API Advocates - Sacramento, CA

API Advocates - Sacramento, CA Developing youth and community leaders through legislative internships, advocacy, and coalition building. Join us today. 💛

July was an incredible month for coalition building and celebration! ✨ We had the privilege of participating in several ...
08/04/2026

July was an incredible month for coalition building and celebration! ✨ We had the privilege of participating in several meaningful events this month, here’s a look at some of the highlights from this past month! 🗓️

We had the honor of attending EPIC’s PILOT dinner. 🍽️ Congratulations to the 2026 PILOT Cohort! Proud and grateful for all the work EPIC has put into advancing the next generation of PI leaders. 🌟

Happily attended APICA’s 2026 Fellows Meet and Greet at the Capitol Annex Swing Space. 🤝 Always a pleasure reconnecting with our rising API Staff, and we look forward to years of friendship!

We finished the month with a bang, attending 2 events in one day! In Sacramento, our intern alumni had the opportunity to meet Mayor Kevin McCarty and Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes volunteering for the Annual Backpack Giveaway in Natomas. Always happy to show up for our Sacramento community! 📍

Meanwhile in San Francisco, Mayor Daniel Lurie and the National Samoan Chiefs Council hosted an official Samoan Heritage Week celebration and flag-raising ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. It was great meeting the Sua Sisters and Amaya Masoli (AKA “Young Moana” and PICP student)! 🌊 A huge thank you to the NSCC and PICP! Your work is an inspiration to all, and we thank you for uplifting our PI communities! 🙌

Congratulations to our 27 interns who completed the 2026 California State Capitol Spring Internship Program! 🎊🥳🎉From the...
07/01/2026

Congratulations to our 27 interns who completed the 2026 California State Capitol Spring Internship Program! 🎊🥳🎉

From the offices, the senate and assembly floor, workshops and committee hearings to district events and community gatherings - our interns have gained invaluable experiences and created lifelong memories that will serve them well in their next chapters. Here is a compilation of photos from our interns of their favorite moments in action. 💛

Thank you to the interns and host offices for their support in our mission to develop youth and community leaders through legislative internships, advocacy, and coalition building! 💛

We are proud to recognize the successful completion of our 2026 Capitol , celebrating more than 25 undergraduate and gr...
06/30/2026

We are proud to recognize the successful completion of our 2026 Capitol , celebrating more than 25 undergraduate and graduate students who have dedicated their time to , , and development at the California State Capitol! 🤩 🏛️ 🎊

Selected through a competitive application process, this year’s cohort represents some of California’s brightest emerging leaders. Over the course of the 10-week program, interns were placed in the offices of elected officials, where they gained firsthand experience in the legislative process, constituent services, policy research, communications, and public affairs. In addition to their Capitol placements, interns participated in a comprehensive 6-week leadership development program led by API Advocates. The cohort completed professional workshops focused on advocacy, legislative processes, leadership development, networking, career readiness, and civic engagement. Interns also received mentorship from professionals across the public, nonprofit, and advocacy sectors, helping them build the skills and confidence needed to become future leaders in their communities.

“We are incredibly proud of our intern, whose skill, preparedness, and professionalism were truly unmatched. Jenna raised the bar higher than ever before. API Advocates continues to be invaluable, as they consistently go above and beyond to ensure the success of their interns and California’s youth.” — California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

“Our office was so lucky to have Amanda join us these past two months. She augmented our work expanding childcare access and dug into legislation to prepare our office for the months ahead. We appreciate all her work and wish her the best in her next steps!” — Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo.

“We were pleased to host an API Advocates intern this spring! These opportunities help bring the next generation of API leaders into California State Government.” — Senator Jerry McNerney.

Read the full press release on our website: https://lnkd.in/ea5shjSU

Last Week, with the Vice Chair of the API Legislative Caucus Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, we recognized our 2026 Spr...
06/09/2026

Last Week, with the Vice Chair of the API Legislative Caucus Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, we recognized our 2026 Spring Capitol Student Intern Cohort in the Assembly Chamber! 🤩 💛
🌟 Abeer Alharbi, Anisha Vikash, and Audrey Tang with the California Asian Pacific
Islander Legislative Institute;
🌟 Anderson Amiya with the Office of Congressman Ami Bera;
🌟 Monica Ochoa Bautizta with Senator McNerney;
🌟 Amanda Brzozowski with Assemblymember. Schiavo;
🌟 Reece Camacho with Assemblymember Ransom;
🌟 Anthony Chan with Assemblymember Ta;
🌟 Michael Dunn with Assemblymember Wilson;
🌟 Ele Fifita with Assemblymember Tangipa;
🌟 Sith Gingras with City of Sacramento’s Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes;
🌟 Adrian Gonzalez with Assemblymember Hoover;
🌟 Annie Harlan with Assemblymember Avila Farias;
🌟 Ryan Homan with Assemblymember Muratsuchi;
🌟 Sarah Kubasek with Assemblymember Caloza;
🌟 Valen Lo with Assemblymember Nguyen;
🌟 Ailana Mendiola-Power with Assemblymember Garcia;
🌟 Marlizett Morales with Senator Alvarado Gil;
🌟 Dylan Morgan with Assemblymember Elhawary;
🌟 Sarra Osman with Assemblymember Kate Sanchez;
🌟 Natalie Posell with the Office of Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis;
🌟 Teo Richard with Assemblymember Wallis;
🌟 Anureet Saini with Assemblymember Hadwick; and
🌟 Jenna Townend with the California Commission on the Status Women and Girls.

