Two Napolitanos featured at Italy’s Consulate in San Francisco a few days ago. Along with Italy’s Head of State Giorgio, in the picture, I had to honor to host Janet, the new President of the University of California, former Homeland Security Secretary and former Governor of Arizona, in person. Janet is one of the most powerful women in America’s politics, a proud Italian-American and a wonderful, approacheable human being. You can tell from the photo below.
Janet’s father’s family came to the US from the region around Naples. They emigrated to the East Coast and then settled in Oakland, California. Also, she graduated at the Jesuits’ University of Santa Clara, in what is now Silicon Valley. Although she grew up in New Mexico, being in California for her is like coming home. Jeff Capaccio, the leader of the Silicon Valley Italian Executive Council and Vice President of NIAF, happened to be a fellow student of hers in Santa Clara. As you can see in the pic below, he relished at Janet’s company.
(Jeff Capaccio. behind, Angela Alioto, former President of the San Francisco City and County Board of Supervisors)
Talking about home: I asked Janet to consider the Italian Consulate as her second home. She seemed to be persuaded, not the least because of the magnificent cuisine of Chef Michele Belotti from Bergamo. We spoke of how the University of California, which includes world-class universities like UC Berkeley, UCSF, UCLA and UC Davis, can step up cooperation with its Italian counterparts. Janet was particularly intrigued by the prospect of Expo 2015 in Milan and by how California can play a key role in the arena of sustainable food and energy.
(Chef Michele Belotti, right, of Rulli Ristobar, and Gary Rully, center)
In fact California is now the home of two key aids of President Obama in his first term: beside Janet, Leon Panetta - the former Defence Secretary and head of CIA - who I met a few weeks ago in his idyllic hometown of Monterey, on the Central Californian coast. San Francisco has a tradition of Italian American politicians, like State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (below). At the dinner I also had the honor to host Dennis Herrera, San Francisco City Attorney (of Italian descent on his mother’s side), State Senator Mark Leno (not an Italian despite his name, but a true Italo-phile), Neal Giuliano, CEO of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and former mayor of Tempe, Arizona, Joe D'Alessandro, CEO of San Francisco Travel - champions of an important Italian diaspora that Italians in Italy should definitely be aware of.
Grazie Janet!
(Janet Napolitano with California State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano)