Welcome back to the Sunstone Way.
We’re starting 2026 in a big, big way, with a true powerhouse featured at the first P3 Strategy Series event tomorrow, Jan. 16.
California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA, has served in that position since being elected in November 2018. She is the first woman of color and the first woman Certified Public Accountant (CPA) elected to the position.
She’s also a good friend of Sunstone Management founder John Shen. Treasurer Ma came to the Irvine headquarters of Sunstone and American Lending Center in June 2023 to see first-hand how John’s companies are helping small businesses make communities better.
“Treasurer Ma’s passion for creating jobs by the state partnering with private companies to invest in economic development is well known,” John Shen said. “As state treasurer she serves on the boards of IBank (the state Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank) and the CalPERS and CalSTRS pension funds. She’s literally the state’s chief banker, and has done an amazing job.
“We are truly honored to have Treasurer Ma visit us and speak at the P3 Strategy Series.”
Handling Huge Resources
In her position, Treasurer Ma manages an investment portfolio of $150-$250 billion, and has averaged earnings of $18 million a day. She oversees the disbursement of $3.7 trillion per year, and has made sure California continues to achieve top scores from bond rating agencies.
California is the world’s fourth-largest economy, and Treasurer Ma is focused on how the public’s money is best spent to keep that economy growing. As an IBank board member, Treasurer Ma has helped direct billions of dollars to projects – both public and private – that generate jobs, help combat climate change and support small businesses.
In her own office, Treasurer Ma oversees 17 different boards, authorities and commissions, covering everything from securities management to the Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority.
Treasurer Ma will complete eight years in this office at the end of 2026. A true public servant at heart, she has mounted a campaign to be California’s next lieutenant governor.
In short, I cannot think of a more qualified expert than Treasurer Ma to talk about the many ways government facilitates investment and economic success. I hope you are as excited as I am to spend some time with her.
Sunstone Cities
I hope you had the opportunity to attend a P3 Strategy Series session in 2025. It is one of the many ways Sunstone Cities LLC helps make the connection between entrepreneurs, business owners and government agencies. That helps both the governments guiding communities and the economic engines that communities need to succeed.
To find out more about the Sunstone Cities team – Jayro Sandoval, Ryan Phong and Giselle Melendez Cruz – go to the sunstonecities.com website. To get involved in the P3 Strategy Series, and specifically to register to attend tomorrow’s session with Treasurer Ma, click here.
It is our desire to continue bringing you important, insightful interactions like this. We’re investing our time and effort to do so because making these connections makes our communities better.
At CES 2026
Speaking of important and insightful, a team from Sunstone and American Lending Center went to Las Vegas last week to be part of the Consumer Electronics Show 2026. Also known as CES, this massive annual tech trade show is where tech giants and innovators showcase their newest breakthroughs.
I was there, as was John Shen, along with our Sunstone Venture Partners team – another of the Sunstone affiliates. We were able to talk with some of the innovators changing our world and got to see everything from cutting-edge technology allowing AI (Artificial Intelligence) to function on multiple devices to autonomous robots to a cat-feeding station capable of providing a health analysis.
We were more than observers too. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, we hosted a “Sunstone Stage Connects After Party” along with American Lending Center and the Consumer Technology Association. Just like the Sunstone Stage Connects series the Venture Partners team produces at our Irvine headquarters, this after party brought together innovators, entrepreneurs and investors – just in the glitzy Vegas environment!
As you can see, we’ve entered 2026 at full gallop. We’re well prepared for the Year of the Horse, which starts just a month from now.
After all, that’s The Sunstone Way.
And remember to always be a Sunstone!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone
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Sunstone Investment Group, headquartered in Southern California, is the holding company for the Sunstone family of entities, including: Sunstone Investment Management Services, responsible for administrative services; Sunstone Advisors, an SEC-registered investment adviser, which oversees Sunstone Venture Partners LLC, a private capital fund manager; Sunstone Cities, a government economic development consulting firm; and Sunstone Community Fund, a charitable organization that supports entrepreneurship. Sunstone is dedicated to enriching lives through investment, entrepreneurship, and community. Email us at contact@sunstoneinvestment.com.
©Sunstone, 2026