This year’s California – Mexico Advocacy Day, which highlights and promotes the important California – Mexico relationship, was celebrated August 6-7th. This included a legislative hearing and opportunities to connect at a reception and breakfast.
The California Senate Select Committee on California-Mexico Cooperation and Dialogue, chaired by Senator Steve Padilla, held an informational hearing the afternoon of Tuesday, August 6. The hearing, titled “Building an Agenda with a Gender Perspective through Bilateral Cooperation between Mexico and California,” was inspired by June’s historical election of Mexico’s first woman president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo. She will take office October 1, 2024.
Speakers included the following:
- Consul General of Mexico in Sacramento, Christian Tonatiuh González, who arrived in Sacramento for his new post towards the end of 2023. Previously, he served as Chief of Protocol and Public Diplomacy at the Permanent Mission of Mexico in the United Nations.
- Mexican Senator-Elect, Karina Ruiz, the first beneficiary of the Deferred Action (DACA) program to be elected to federal office in Mexico. She attended Arizona State University, earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2015, and then served as executive director of the Arizona Dream Act Coalition (ADAC.)
- Lilia García-Brower, State Labor Commissioner, was appointed to the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019.
- Natalia Vega Varela, Director of Policy, at the Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI). She shared research about the earning power of women, particularly undocumented women who need two jobs to make ends meet while often being the head of households.
- Helen Iris Torres, Chief Executive Officer of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE), a position she has held for 23 years and through which she has built a pipeline of civically engaged Latina leaders who serve in elected and appointed office, as well as business, philanthropic, and community leaders.
Senator Steve Padilla moderated the hearing and thanked the speakers for taking the time to highlight the important role Latinas have in the economic success of the state.
The reception, co-hosted by the Consulate General of Mexico in Sacramento and the Select Committee, was celebrated at the historic Leland Stanford Museum. The reception included distinguished speakers and guests.
Finally, Wednesday morning August 7, the California Chamber of Commerce hosted an International Breakfast Forum focused on “Business Opportunities for California Emerging through the Sonora Plan.” The keynote speaker was Dr. Francisco Acuña Méndez, Chief of Staff to Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo Montaño and Chair of Sonora’s Council for Sustainable Development (CODESO). Dr. Acuña Mendez highlighted Sonora’s potential as a clean energy hub and the vision of turning the state into the Silicon Valley of Mexico to generate clean energy and export it to the U.S. To this end, Dr. Acuña Mendez informed attendees about the state’s investments in new manufacturing facilities, partnerships, and efforts to educate its workforce on renewable manufacturing. Click HERE for a summary of Dr. Francisco Acuña Mendez’s remarks, as well as highlights of the 15th Annual Mexico Advocacy Day.