento before, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to explore the Capitol and city area. Having worked on Capitol Hill in D.C. as a Senate Democratic Page, I could not help but draw comparisons between the Sacramento Capitol building and chambers with those back home. It is clear that much of the Sacramento Capitol is modeled after the original Capitol: From the rotunda to the State Assembly floor to the seating organization. However, the Sacramento Capitol clearly has a unique Art Deco design aesthetic complete with crystal chandeliers and stylized ornamentations and decorations. The sage green carpeted floor for the Assembly is a nice California touch.
Because we arrived at the Capitol on the last day of the legislative session, the floor was alive with fast-paced substantively procedural votes. Every speech was concise; every motion fast-paced; every vote unanimous. I found the “Adjourning in Memory” portion, at the very closing of the session, to be particularly touching and indicative of the importance of symbolic representation. One assemblymember dedicated their speech to a lifelong civil rights advocate and lawyer. Another to a woman he described as firm in her Christian faith and dedication to God, and essentially, a strong pillar of her community. It was a beautiful way to send off this summer legislative cycle.
Later in the day, I began to feel sick, so I left the Capitol early around lunch time and, unfortunately, missed much on the agenda for the rest of the day. I feel remiss that I did not get a chance to participate in the intern mixer or legislative aid panel. However, later in the day, after I had gotten some rest and medicine at the hotel, I rejoined the group for dinner and got some good cohort bonding time for the rest of the day.
On the one hand, it is without a doubt unfortunate that I missed out on much of the substantive events planned for our trip to Sacramento. Perhaps, someday I will return to Sacramento and learn more about the California state legislative and executive governance processes. On the other hand, I have come to realize that it is these cohort bonding moments, from eating hot pot to taking group photos outside the Capitol building to singing karaoke in hotel rooms, that is at the core of the CAUSE Leader Academy. Fifteen AAPI undergraduates from across the country, fifteen different backgrounds and perspectives, fifteen stories to be told. Every moment I have the chance to listen and learn more about these stories, I cherish it.