Article re annual Cal Supreme Court clerks

Today's cover story in the DJ is "State High Court Justice Hails Short-Term Clerk Experiment," about Justice Liu's use of 3 annual clerks in addition to 2 career staff attorneys. Most justices use only permanent staff attorneys. The article notes the comings and goings of the clerks (Judge Reinhardt has sent 2 to Liu; and 2 of Liu's are going to SCOTUS Justice Ginsburg and DC Cir. Judge Tatel -- judges for whom Liu himself clerked).
The article does not mention one of the reasons Justice Liu has publicly stated for his annual clerks: better public relations for the court. Career clerks do not disperse into the world to spread the good word about the good work the court does. Having "court alumni" can be very valuable for lobbying efforts, especially in a court fighting for funding.

Law clerks are like the baby spiders in Charlotte's Web. Discuss.