Jessica Caloza — Introduced herself as Assembly Member for District 52 and chair of the Select Committee.
Jessica Caloza — Jessica Caloza thanks the chair for the invitation and congratulates her for breaking a glass ceiling as the first Filipina elected to the California State Legislature. She praises the chair as a role model for Californians and commends her leadership in establishing the select committee on California’s relationships with international trading partners in Asia.
Jessica Caloza — The speaker thanks the chair and committee leadership for convening the meeting, repeatedly referencing the chair by name in several garbled forms. The discussion stays focused on acknowledging the chair and the committee context, with no substantive shift in topic.
Robert Rivas — Named as the Speaker who appointed the committee chair.
Mike Fong — Mike Fong is introduced as an Assembly Member and the chair of the API Legislative Caucus.
Catherine Stefani — Identified as Assembly Member representing the San Francisco area.
Vince Fong — Invited not to speak yet; the chair pauses to ask whether colleagues on the dais want opening remarks.
Vince Fong — Thanked the chair and Lieutenant Governor, and emphasized the importance of trade, investment, jobs, workforce development, and educational partnerships between Asia and California.
Vince Fong — Thanked for kicking off the meeting.
Vince Fong — Continued remarks on workforce development, educational partnerships, and the importance of AAPI communities in California.
Vince Fong — Expressed support for workforce development and looked forward to discussion on California-Asia trade.
Vince Fong — Thanked the chair and the Lieutenant Governor, and expressed enthusiasm about joining the select committee.
Vince Fong — Likely a transcription error for the chair's name; thanked for leadership on the AAPI Caucus.
Vince Fong — Referenced as having kicked off the meeting.
Vince Fong — Thanked for participation and contribution to the committee; likely refers to Stephanie Nguyen.
Representative from the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco — Identified as the next speaker to follow opening remarks.
Darshana Patel — Listed as a committee member representing Silicon Valley.
Darshana Patel — Patrick Ahrens is recognized by the chair, thanks the chair for convening the select committee, and briefly praises the importance of the committee and the leadership behind the hearing. The exchange continues as a witness responds directly to his question.
Darshana Patel — Assembly Member Darshana Patel is referenced in a short exchange where she asks whether anyone else on the committee has questions, followed by a light remark about maintaining order and no disorder, with the transcript repeatedly misrendering Assembly Member Ahrens’ name.
Tasha Boerner — Listed as chair of the Communications and Conveyance Committee.
Phillip Chen — Listed as a committee member from Orange County.
Cottie Petrie-Norris — Listed as chair of the Utilities and Energy Committee.
James Ramos — Listed as chair of the Native American Caucus.
Esmeralda Soria — Listed as chair of the Agriculture Committee.
Avelino Valencia — Listed as chair of the Banking and Finance Committee.
Avelino Valencia — Assembly Member Avelino Valencia was welcomed to the committee and identified as the chair of the Banking and Finance Committee.
Avelino Valencia — Invited to offer comments or questions to the panel.
Avelino Valencia — Acknowledged by the chair as being invited to comment.
Avelino Valencia — Thanked for comments and included in the chair's commitment to future work.
Avelino Valencia — Asked how information about small business conditions feeds up from the local level to the state.
Avelino Valencia — He was thanked for being present at the hearing.
Lori Wilson — Listed as chair of the Transportation Committee.
Mr. Takeshi Ishihara — Mr. Takeshi Ishihara, representing the Consul General of Japan in San Francisco, opened by thanking the committee for the invitation. He highlighted Japan’s major economic role in California, noting its many businesses and jobs, and described Japan as an important trade partner. He characterized Japan-California relations as friendly competition and encouraged the committee to better understand both visible and hidden challenges facing Japanese businesses while also exploring opportunities to strengthen economic relations between Japan and California.
Luz Rivas — The transcript appears to misread 'Lieutenant Governor' as 'Luzlan Governor'; this likely refers to the Lieutenant Governor, not a legislator in the member list.
Anamarie Farías — The transcript makes two overlapping references to Assembly Member Anamarie Farías (though the name is garbled as 'Stephanie' in the text), indicating the same ongoing discussion without any change in topic.
Josh Hoover — The transcript contains garbled references to an Assembly Member planning to visit Japan in September; the exact identity is unclear.
Scott Wiener — The speaker says some state senators plan to go to Japan next spring, but no specific senator is named.
Deputy Consul General of Japan in San Francisco — The witness closes by emphasizing continued state-level cooperation to promote investment and trade between Japan and California.
Stephen Chung — Stephen Chung is introduced as the president of the World Trade Center Los Angeles, and the chair then invites him to begin by introducing himself and discussing his organization and the current landscape.
Stephen Chung — Described as an ambassador for the greater Los Angeles region.
Rodney Fong — Rodney Fong is introduced as the CEO and president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, then speaks about his deep San Francisco roots, his family and career in tourism, and his experience promoting California through sales missions. The discussion closes with others praising him as someone whose identity is closely tied to the tourism industry and the Bay Area/San Francisco.
Carolyn Beteta — Introduced as President of Visit California.
Carolyn Beteta — Introduced as president of Visit California and begins her opening remarks.
Carolyn Beteta — Thanked for her leadership and opening remarks; her comments about declining tourism are highlighted.
Steven Chung — Steven Chung introduces himself as the CEO and President of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation, noting that the organization includes the World Trade Center Los Angeles as a subsidiary and is involved in economic development and trade.
Patrick Ahrens — The chair welcomes Assembly Member Patrick Ahrens to the committee and notes that he represents Silicon Valley.
Mr. Chung — The chair thanks Mr. Chung for his remarks before transitioning to Mr. Fong.
Mr. Fong — The chair invites Mr. Fong to respond to the same questions.
Stephanie Nguyen — Assembly Member Stephanie Nguyen asked about sister city and sister state relationships and their role in tourism and investment, and was then invited to ask any additional questions from the dais, continuing the same discussion.
Glenn Fukushima — Glenn Fukushima introduced himself as a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and noted he would soon be a visiting/senior fellow at Stanford University researching Silicon Valley and Asia relations. He described his 22 years based in Asia, primarily Japan, working for European and American companies and serving as vice president and president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. He also shared his childhood ties to Northern California and education in the region. Fukushima then explained that since 2012 he has been back in Washington, D.C., while continuing to observe U.S.-Asia trade and investment closely. He discussed the U.S. withdrawal from the TPP, Britain’s accession, and broader regional frameworks such as CPTPP, APEC, and RCEP, arguing that the U.S. and California should engage more actively with Asia. He closed by emphasizing the importance of cooperation at the state and city level and offered to answer questions, including on tariffs.