2016

August 30, 2016

The Honorable Hirofumi Nakasone, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Member of the National House of Councillors of Japan, and the Honorable Iwao Horii,  Member of the National House of Councillors of  Japan, visited the Capitol to further the bond between California and Japan. They were accompanied by two officials from the Consulate General in San Francisco: the Honorable Jun Yamada, Consul General, and the Honorable Higo Satoshi, Consul for Intergovernmental Affairs. They were introduced on the Senate Floor by the Honorable Kevin De León, Senate President Pro Tempore, and had a meeting to discuss collaborative projects, such as high speed rail, emissions-free vehicles and other sustainable transportation.

August 29, 2016

Five senators from the Commission on Sustainable Development of the National Senate of France visited Sacramento to exchange best practices for balancing environmental stewardship and economic growth. The Honorable Kevin De León, the Honorable Benjamin Allen, the Honorable Fran Pavley, and the Honorable Bob Wieckowski welcomed and met with the Honorable Hervé Maurey, the Honorable Jean-Yves Toux, the Honorable Louis Jen de Nicolay, the Honorable Michel Raison, and the Honorable Nicole Bonnefoy.

August 18, 2016

His Excellency Valeriy Chaly, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, the Honorable Mikheil Saakashvili, Governor of the Odessa Region in Ukraine, and the Honorable Nadiya Savchenko, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, accompanied by the Honorable Sergiy Aloshyn, Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco, were introduced on the Senate Floor by the Honorable Jim Nielsen, Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. They met with the Honorable Kevin De León, Senate President pro Tempore, and the Honorable Jean Fuller, Senate Minority Leader, and were presented with a Resolution on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

July 30 - August 7, 2016

Fourteen government and business officials from Santa Fe Province, Argentina, visited California to further advance our regions’ sister state relationship, and to discuss specific public policy issues including sustainable energy and climate change, trade and public safety. Their visit was part of an ongoing reciprocal exchange program started in 2004 between the California International Relations Foundation and the Fundación Nueva Generación Argentina.

Pictured here: the Honorable Kevin De León, Senate President pro Tempore, and the Honorable Miguel Lifschitz, Governor of the Province of Sante Fe, Argentina, signing the Protocol of the Sister State Relationship between the Province of Santa Fe and the State of California.

June 20, 2016

The California Legislature was honored to welcome His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama to address a Joint Convention of the California Legislature. His talk was entitled “Grounds for Hope for a Better World.”

March 28, 2016

The Honorable Don Harwin, President of the Legislative Council of the Parliament of New South Wales, Australia visited the California State Capitol to strengthen ties between California and New South Wales.  While here, he met with legislators, including Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León and Senator Ricardo Lara, and briefly addressed the Senate during floor session.  Our regions have shared a sister state relationship since 1997.