History of the Foundation

In 1986, the Foundation hosted the maiden visit to Southern California of the first Ambassador to the United States from the nation of Brunei following the independence of that small Pacific Rim nation. The Ambassador met with leaders of Southern California's business and civic communities and exchanged views about Pacific Rim trade, investment and issues of economic development.

In 1985, the Foundation supported travel to Europe and the Middle East of California :political leaders, businessmen, scholars and students. The participants on this educational mission met with Americans serving abroad, including America's Ambassadors to several countries, and with key political and business leaders in England, Switzerland, Italy, Egypt and Israel.

Focusing on another part of the world, the Foundation hosted a visit to Southern California by Pir Gailani, the religious leader of fourteen million Afghans, and the leader of the National lslamic Front of Afghanistan (NIF A), the principal organization resisting the Soviet invasion of that country. Besides speaking to several Southern California audiences, Pir Gailani was interviewed by Southern California media, appearing on shows with Bruce Herschensohn and Michael Jackson.

In September, 1986, the Foundation hosted the premiere American performance of Brunei's National Dance Troupe in Pasadena, California.

In 1986, Khalid Wardak, one of the youngest commanders of the Afghan Freedom Fighters, appeared before Southern California audiences as the guest of the Foundation.

In July, 1987, the Foundation hosted a week-long visit to Southern California by the Ambassadors to the United States from the nations of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Meeting with key business and political leaders m the Inland Empire, Orange County and Los Angeles County, the ambassadors explored ways by which California could increase its exports to Southeast Asia and Southeast Asian nations could export products and capital to Southern California.

In September, 1987, the Foundation arranged meetings for members of the Bruneian Investment Agency with key leaders in New York, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. These meetings were an educational mission teaching Bruneians about American business and political practices.

In October, 1987, the Foundation hosted a dinner meeting for the Minister of Trade and Industry of Malaysia with prominent California business leaders. Also in attendance was the Minister of Trade and Industry for the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

In 1987, the Foundation provided training in Southern California for representatives of the Afghan Freedom Fighters on computer skills.

In 1987, the Foundation supported a book length study of United States-Vatican relations in honor of the visit to Southern California this past September of His Holiness, Pope John Paul II.

In November, 1987, the Foundation sponsored a tour for students and businessmen to the countries of Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, arranging meetings with key business and political officials.

From its first year of operation the Foundation has sponsored several educational missions to Israel for key leaders of the business and educational communities.

The Foundation sponsored a study of strategic relations between the United States and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and between the United States and the Middle East by Dr. Harold Rood, a prominent scholar in the field. Both studies have since been published.

In March, 1988, the Foundation sponsored a lecture by Dr. Theodore Smith, financial advisor to the Bruneian Ministry of Finance at the Claremont Colleges.

In July and August, 1988, the Foundation enlarged its educational and cultural exchange program with the Pacific Rim by sending four college students to Brunei to work as interns in the Bruneian Investment Agency for several weeks. In addition, it arranged other educational programs for the students in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong. It arranged meetings for the students with Mr. Robert Chua, a senior member of Singapore's Foreign Ministry, and with Mr. James Lee, Director of the Land Reform Institute of Taiwan.

In September, 1988, the Foundation sponsored a series of lectures at the Claremont Colleges by the Malaysian Ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Albert S. Talalla. It also arranged visits for him with key Southern California business and political leaders.

In October, 1988, the Foundation sponsored a lecture at the Claremont Colleges by Simon Wiesenthal, the famous Nazi hunter who has tracked down and documented the location of many Nazi war criminals, helping to bring them to justice, including Adolph Eichman.

On November 14, the Foundation sponsored a lecture at the Claremont Colleges by Ambassador Ma, the Consul-General to Los Angeles from the People’s Republic of China.

On November 16, the Foundation sponsored a lecture at the Claremont Colleges by Dr. Robert Gallo, the co-discoverer of the AIDS virus.

On November 28, the Foundation sponsored a lecture at the Claremont Colleges by Datin Rafidah, Minister of Trade and Industry of Malaysia. The next evening, November 29, the Foundation sponsored a dinner in her honor to meet key leaders from the Southern California businesses and civic community in Beverly Hills.

