Several young staffers are cutting their teeth in the world of politics in the office of Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), as the Golden State Congressman announced a half-dozen new hires earlier this month.

Honda welcomed aboard Jay Staunton as his new communications director/counsel. A previous Beltway reporter and securities fraud litigator, Staunton also ran a small-town newspaper in Vermont. The Boston native is a 1993 graduate of Middlebury College and a 2000 graduate of Boston College Law School.

Jason Richardson is Honda’s new legislative correspondent. Before coming to the Hill, Richardson received a grant to study migrant workers along China’s Yangtze River and also served as field director for his mother, Betty Richardson (D), in her unsuccessful campaign for Idaho’s 1st district seat. Richardson graduated from Carleton College in 2002, where he majored in international relations.

Joining the office as a Congressional fellow is Umair Khan. A native of New York City, Khan has worked as an intern for the investment banking company Salomon Smith Barney and also interned for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D). Khan graduated in May from Cornell University with degrees in government and near Eastern studies.

Honda’s other new Congressional fellow is Victoria Tung, who will work with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. A Menlo Park, Calif., native, Tung is a former business development consultant for Universe Productions and has also interned for various government policy agencies. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002 with a bachelor’s in international relations.

Ken Takeda is Honda’s new staff assistant. Takeda left his Ph.D. studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, to join the Congressman’s staff. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master’s degree from the University of South Florida, both in chemical engineering.

Filling out Honda’s staff is Vivek Kathari, who is the Golden State Congressman’s new systems administrator. The Texas native is a 2003 graduate of Brown University, where he majored in public policy and computer science. He previously worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Hickman-Brown Research before coming to Capitol Hill. [IMGCAP(1)]

More California Congressional Changes. Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) announced a number of staff hires and

switches earlier this month which have affected both his Washington and district offices.

Taking over spinner responsibilities from Kate Cyrul is Boston native Tom Kiley. Kiley, 25, has served as senior media coordinator at the Economic Policy Institute and as an account executive at the Washington-based communications firm Hager Sharp. He holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Boston University and is nearing completion of his MBA from Babson College.

Staff Assistant Adrienne Ursino, 26, has left Washington to switch roles with district aide Shanelle Scales, 25, in Miller’s Concord office. Ursino is a former intern for Miller. The Dallas native is beginning a part-time program for a master’s degree in political science at San Francisco State, where she also earned her bachelor’s degree.

Scales, a native of Pittsburg, Calif., is putting on hold the master’s of public administration degree she has been working on at California State University at Hayward to work in Miller’s Washington office. The former Miller intern and district aide earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University at Hayward.

Ben Miller — no relation to the Congressman — is the office’s newest legislative assistant. After serving as a Miller intern for three consecutive quarters, the 22-year-old was hired right after he graduated from Pomona College. He will now cover issues that include foreign affairs, defense, trade and the environment.