Legislative Aide

City of Long Beach•Long Beach, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The role of the Legislative Aide is to represent Councilwoman Zendejas to residents and the greater Long Beach community and to serve the constituents of the district through case management and field work. The Legislative Aide will assist with tasks related to legislation including research and policy drafting, will participate in event planning and outreach to the community, identify prospective community partners and work with community organizations to bring forward potential legislation. This person should love working with the community, be professional, and have a strong desire to help others and make positive change. About Councilmember Mary Zendejas Mary Zendejas was elected to office via special election on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, and sworn into office on December 3, 2019. She was elected to her first full term in June 2022 and her second term in June 2026. She is the first Latina wheelchair user to be elected to office in the nation. She has never met a challenge she couldn’t tackle and overcome. As an infant, she was diagnosed with Polio, and later in High School started using a wheelchair daily. Her passion for living and working hard is rooted in seeing her parents, a field hand and factory worker, provide their children a better life. Their hard work allowed Mary to go to California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) and become the first in her family to graduate from college.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
Two to three years of experience working with a culturally and ethnically diverse constituency for either a non-profit or government agency.
Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
A valid California Driver License is required and reliable transportation to successfully fulfill the duties of the position.
Always present a professional appearance and demeanor.
Must be able to handle information with complete discretion and diplomacy in varying situations is required.
Be solution oriented while meeting goals and exercise excellent time management.
Exhibit excellent communication skills in person and in writing.
Prioritize multiple assignments and execute tasks in a timely manner
Respond promptly to both internal and external communications.
Capable of maintaining a large and demanding caseload.
Be able to build and maintain effective communication and working relationships with all levels of employees while utilizing interdepartmental resources.
Be willing to work non-standard hours as needed, including evenings and weekends, and perform tasks outside of his or her primary work assignments, as necessary.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish is highly desired.
Prior experience in a political office or knowledge of government is strongly encouraged.

Responsibilities

Attend meetings of community groups and Neighborhood Associations.
Enter and track cases through the Office’s Management System.
Track and report progress of cases to the Chief of Staff, including priorities identified by the Councilmember or the Chief of Staff.
Maintain an awareness of neighborhood issues, sharing with the Councilmember and others as needed.
Speak publicly on behalf of the Councilmember.
In collaboration with District One scheduler, maintains calendars; coordinates, schedules, arranges, and confirms meetings, and appointments.
Prepare meeting materials, including but not limited to agenda preparation and making copies.
Responsible for the set up and preparation of all in-person meetings, including but not limited to preparation and processing of catering orders, meal set-up and distribution, meeting room set-up including preparation of materials accessible to the public including comment cards and agendas.
Provide backup support for Council staff including but not limited to screening and answering calls, takes messages for staff that are unavailable, helping plan and coordinate community events.
Basic knowledge of operating office equipment and machinery required.
Assisting in the translation of printed and digital media to Spanish.
Reviewing City Council Agenda and preparing staff notes and talking points, submit scrolling messages for council.
Drafting policy and conducting research.
Assisting in the development of long-term and short-term legislative planning that best addresses first district issues and priorities.
Craft strategies and recommendations for prioritizing projects, issues, and programs that benefit the First District based on community engagement and execute per approval.
Attending legislative briefings with City Manager and coordinating meetings with other departments on district initiatives as needed.