California's lieutenant governor to focus on foreign trade

California's lieutenant governor has a new role promoting the state as an international trading partner.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis will head a committee tasked with reopening trade offices in foreign countries and promoting the state's trade interests. The new committee is the latest example of California seeking more influence on the global stage during the Trump presidency. California already has a trade office in China, opened under former Gov. Jerry Brown, and Newsom wants to reopen a trade office in Mexico.

Kounalakis, a Democrat and former ambassador to Hungary under former President Barack Obama, said she's excited to elevate California's role on the world stage.

She says "I'm honored to work with (Newsom) to make sure that California's interests and our values are adequately represented in the world."