(Sacramento, CA) – On September 25, 2025, Assemblymember Jessica Caloza, Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Asia/California Trade and Investment, convened an Informational Forum at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, bringing together elected officials, diplomats, business leaders, and industry experts to discuss the interdependence and opportunity between California, Japan, and the Philippines.
“California ranks among the world’s economic powerhouses, and the partnerships with Asia are essential in sustaining that leadership,” said Assemblymember Caloza. “In 2025, nearly 814,000 jobs in California were accounted for by foreign-owned enterprises, paying an estimate of $89 billion in wages to Californians. A significant chunk of this investment originates from Asia, underscoring the importance of strengthening these partnerships.”
The forum showcased three panels, beginning with a discussion on California trade and investment with Japan and the Philippines, which included insights from Stephen Cheung, President of the World Trade Center Los Angeles; Adam Burke, President & CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board; and Jason Paguio, Chair of the California Commission on Asian & Pacific Islander American Affairs.
“People are fearful of the investment when they don't know what's going to happen. You blow something up one day, it can be a toll on the penalty the next day, and that could have huge consequences. I think we saw that everything pretty much just stopped with the tariffs,” said Jason Paguio. “There's no predictability on what happens–you're not making an investment and you're holding onto a lot of stock. At the end of the day, when you don't know what's going to happen, you're not going to take risks or try to do something forward.”
Another panel focused on strengthening economic partnerships, highlighting expertise from Joshua Morey, Board Member of the U.S.-Japan Council and Co-Founder of Ori-gen Insurance Group; Vicki Rollins, Chief Operating Officer of RNG Facilities; Babak Haghiri, Vice President of Operations at Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Dana Heatherton, Head of New Markets, Waymo; and Louie Brown, Partner, Kahn, Soares & Conway, LLP.
“California agriculture is the largest agricultural industry in the United States. In 2024, we had just over $60 billion in farm gate revenue. That's more than the second and third states combined in everywhere else,” said Louie Brown. “International markets are so important to California agriculture–$23 billion of that $60 billion is actually invested in foreign trade.”
The final panel of the event included a fireside chat on entertainment in Asia with Executive Producer Lisa Lew, President of P&L Media LLC; and filmmakers Michael LoFaso, Co-CEO of Rideback Ranch; Mark LaGrimas, Producer, SW6 Enterprises; and Director and Producer Mariko Jamora.
“Almost like small businesses, economic opportunities actually start outside of the major studio system. We're seeing that happening on a global basis, like Bluey that is now this big mega-hit,” said Michael LoFaso. “It makes me think about, What are ways that we can build these from the ground up, both here in L.A. and with global partners? And thinking about the Philippines, for example, what new storytelling ideas could live on that big global stage? What are the untapped ideas that we may not have had a chance to tap into yet, but could serve global audiences? What is the infrastructure that helps us get there? There's so much foundation that's built already. We need to think about how we continue to capitalize on that.”
Following the forum, attendees were invited to a reception with dishes from Los Angeles-based restaurants, featuring Filipino and Japanese cuisine.
Following the forum, attendees were invited to a reception with dishes from Los Angeles-based restaurants, featuring Filipino and Japanese cuisine. A curated menu for the reception was prepared by Chef Don Tahara, Executive Chef & Owner of Far Bar of Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Chef Natalia Moran, Executive Chef & Owner of Manila Inasal in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.
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Assemblymember Jessica Caloza proudly represents the 52nd Assembly District, which includes the Los Angeles County communities of Angelino Heights, Atwater Village, City Terrace, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, East Los Angeles, Echo Park, El Sereno, Elysian Heights, Glassell Park, Garvanza, Hermon, Highland Park, Hillside Village, Lincoln Heights, Los Feliz, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Mount Washington, Silver Lake, South Glendale, and University Hills.
