Jerry Brown Photo credit: Officer Phil
By Brian Hews
SACRAMENTO – Governor Jerry Brown is on an official trade mission to China this week just one week after the President of Mexico met with government and business leaders of the Communist controlled nation.
Brown’s trip is being hyped as an “exploration of bilateral trade and investment opportunities” between the two regions and Brown looks to open a new California foreign trade and investment office.
Last week, Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto visited Hong Kong to tout his country’s attempt to also get a piece of China’s economic pie.
Like Brown, Mexican officials are looking to penetrate the Chinese market after a new report suggested that Mexican labor costs have fallen below those of China. “I am convinced that Mexican products should take advantage of the dynamism of China’s market,” President Pena Nieto said during his visit last week.
Brown’s trade mission will include lavish events in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, according to a review of the official travel itinerary that was obtained by Los Cerritos Community Newspaper and other media outlets across California on Monday.
The trip is taking place from Wednesday, April 10th through Tuesday, April 16th and it is estimated that it will cost each “delegate” more than $10,000 each to attend. Attendees will be responsible for picking up their own tab.
“The Governor will be joined by a delegation organized by the Bay Area Council that includes approximately 90 business, economic development, investment and policy leaders from throughout California. Senior Administration officials will also accompany the delegation,” a statement from Brown’s press office touted.
Below is a complete list of those attending the trip:
Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor
Anne Gust Brown, First Lady and Special Counsel
Caroline Beteta, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Travel and Tourism Commission
Nancy McFadden, Executive Secretary, Office of California Governor Edmund G. Brown
Kish Rajan, Director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Dan Richard, Chair, California High Speed Rail Authority
Matthew Rodriquez, Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency
Karen Ross, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Michael Rossi, Senior Advisor, Office of California Governor Edmund G. Brown
Dr. Robert Weisenmiller, Chair, California Energy Commission
BUSINESS DELEGATES
Julie Adams, Vice President, Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Almond Board of California
David Ahlem, Vice President, General Manager, Hilmar Cheese Co.
Deborah Ale Flint, Acting Executive Director, Port of Oakland
Bill Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
Rusty Areias, Partner, California Strategies
Bill Barkett, President, Merjan Financial Corporation
Dr. Michel Baudry, Dean, Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Western University of Health Sciences
Jay Behmke, Managing Director, Yao Family Wines
Kandace Bender, Deputy Airport Director, San Francisco International Airport
Sanjiv Bhandari, Principal, BKBC Architects, Inc.
Kofi Bonner, President, Lennar Urban San Francisco
Doug Bosco, Of Counsel, Hanson Bridgett
Jack Broadbent, Chief Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Darlene Bryant Chiu, Executive Director, China SF
James Bryski, Regional Commercial Executive, HSBC Bank
Jay Burress, President and Chief Executive Officer, Anaheim/Orange County Visitor and Convention Bureau
Cathy Calfo, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, California Certified Organic Farmers
William Chu, President, Invest Los Angeles Regional Center
Ronald C. Cohen, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Tom Conley, Senior Vice President, State Farm Insurance; Chair, California Business Roundtable
Tom Contreras, Chief Operating Officer, The San Francisco Marathon
Chris Cooper, Principal, National Leader/Chinese Services Group, Deloitte LLP
Dan Crane, President, Crane Group
The Honorable Frank Damrell, Of Counsel, Law Offices of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy
C. Duane Dauner, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Hospital Association
Gordon de Lang, Senior Vice President, Head of Southern California Commercial Banking, East WestBank
Maura Eggan, Vice President, Marketing – Western Region, Premium Outlets® l Simon®
Dean Fealk, Partner, DLA Piper
Benjamin Finkelor, Executive Director, University of California Davis Energy Efficiency Center
Melinda Yee Franklin, Director, Government and Public Affairs, United Airlines
Ed Fuller, Advisor, Orange County Tourism Association
Mike Gallagher, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman, CityPASS
Michael Gallo, Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Gallo Farms and Joseph Farms Cheese
John Garcia, Director of Government Relations, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals
Byron Georgiou, Chair, Georgiou Enterprises
Michael Ghielmetti, President, Signature Development Group, Inc.
