Rising Stars: Kapri Walker, office of Sen. Nancy Skinner

Born and raised in an exceptionally close family in sunny San Diego, Kapri Walker was initially hesitant to take the leap and begin building career roots in Sacramento. But she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to return after her Capitol Fellowship position ended and she was offered a job as a legislative aide in Sen. Nancy Skinner’s office (D-Oakland).

“I have an immense amount of respect for Sen. Skinner, and admiration for the work that she’s done,” Walker says. “I mean, I couldn’t pass up working for one of the best in the game.”

Walker’s passions for community care and civil justice during her time as a Senate Fellow must have drawn attention from the Capitol community (or at least from Skinner’s office), and for good reason.

In addition to her experience in the Public Safety Committee during the fellowship, Walker also carried SB 796 in Sen. Steven Bradford’s office (D-Inglewood), which allowed Los Angeles County to return the property known as Bruce’s Beach back to the descendants of the Bruce family. The bill passed in 2021, and drew considerable attention from the press.

“That bill was so cool to work on, especially as a young Black woman, I got to work on a bill that made it possible for land to be returned to the rightful owners of this property,” Walker said.

Walker entered the fellowship with a unique lens, having majored in criminal justice with minors in Africana studies and sociology at San Diego State University. She explained that her sociology background gave her a unique perspective amidst the other Senate fellows, most of whom majored in political science.

Her work at the Women’s Resource Center and the Center for Intercultural Relations at San Diego State further cultivated Walker’s emotional maturity and her awareness for community needs.

“I try to keep community care in the front of my mind when I think about work and when I think about policy,” said Walker. “I definitely think that my coursework and the volunteer work I did in undergrad plays a part in my political career.”

In addition to academic influences, Walker’s family had an immense impact on her policy interests and career goals. Coming from a system-impacted family, Walker carries the stories of the communities around her as she navigates her job, and she has seen firsthand the issues inherent in current public safety laws.

These experiences cultivated her desire to undertake the emotionally laborious role of staffing public safety for Sen. Skinner. “No one can take away from that real life experience,” she says. “My family is by far the biggest impact on me and my biggest driving force and in everything that I do.”

“I try to keep community care in the front of my mind when I think about work and when I think about policy.”

The Senate Public Safety Committee is quite small at only five members, because they are faced with hefty responsibilities and impossible decisions, according to Walker.

“I really feel for the staff that I’ve worked with, but also the members of that committee, because they’re faced with so many hard decisions,” she says. “As staff, I take my role very seriously of trying to get as much information as I can and really crafting my recommendations for the boss and making sure that I understand the policy so that she can understand the policy. Even though nine times out of ten she already understands it.”

In addition to staffing public safety for Skinner, Walker also staffs the Senator on the floor, through which she has gotten to work with several other offices, continuously learning along the way. As a young staffer, Walker embraces each opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the building from her colleagues.

Walker’s proudest accomplishment in Skinner’s office is the work she did on SB 854 last year, which established Hope Savings Accounts for California children who lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19. For Walker, this bill represents one step forward in closing the wealth gap.

“Kapri is a powerful new voice in the Capitol community,” said Jess Bartholow, Sen. Skinner’s Chief of Staff. “Her justice compass is never off and she is fiercely diligent about every detail of campaigns she is working on. Most impressive, however, is how she balances significant and multiple responsibilities while still showing up for others in both big and small ways.”

Another example of Walker’s unwavering compass for justice is shown in her initiative to join and take leadership roles within identity-based organizations in the Capitol. Walker sits on the executive board of the California Legislative Black Staff Association (CLBSA), acting as their operations manager, and she recently graduated from the API Staff Academy, in which she built connections with many API leaders in the Capitol community.

With the heaviness of her day-to-day work life, Walker enjoys phone calls with her mom and blasting music to sing along to in the car as her favorite de-stressing activities. She finds comfort at home in San Diego with her incredibly close-knit family, who have left profound impacts on her personal and professional life.

“Growing up in a Filipino family, food is a principal love language for me. I am happiest when I am home, surrounded by my family and enjoying one of my Grandma’s home-cooked meals,” she says.

At just 24, Walker is at the start of her career. She does not feel pressured to plan out her next career move, however, as she sees a long road of work that can be done and progress that can be made from right where she is.

“I’m going to keep my head down and keep working the way that I do and see where it takes me because that’s all I’ve ever really done,” said Walker. “I’ve done it this far and this is where I ended up, and if I keep doing that, I think I’ll be okay.”

Walker didn’t always have the same confidence in her future, but if she could tell herself anything looking back, it would be: “Girl, take a breath, take a second, it’s all going to work out some way, somehow. You are doing exactly what you need to do and you are exactly where you need to be.”