The Kenneth C. Burt Memorial Fund, established at the Sacramento Region Community Foundation by Ken’s wife, Sonia, and longtime friend and fellow UC Berkeley graduate, Henry A.J. Ramos, makes it possible for one UC Berkeley student, who cares deeply about issues facing Latino communities, to spend a summer working in California state government. Many have fallen for Sacramento the way Ken always had, and they are staying to serve.
A Diehard Sacramentan
Ken was born in Sacramento in 1959 to two teachers. His parents met as students at Sierra College and began their careers in the San Juan School District, where his father taught for more than 35 years. At El Camino High School, Ken began advocating for fellow students and marching for farm workers, encouraged by teachers who welcomed his questions about politics and history.
“Ken was a diehard Sacramentan – which is why we settled here after getting married in 1987,” Sonia said. “I could see how much this community meant to Ken.”
After UC Berkeley and Harvard, Ken came home to build his career. He worked in the Sacramento offices of John Garamendi and Willie Brown, ran for the Sacramento school board, was active in the Sacramento Central Labor Council, the Sacramento Democratic Central Committee, and the Truman Club, and served for two decades as the first political director of the California Federation of Teachers.
Ken was also a historian. He spent more than 20 years interviewing community leaders, labor organizers, and elected officials and wrote The Search for a Civic Voice: California Latino Politics. His recordings are now preserved at California State University, Northridge, so the stories he gathered will keep teaching future generations.
A Fund That Opens Doors
In 2022, a year after Ken passed away, Sonia established The Kenneth C. Burt Memorial Fund, a Donor Advised Fund that supports students in the Cal in Sacramento fellowship program at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies (IGS). It provides opportunities for young leaders who are committed to advancing labor rights, civil rights, educational equity and fair representation for Latino communities.
Cal in Sacramento, one of the state’s oldest and largest public service internship programs, prepares 25 to 30 students each spring, then places them in the Legislature, the Governor’s Office, and state agencies for the summer. Those internships are often unpaid, which can put them out of reach for first-generation and low-income students. Since 2023, the Fund has covered housing, transportation, and a living stipend for one student each year who is passionate about issues affecting Latino communities, from education and health to labor. Each fellow also writes a research brief or policy memo on one of those issues.
“Our goal is to train, nurture, and create pathways into public service for new young leaders from a wide array of backgrounds and lived experiences, so that the people who are governing this state reflect the diversity of California communities,” said Christine Trost, Ph.D., executive director of IGS and Director of the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service.
Meet the Ken Burt Fellows
None of the first four fellows grew up in Sacramento. Three of them now call it home.
Jennifer Ramirez (2023), the first Kenneth Burt Fellow, grew up in the East Bay as the daughter of immigrants and the first in her family to attend college. Today she is a finance and budget analyst at the California Department of Finance, bringing her lived experience to how the state plans and spends.
Carlos Manuel Santana (2024), who is also a first-generation college student and the son and grandson of immigrants, was selected for the highly competitive Capital Fellows Program after his summer in Sacramento. He is completing a year as a Senate Fellow with Senator Susan Rubio, managing several policy areas for the Senator, including agriculture, housing, and transportation. He also serves as the Senator’s lead staffer on the Senate Emergency Management Committee and the Latino Legislative Caucus.
Janet Mendoza-Partida (2025), a first-generation student from an immigrant farmworker community in the Salinas area, interned at the California Department of Education and then turned an Executive Fellowship at the Office of Tax Appeals into a full-time job, where her fluency in Spanish helps Californians get clear answers from their government.
Christian Dieguez (2026), a first-generation student and Chancellor’s Award recipient, interned at the California Department of Education and is now a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C.
Christine says she would understand if students from communities facing so much uncertainty stepped away from government. Instead, she hears the opposite: “They tell me: ‘That’s where I need to be. I need to be in government, bringing my voice and serving the needs of my community.’”
A Legacy That Keeps Growing
“Ken’s legacy is deep in Sacramento,” Sonia said. “There was such an outpouring of respect, love and gratefulness when he passed away. I was overwhelmed by how many people Ken helped and touched by his generosity.”
Through The Kenneth C. Burt Memorial Fund, that generosity continues, one student at a time.
If you wish to support Ken’s legacy, we invite you to make a donation by visiting www.sacregcf.org/kennethburt.