Lucie Gikovich, President, Crane Group
Susan Hackwood, Executive Director, California Council on Science and Technology
Emile Haddad, President and Chief Executive Officer, Five Point Communities
Marilyn Hannes, Vice President of Marketing, SeaWorld San Diego
Robert Harmala, Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
John Harris, President, Harris Farms
Mike Hart, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sierra Energy
Victoria Horton, President, California Beer & Beverage Distributors
Mei Mei Huff, President, Mei Mei Ho Consulting
Kin Hui, President and CEO, Singpoli Capital Corporation
Susan Kennedy, Senior Policy Advisor, California, Alston & Bird
William Kissinger, Partner, Bingham and US China Energy Efficiency
Robert Koch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wine Institute
Dr. Thomas Lam, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Allied Physicians of California / Network Medical Management
Janet Lamkin, California State President, Bank of America; Chair, Bay Area Council
Mary Leslie, President, Los Angeles Business Council
Jeffrey Li, Of Counsel, McKenna Long & Aldridge
Dr. Jiang Lin, Senior Vice President and Director of China Sustainability Energy Program, Energy Foundation
Dr. Sol Lizerbram, Chairman, HealthFusion Inc.
Kirk Marckwald, Founder and Principal, California Environmental Associates / Pacific Forest Trust
Michael Sean Martin, Chief Financial Officer, Driscoll’s
Joseph Panetta, President and Chief Executive Officer, BioCom
Simon Pang Chin, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Royal Business Bank
Scott Pauchnik, Fedex
Yvonne Pei, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Greater China, The Walt Disney Company
Don Peracchi, Sole Proprietor, DJ Farms
Ken Petrilla, Executive Vice President, Head of the China Desk, Wells Fargo & Company
Michael Pompay, President, MMFX Technologies Corporation
Melissa Poole, Director of Government Affairs, Paramount Farming Company; Counsel, Roll Law Group
Victor Ramirez, Chair, Board of Directors, California Strawberry Commission
Phil Recht, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
Clinton Reilly, Chairman and President, Clinton Reilly Holdings
Janet Reilly, Co-Founder and President, Clinic By the BayGUBERNATORIAL ist
David Duke Reyes, Chairman, Harbor Distributing
Zebediah Rice, Managing Partner, Angeleno Group
Dennis Rodriguez, Chief City Executive – Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, Siemens
Chris Rosander, International Program Coordinator, Raisin Administrative Committee
Michael Rue, General Partner, Rue & Forsman Ranch
Michael Schmitz, Executive Director, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA
Jeff Senior, Executive Vice president, Marketing & Sales, Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
Kenneth Sim, Chairman of the Board and Chief Financial Officer, Network Medical Management
Holly Smithson, President and Chief Operating Officer, CleanTECH San Diego
Rob Steinberg, President, Steinberg Architects
Susanne Stirling, Vice President, International Affairs, California Chamber of Commerce
Andy Tsao, Managing Director, SVB Global Gateway and SVB Global Private Equity Services, Silicon Valley Bank
Thomas Wardell, Partner, Mc Kenna Long & Aldridge
Pete Weber, Co-Chair, California Friends of the San Joaquin Valley
John Weisz, Farming Organizer, Driscoll’s
Daniel Winey, Managing Principal, Pacific Northwest and Asia, Gensler
Margaret Wong, President and Chief Executive officer, McWong Environmental Technology
Ernest Wooden Jr., President and Chief Executive officer, Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board
Jia Hao Wu, President, W&S Solutions
Michael Yadon, Manager, Government Affairs, FedEx Corporation
Allan Zaremberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Chamber of Commerce
