The California Senate Office of International Relations (SOIR) was established by the Senate Rules Committee in 1987 in order to provide the Senate with information and assistance conducive to the furthering of strong economic and cultural ties between California and the world's nations. SOIR assists representatives of foreign governments, businesses, media outlets and academic institutions in their official visits to the Senate, thereby ensuring that we welcome them in a manner befitting the California Senate and our State as a whole.

California is a unique state. Its size and diversity, strategic location, major port facilities, prominence as one of the ten largest economic entities in the world, status as the second leading export state in the nation, international reputation as a center of advanced university studies and the hub of the high-tech and bio-tech industries, make California a significant and important participant in world trade and international affairs.

In the twenty-two years that our office has been assisting the California Senate, we have had the pleasure of facilitating new cooperative relationships with foreign peoples and governments and maintaining existing ones. We hope that our website will be useful to those interested in learning more about the California Senate's commitment to promoting political, economic, educational and cultural relations between California and other regions of the world.