The President of the Government of the Azores, Vasco Cordeiro, starts Wednesday a visit to the state of California in order to establish contacts with the Azorean communities residing in that state and hold meetings with state and local authorities. He will also chair the opening of the 17th General Assembly of the World Council of the Houses of the Azores.

California is the U.S. state where the Portuguese presence is stronger. It is estimated that over 70 percent of this presence is of Azorean origin or descent.

Nowadays, Azorean emigrants and Azorean descendants hold prominent positions in all sectors of activity in the State of California, from legal practice and education to the arts, industry, trade and agriculture, finance and politics.

The visit will start in Sacramento with a meeting between Vasco Cordeiro, accompanied by the Regional Under Secretary of the Presidency for External Relations, Rodrigo Oliveira, and the President of the California Senate, Darrel Steinberg. After the meeting, the President of the Government will travel to San José.

In this city, the President of the Government will meet with Azorean citizens from Silicon Valley, members of the Prestige Network, entrepreneurs and members of the Young Portuguese American of California at an event that will feature a presentation on "Investment Opportunities for the Azores" by the chairman of the Society for the Business Development of the Azores (SDEA), Arnaldo Machado.

The day will end with a meeting with the Azorean community of San José. The event will be attended by the Consul of Portugal in San Francisco, Nuno Mathias.

In Tulare, Vasco Cordeiro has scheduled meetings with the Mayor, David Macedo, a descendant of Azorean emigrants from Terceira. He will also visit the local Azorean Community, where we will meet with congressmen of Azorean descent, Devin Nunes and David Valadão.

On the following day, the President will chair the Opening Session of the 17th General Assembly of the World Council of Houses of the Azores that will meet for the first time in the State of California in the city of Tulare.

At the end of the opening session, Vasco Cordeiro will participate in a roundtable on "Challenges of Communities and of the Houses of the Azores in the World."

During the afternoon, the President of the Government will attend a Seminar on "Investment Opportunities in the Azores," promoted by the Turlock Chamber of Commerce and SDEA. He also has a scheduled visit to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption.

At the end of this visit to California, Vasco Cordeiro preside over the Opening Dinner of the 17th General Assembly of the World Council of the Houses of the Azores.

The event will feature the awarding of three Medals of Merit to relevant institutions in the Azorean communities residing in the USA and the distinction of an "Azorean Quality Product." It will be attended by representatives of parties with seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores, the ambassador of Portugal in Washington, Nuno Brito, the General Consul of Portugal in San Francisco, Nuno Mathias, and the Honorary Consul of Portugal in Tulare, Diniz Borges.

The reinforcement of the presence and visibility of the Houses of the Azores outside the archipelago is a goal stipulated by the Regional Government, taking into consideration the vital role it may play in the dissemination of the Azorean reality in the host societies, particularly through the promotion of regional products and business opportunities.

Currently, the CMAC comprises the Houses of the Azores of Northern Portugal, Lisbon and Algarve (Mainland Portugal), Quebec, Ontario and Winnipeg (Canada), Hilmar and New England (USA), Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Brazil) and Uruguay.

The observers of CMCA are the House of the Azores of Bahia, Brazil, and the Amigos do Pico Cultural Association in Vancouver, Canada.