Before our internship program concludes later this month, we wanted to formally recognize the hard work and dedication our student interns have poured into this program, their legislative offices, and the CA API Advocacy Coalition for the past four months! We are extremely grateful to Assemblymember Nguyen and her team for providing our youth the opportunity not only to envision themselves in the Capitol building but also to physically be there. All our interns found their host legislator’s desk, took an inspirational picture, and heard encouraging words from our APILC Vice Chair. LOOK AT THEIR SMILES!😊✨🙌

Shoutout to our Coalition Steering Committee Members who were able to join us on the floor, representing CSUS, Andrew Yang, Cyan and Emeline. 💛 & Early to our !! 🥳🎊

At our evening reception, we recognized our 2026 Spring Capitol Student Interns and their Host Offices 🤩 🌟 Abeer Alhar...
05/24/2026

At our evening reception, we recognized our 2026 Spring Capitol Student Interns and their Host Offices 🤩
🌟 Abeer Alharbi, Anisha Vikash, and Audrey Tang with the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus Institute;
🌟 Anderson Amiya with the Office of Congressman Amibera;
🌟 Monica Ochoa Bautizta with Senator Jerry McNerney;
🌟 Amanda Brzozowski with Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo;
🌟 Reece Camacho with Assemblymember Ransom;
🌟 Anthony Chan with Assemblymember Ta;
🌟 Michael Dunn with Assemblymember Lori D Wilson;
🌟 Ele Fifita with Assemblymember David Tangipa;
🌟 Sith Gingras with City of Sacramento’s Vice Mayor Karina Talamantes;
🌟 Adrian Gonzalez with Assemblymember Hoover;
🌟 Annie Harlan with Assemblymember Avila Farias;
🌟 Ryan Homan with Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi;
🌟 Sarah Kubasek with Assemblymember Jessica Caloza;
🌟 Valen Lo with Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen;
🌟 Ailana Mendiola-Power with Assemblymember Garcia;
🌟 Marlizett Morales with Senator Alvarado Gil;
🌟 Dylan Morgan with Assemblymember Elhawary;
🌟 Sarra osman with Assemblymember Kate Sanchez;
🌟 Natalie Posell with the Office of Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis;
🌟 Teo Richard with Assemblymember Wallis;
🌟 Anureet Saini with Assemblymember Heather Hadwick; and
🌟 Jenna Townend with the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Special thanks to the Members and public officials who came, in addition to the Hosting Legislators, to celebrate with us! 🤩
Assemblymembers Mike Fong, Lori D Wilson, Darshana Patel, Mark Gonzalez, Rhodesia Ransom. Senators Josh Becker and Pilar Schiavo. Superintendent Tony Thurmond, Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho, Chair Commissioner Dr. Rita Gallardo Good, Commissioner Kawser Amine, Commissioner Darcy Totten, Commissioner Reno Anoa’i, Councilmember Darren Suen, PE, MBA, PMP , and more! 💛

We are honored to work with our state champions and are sincerely grateful for their support in our mission at API Advocates to develop youth and community leaders through legislative internships, advocacy, and coalition building. 💯

Thank you to our Annual Emcees, Eytan Wallace FOX40 and Jenny Huh ABC10! 🤩

Our training session was fueled with Strategy, Storytelling, and ! 💪 🌟 Coalition members gathered to take a deep-div...
05/23/2026

Our training session was fueled with Strategy, Storytelling, and ! 💪 🌟 Coalition members gathered to take a deep-dive into our 2026 Top Three Priority Bills: AB 2374 (Mike Fong) AANAPISI Institutions, AB 1242 (Nguyen) Language Access, and AB 1878 (Patel) Data Disaggregation. 📚 🏛️ ✅

Our Youth Steering Committee shared personal testimonies as to why these issue areas are important to them, Co-Emcees Michael Dunn and Sith Gingras 👏 🤩 Sponsors of our 2026 Top Three Priority Bills participated in a fireside chat Moderated by Steering Committee Member Ko Ser Lu Htoo with California Karen Youth Connection to share the core of each bill, Kristine Jan Cruz Espinoza with California Lutheran University, Karthick Ramakrishnan with AAPI Data and California Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander American Affairs, Ben Wang with Asian Health Services. 👏 🤩 API Advocates Interns showcased a Mock Office Visit for our first time advocacy day attendees, Valen Lo, Sarah Kubasek, Dylan Morgan, Marlizett Morales, Anderson Amiya 👏 🤩

