2022 Public Law Fellowship
Renne Public Law Group is pleased to host its
third annual Public Law Fellowship Program
A condensed fellowship program designed to introduce law students and public administration and public policy graduate students to local government advocacy.
Program Dates
The Fellowship Program will be held remotely for a two-week period: June 13-24, 2022.
About the Program
The Program is designed to be a “crash course” – immersing students in the field of local government law and public policy initiatives. Fellows will gain valuable knowledge in a wide range of law and legal issues unique to local government, including the Brown Act, the Public Records Act, CEQA, the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act, charter law principles and more. The program will include talks with local officials and legal experts, legal research assignments, and discussions about future challenges facing local governments. The program is intended to supplement additional summer programs at private law firms and government agencies.
2022 Fellowship Program Winners
Anne Talavera
Anne Talavera
Anne Talavera is completing her final year in the Master of Public Administration program at the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. As a volunteer and mentor for youth development programs and women’s rights initiatives, Anne is committed to advocating for social justice issues and enhancing pathways and opportunities for vulnerable communities and aspires to a career as a public policy analyst and researcher in local government. Anne earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Development Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Science degree in Education and Counseling from California State University, Long Beach. She has served as an educator in higher education and non-profit organizations in Los Angeles and overseas, where she administered learning programs and community development projects through the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and teaching fellowships across Asia and Eastern Europe. She is a native of Southern California and enjoys travel, cooking, and spending time in nature.
Annie Hong
Annie Hong
Annie Hong is a recent MPA/BA graduate from the University of Southern California. Annie is also an Army ROTC graduate and is currently serving as an Adjutant General Officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Annie was fiercely involved in the USC community, serving as President of her graduate school cohort and working as a statistics Teaching Assistant for three semesters. Annie’s professional interests include policy, law, and public service, and she plans to pursue a legal education to become a Judge Advocate General (JAG). As a JAG Officer, Annie aspires to advocate for her Soldiers’ well-being and provide legal advice advancing the Army values and military justice.
Evan Zepeda
Evan Zepeda
Evan Zepeda is a rising second-year law student at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law where she is a scholar in the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy. Evan’s passion for public service and advancing health and well-being has inspired her to pursue a career centered on promoting health equity and racial justice through law and policy change. Evan graduated from Johns Hopkins University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Health Studies and Spanish. She then received her Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University with a certificate in Health Policy Analysis.
After graduating from Columbia, Evan accepted the Women & Health Sciences Fellowship with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. As a fellow, she worked in the office of Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly then transitioned to the health team on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) for the ranking member, Senator Patty Murray. She then served as the Health Policy Advisor and Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly and the Policy Director for the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. While on Capitol Hill, Evan worked on a wide range of policy issues related to health disparities, maternal health, and expanding access to healthcare. She spearheaded legislation requiring government agencies to collect demographic data related to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to expose health disparities and promote solutions to address them. Evan then served as a policy analyst at ChangeLab Solutions, where she prepared literature reviews, policy guides, and conducted research regarding the impact of law on health outcomes to advance equitable policy related to public benefits, housing, and health alongside attorneys and public health practitioners. At UCLA Law, Evan bridges policy advocacy with the law as a volunteer at the Public Law Center, where she assists in advancing affordable housing policy through local government advocacy. Evan strives to continue to be a health justice advocate and agent of change by connecting policy and the law in order to advance economic and racial justice.
Kamilah Mims
Kamilah Mims
Kamilah Mims is a rising third-year dual-degree law and public policy student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 2018. After graduating, Kamilah worked at a criminal legal reform nonprofit in Oakland, California, where she supported community-based organizations in the implementation of pre-charge youth diversion programs. Her research and career interests lie at the nexus of race, inequality and American carceral systems. Through obtaining a Master of Public Policy and Juris Doctor degree, she hopes to create systemic change that promotes human dignity and advances the liberation of oppressed communities through thoughtful, equity-driven public policy.
During her first year in her Master of Public Policy program, Kamilah worked as a public policy intern at the Harriett Buhai Center, where she supported decarceration efforts in Los Angeles County jails through advancing creative policy solutions and coalition-building. Kamilah also worked for the Black Policy Project at UCLA’s Bunche Center, where she supported in the research and drafting of the No Going Back LA Report, which strategized policy solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles. At the UCLA School of Law, Kamilah is a member of the Epstein Program for Public Interest Law and Policy and Critical Race Studies program, and currently serves as a 1L Representative for the Black Law Student Association. She has contributed to the drafting of legislation as a member of the Restorative Justice Legislation Work Group, has supported in the coding of letters from incarcerated people from California prisons as a board member of the Prison Accountability Project, and has provided client intake as a volunteer at the El Centro Tenants’ Rights Clinic. As a RPLG Fellow, Kamilah hopes to develop skills that will help her center and uplift the voices of systems-impacted communities, and work alongside community members in making sure their voices are heard and their needs are met.
Michael Wambach
Michael Wambach
Growing up in subsidized housing, the arts taught me to see challenges optimistically. If a crew of kids can train together to perform Beethoven, nothing is totally beyond imagination. Upon graduation from the University of Minnesota, I swapped my french horn and arpeggios for land use analysis and appraisal as a residential assessor with the City of Minneapolis. My experience rehearsing was immediately applicable. After practicing the fundamentals, I could make creative changes by prioritizing listening to, and collaborating with, the communities my work impacted. My time as a residential assessor taught me tax law can be a source of equitable change. I see its dynamic statutory nature as a path to creatively address community needs.
When Minnesota created a new low-income housing property classification there was no precedent for how to fairly and equitably determine assessments for affordable housing. One neighborhood in Minneapolis, Cedar Riverside, is almost entirely quality affordable housing. Personally inspecting each property and working together with Cedar Riverside stakeholders to develop a new method of assessing low-density affordable housing, I realized my interest in tax policy could have impacts beyond ensuring Minneapolis residents have equitable property tax bills. I can help ensure well-intentioned programs aren’t hindered by local barriers by becoming an expert in state and local taxation. Having begun the Tax Concentration at UC Hastings in my 1L year, I hope to expand my background in property tax to help policy makers use state and local tax law to creatively address dire public policy needs by engaging with community stakeholders.
Saif Ali
Saif Ali
Saif Ali is a rising second-year law student at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He graduated from the University of Texas in 2021, majoring in finance with a journalism minor and a certificate in Business and Public Policy. His studies included a focus on the intersection between legislative policy, the media, and corporate interest groups. However, the driving factor for Saif to pursue law was his time serving as the Vice President of UT Austin’s Habitat for Humanity chapter. This experience showcased how integral local policy was to fight the affordable housing crisis in Austin, and how the barrier to access the law is often highest for those who need it most. Learning about competing interest groups and how they impact policy on an individual level, especially in the context of affordable housing, sparked Saif’s interest in local policy and how it could be used as a solution to aid in social causes.
At Texas Law, Saif is a staff editor at the Texas Journal on Civil Liberties & Civil Rights and is a member of the Texas Muslim Legal Society. He is passionate about learning about affordable housing legislation, election law, and how modern political parties shape policy and democracy.
If you have any questions about the program or application, please contact summerfellowships@publiclawgroup.com.
To see the session topics and materials from last year’s fellowship, please click here.