Throughout 1989-1992, the Foundation has been sponsoring an exhibit on the Holocaust, providing it to school districts, libraries and civic centers in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County. The exhibit, entitled "The Courage to Remember," was produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center of Los Angeles. The Foundation purchased a copy of the exhibit after a particularly violent attack of anti-Semitism in the San Gabriel Valley.

The Foundation also provides speakers to these various civic agencies to explain the exhibit. Among the dozens of institutions, schools, libraries and public community buildings that hosted the exhibit included:

Bonita High School, Claremont Public Library, Rowland Heights Public Library, Baldwin Park Public Library, West Covina Library, Alhambra City Public Library, Chaparral High School, Pomona Public Library, Duarte Public library, La Mirada Public Library, Palm Springs Library, Coachella Library, Norwalk Public Library and Whittier Public Library.

The Courage to Remember exhibit was seen by over 200,000 people during the tour of southern California. 

The Foundation's Board believes that education is the best means of defeating intolerance and bigotry.

Since its inception, the Foundation has sponsored or conducted several studies on conditions for economic growth in California. The Foundation's studies range from a discussion of the issues pertaining to land use and development to identifying those opinion leaders whose ideas about economic growth, including issues of land use and development, have been instrumental in framing the public debate.

The Foundation completed an exhaustive study of proposed no-growth legislation in Orange County. Through a public opinion survey and network analysis of 33,000 key Orange County opinion leaders and their attitudes towards the no-growth issue.

The Foundation completed a study of computer driven financial management systems in Guam and in America's other Pacific trusts and territories. This study was made available to the United States Department of the Interior.

March 2008, the Foundation sponsored and hosted a conference in Washington DC on Tribal Sovereignty, Legal Trends & Directions.

Conference Schedule

9:00-9:05am: Conference Convenes at the Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom
The Hon. Loren Smith, Conference Co-Chairman; Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims

9:05-9:15am: Opening Remarks
George E. Garvey, JD, Vice Provost & Dean of Graduate Studies, The Catholic University of America
Deron Marquez, Conference Co-Chairman; Assoc. Dir., Tribal Admin. Certificate Program, Claremont Graduate University

9:15-10:30am: Morning Panel #1
Are We Changing The Rules?: Reflections on Tribal Sovereignty & The Implications of San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino v. N.L.R.B. (D.C. Cir., 2007)
Moderator:
The Hon..Loren Smith, Conference Co-Chairman; Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Panelists:
Ralph Rossum, Salvatori Professor of American Constitutionalism, Claremont McKenna College
The Hon.Susan A. Ehrlich, Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals
Reid Peyton Chambers, Partner, Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP

10:30-10:45am: Break

10:45am-12:00pm: Morning Panel #2
Sovereignty Precedents in American Jurisprudence
Moderator:
Dr. Alfred Balitzer, Senior Fellow, Claremont Graduate University
Panelists:
The Hon. Rebecca Irving, Chief Judge, Passamaquoddy Tribal CourtThe Hon.
Walter Edmonds, Judge, Oregon Court of Appeals
Christopher Wolfe, Professor of Political Science, Marquette University

12:00-12:15pm: Break for lunch at the Columbus School of Law Atrium

12:15-1:15pm: Luncheon Address
The Hon. Randall R. Rader, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals For The Federal Circuit

1:15-1:30pm: Reconvene at the Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom

1:30-2:45pm: Afternoon Panel
Sovereignty Revisited: Where Do We Go From Here?
Moderator:
Deron Marquez, Conference Co-Chairman; Assoc. Dir., Tribal Admin. Certificate Program, Claremont Graduate University
Panelists:
David E. Wilkins, Professor of American Indian Studies, Univ. of Minnesota
Kathryn Rand, Co-Director, Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law and Policy
Jonathan Taylor, President, Taylor Policy Group, Inc.

2:45-4:45pm: Roundtable Discussion
Moderator:
Michael Uhlmann, Professor of American Government, Claremont Graduate University
Participants:
Ralph Rossum, Salvatori Professor of American Constitutionalism, Claremont McKenna College
The Hon.Susan A. Ehrlich, Judge, Arizona Court of Appeals
Christopher Wolfe, Professor of Political Science, Marquette University
The Hon.Rebecca Irving, Chief Judge, Passamaquoddy Tribal Court
The Hon.Walter Edmonds, Judge, Oregon Court of Appeals
David E. Wilkins, Professor of American Indian Studies, Univ. of Minnesota
Kathyrn Rand, Co-Director, Institute for the Study of Tribal Gaming Law and Policy
Reid Peyton Chambers, Partner, Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP
Jonathan Taylor, President, Taylor Policy Group, Inc.

