California Council for International Trade (CCIT) Adopts State Trade Task Force As A Top Priority Issue In 2004. News Officers Elected.

CCIT Board of Directors calls for State Task Force on Trade Policy to be created by Governor Schwarzenegger and for California Lawmakers to suspend enacting any new trade legislation.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) May 26, 2004 --The California Council for International Trade (CCIT) is well-positioned to help strengthen the California economy by promoting sound trade policy," said David Zuercher, who was elected as CCIT chairman earlier this month.

   Although the last few years have been very rough for trade, the recent economic improvements signal many new opportunities for expansion," said Zuercher. My goals for this year will focus on giving the kind of leadership to CCIT that will make it a strong voice in global trade as we enter a new economic era and a new spirit of vitality in the relationships between Sacramento and Washington, DC."

The CCIT board of directors adopted two significant positions for 2004. The first is a call for the California Legislature not to enact any trade policy legislation until a CCIT-proposed State Task Force on Trade Policy can be created by Governor Schwarzenegger and its results considered by the administration. The second strongly opposes any federal or state action that would restrict the ability of companies to outsource operations overseas.

CCIT believes a task force is both timely and crucial since the Legislature abruptly abolished all trade programs last year, including programs to help small exporters find overseas markets. We believe this support can best be provided through a federal-state partnership, recently proposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce in coordination with the Schwarzenegger administration," said Zuercher. But we also believe the state needs a group of people who use trade services to help design a new strategy to restore California to its position as a leader in global trade," Zuercher added.

In addition to Zuercher, who is an executive vice president of Wells Fargo, CCIT elected as vice chairs Tamsin Randlett of Gap, Inc., San Francisco, and John Liebman, a Los Angeles attorney with McKenna, Long and Aldridge. Joseph G. Englert, president of Export Assist in San Francisco, was elected secretary-treasurer. Joseph W. Harrison continues to serve as president of CCIT.

The CCIT has launched an aggressive new membership drive campaign to bring added strength to its core program of supporting trade expansion programs at both the federal and state levels. It includes a major statewide grassroots effort organizing all international business -- large or small -- into a network to reinforce the message that trade benefits all Californians, even those who are against expanded trade.
   
I believe strongly in CCIT as a vehicle that has proven over the years its ability to help enact controversial trade legislation such as NAFTA and normalization of trade with China," said Zuercher. Each of the thousands of California companies involved in any way with international trade should join in our effort to persuade both Congress and the California Legislature to understand that trade is increasingly important to the future of California."

In addition to being the 45-year-old Voice of Global Trade" for California, the nonprofit, nonpartisan CCIT has also created an independent research organization, California Trade Education Center (CTEC). CTEC studies the impacts of trade on communities throughout the state and disseminates the information to the public and elected leaders to increase understanding of how trade benefits all Californians. CTEC also has brought to California high schools a world trade simulation for economics students, called the International Economic Summit.

Thirty percent, more than $300 billion, of Californias trillion dollar economy comes from international trade. This creates five million high quality jobs for California," said Zuercher. Fifteen percent of all goods and services produced in the Golden State are sold overseas, making California the largest exporting state."

CCITs network partners include large and small manufacturers, exporters and importers, providers of financial, technological, transportation and entertainment services, educators, and former federal and state trade officials.

The growing volumes of trade moving through Californias ports and airports are not just a regional problem, they are a national problem," said Zuercher. Every state in the nation gets imported products that have moved through California ports and produces exports that go through these facilities as well, so we need to make sure that Californias international trade infrastructure -- including its ports, airports and highways -- can keep pace with the expected growth. Bringing federal dollars to California for this purpose is a major objective of CCIT."

About California Council for International Trade (www.ccit.net)

CCIT is a 45 year-old trade association, the only statewide organization dedicated to advocating sound U.S. trade policy to open overseas markets for the benefit of California producers of goods and services that need those markets to fuel Californias economic growth. CCIT is a nonprofit, nonpartisan statewide network of Californias leading voices supporting policies that facilitate trade expansion. CCIT is 'Californias Voice for Global Trade.

[Editors note: For images, interviews or more on CCIT contact George Mc Quade or Aida Mayo at MAYO Communications: 818.340.5300 or 818.618.9229. Email: PR@MayoCommunications.com.
        
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