Thank you for your dedicated leadership in supporting our !! 💛

Shoutout to our staff behind the scenes who put these incredible events together! Our Executive Director Isa Whalen, M.S, Administrative Assistant Leon Bamba, Advocacy and Events Coordinator Manny Martinez, and HQ Interns Anderson Amiya, Judy Lu, Washington Sanchez, and Zia Nisha. 💛

Photos taken by Robin Brown. 💛

Celebrating our !! 💛 🤩 🎊 Together, we successfully amplified the voices and priorities of Asian and Pacific Islander...
05/23/2026

Celebrating our !! 💛 🤩 🎊 Together, we successfully amplified the voices and priorities of Asian and Pacific Islander communities statewide through the Capitol Press Conference, Coalition Training, and State Legislative Office Visits! 👏

A huge thank you to the incredible legislators who joined us at our Press Conference at the West Steps to kick off an incredible : Chair of the APILC Assemblymember Mike Fong, Vice Chair of the APILC Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, Assemblymember Darshana Patel, Ph.D., Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, Assemblymember David Tangipa, Superintendent Tony Thurmond 🌟 🙌  And our student intern, Ele Fifita. 🌟 

Our Coalition included 300 attendees, whom created 50 constituent teams, and successfully reached all 120 state legislative offices to share their own stories and reflections on our 2026 Top Three Priority Bills: AB 2374 (Mike Fong) AANAPISI Institutions, AB 1242 (Nguyen) Language Access, and AB 1878 (Patel) Data Disaggregation. 🌟🏛️ 💪

Shoutout to our staff behind the scenes who worked tirelessly to put these incredible events together! Our Executive Director Isa Whalen, M.S, Administrative Assistant Leon Bamba, Advocacy and Events Coordinator Manny Martinez, and HQ Interns Anderson Amiya, Judy Lu, Washington Sanchez, and Zia Nisha. 💛 

And to our 2026 Steering Committee for all of their support and guidance! Manufou Liaiga Anoa’i, Tana Lepule, ‘Alisi Tulua, Richard Chang, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Ko Ser Lu Htoo, Katherine ‘Kat’ Parpana, Andrew Yang, M.A., Nancy Yap, Anu Ramraj, Dylan Morgan, Isa Whalen, M.S, and Mary Yin Liu. 💛

March kept the momentum going strong for API Advocates! Here are some community highlights 🌟 Our team and interns were h...
03/30/2026

March kept the momentum going strong for API Advocates! Here are some community highlights 🌟

Our team and interns were happy to attend the CAAPS PROTalk alongside Mayor Kevin McCarty, Anh Phoong, and Sidney Le, diving into leadership, advocacy, and what it really takes to create change. 👏

Honored to join San Mateo County AAPI Alliance at their Annual Under the Moon event! Reuniting with community leaders and elected officials including Assemblymember Catherine Stefani and District Attorney David Chiu, who shared the importance of representation and community power. 💪

We closed out the month feeling inspired at the Sister to Sister Conference, hosted by Asian American Recovery Services, Inc. and HealthRIGHT 360 , where our very own Executive Director, Isa Whalen, delivered a keynote that reminded us exactly why this work matters! Wonderful seeing Councilmember Buenaflor Nicolas, and many of our coalition member oragnizations at this event. to 🤗 💛 🌊

Every space we entered this month pushed our community to think bigger, speak louder, and show up stronger. We are excited to continue blossoming with everyone in April! 🌼

On March 5th, our CA API Advocacy Coalition welcomed Legislative Action Lead, David Siu, and Executive Director in Trai...
03/28/2026

On March 5th, our CA API Advocacy Coalition welcomed Legislative Action Lead, David Siu, and Executive Director in Training, Ethan Su! Their team presented the importance of and their movement towards intergenerational advocacy - creating chapters across the country to bring leaders together! 👏 We look forward to having them join us at the 2026 CA API Advocacy Day. 🤗

Missed the opportunity to join this month’s meeting? For the month of April, we are offering free virtual workshops on Thursdays at 2 pm PST. Email advocacy@apiadvocates for more information. There is always space for your at our table, and we would love to see you there! 💛

Our are preparing for their upcoming roles within their legislative host offices by learning the ins and outs of being...
03/24/2026

Our are preparing for their upcoming roles within their legislative host offices by learning the ins and outs of being a capitol staffer and working in the building 🏛️ 📚

Thank you to Legislative Aide of the Office of Senator Ashby, Cynthia Weber, and Legislative Aide of the Office of Assemblymember Rogers, Tricia Sarmiento, for joining us to share advice for incoming interns on behalf of the Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association 🤩

Another sincere thank you to Nicholas Chan, Communications Director for Assemblymember Lee and staffer for the CA Progressive Caucus, for meeting with our interns to strengthen journalism, communications, and writing skills which will guide them to success in their next phase of the program! 👏

Our interns shared many sentiments of appreciation for our guest speakers, in awe that it is indeed possible to be an . Thank you, Cynthia, Tricia, and Nicholas!! 🙏 😁 💛

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