Attorney General Bill Lockyer is scheduled to attend. So is state Sen. Liz Figueroa, and Assemblyman John Dutra, and Milpitas Mayor Henry Manayan.

The high-powered guest list for a dinner Friday in the Fremont hills is an obvious sign that the Indo-American Community Federation is an organization with clout, even though most local residents have never heard of the non-profit group.

But the federation has more than political influence, it has ambitious goals. Members dream about building an Indo-American community center in Fremont and dealing with the gang problem within their community. They want to become ”part and parcel” of mainstream America. ”We cannot make our own island here, we cannot just feel we are financially successful, academically successful and we are successful in our businesses,” said Jeevan Zutshi, a civil engineer and president of the 3 year old federation. ”No, that is not enough. You have do so something. You have to create opportunities (for Indo-Americans) to get out into the community and get involved in the mainstream.”