4:45-4:55pm: Summary of the Day’s Proceedings
Michael Uhlmann, Professor of American Government, Claremont Graduate University

4:55-5:05pm: Closing Remarks

Deron Marquez, Conference Co-Chairman; Assoc. Dir., Tribal Admin. Certificate Program, Claremont Graduate University

From May 12-15, 2011, the Foundation For California coordinated an educational visit to the Holy Land, hosting a delegation led by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, General Secretary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

This trip was part of a larger project of the Foundation of bringing leaders of different faiths to the Holy Land to conduct important dialogues and reach out across boundaries that divide people. Past Foundation For California delegations to Israel have included key leaders from the civic, political and religious communities of Indonesia, India and Japan.

Highlights of Dr. Surin’s trip included meeting with local political and government leaders, an academic address at Hebrew University, meetings with religious leaders and visits to sites of Jewish history and culture.

1.Meetings With Political & Government Leaders
Dr. Surin was hosted by President Shimon Peres at the President’s official residence. While the specifics of their conversation remain off the record, issues relating to building trust and relationships between the Muslim and Jewish worlds were discussed.Additionally, throughout his stay in Israel, Dr. Surin was received by a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office and other entities of the Israeli government.

2.Academic Address at Hebrew University
Dr. Surin delivered a well-received address at Hebrew University entitled “ASEAN, China and America: The Future of Southeast Asia”. Attending were students, faculty, university staff and interested members of the community. Dr. Surin’s talk addressed ASEAN’s efforts to engage the United States, the rising powers of China and India in addition to broadening outreach to the Middle East.

3.Meetings With Religious Leaders
Meetings with various religious leaders were arranged during Dr. Surin’s visit, the highlight of which was a Shabbat stay with a noted Israeli Rabbi where Surin and the delegation were treated to a night of excellent food, singing, prayers and fellowship.

4.Visits To Sites of Jewish History and Culture
Prior to the trip, Dr. Surin expressed a desire to learn about Jewish religious practices and the Jewish people. The FFC trip organizers delivered on this front by taking Dr. Surin and the delegation to sites of Jewish history and culture, namely, the Mount of Olives, the Old City of David, the Wailing Wall, the Kotel Tunnels, southern excavation sites in the Old City, Yad Vashem and Ein Gedi, among other locations.

In 2011, twenty years later, the Foundation for California through a grant from SNCF is taking the traveling exhibit from the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s “Courage to Remember” on a year-long tour of California.

“The Courage to Remember” traveling Holocaust exhibit made its debut in Sacramento, Calif. and was viewed more than 30,000 people in 8 locations in 2011. Interest in the 2011 tour was notable, including coverage by the LA Daily News, Sacramento Examiner, Capitol Public Radio and numerous other outlets.

Emboldened by that early success, the exhibit was requested in Florida and made its Southeast debut at Tallahassee Community College on January 16, 2012. In 2012, the Foundation added 32 new venues to the schedule and ramped up its efforts to invite and promote VIP attendees to the media, as well as to promote the exhibit in conjunction with presentations by local authors, historians and professors.

Both media coverage and attendance for the exhibit exploded in 2012. An event in Modesto garnered 500-plus people and coverage from major media outlets. Events in Broward County and Santa Ana garnered 300 attendees, with students Tweeting their experience. Attendees that year included members of Congress, mayors, city councilmembers, top officials from the Red Cross, leaders in education and veterans affairs, law enforcement members, multiple liberators and survivors, authors, Holocaust historians, students, and families. At the end of 2012, the exhibit had been viewed by more than 800,000 people.

As of early 2013, 35 venues are already scheduled, including San Diego, Miami, Jacksonville, Boca Raton, India and Thailand.

The Foundation for California continues to receive weekly letters and social media messages from individuals from past tour stops expressing their gratitude for the exhibit and requesting it return annually.