Who would have thought the basement of the Capitol could be so L.A.?

Braving a monstrous thunderstorm and an early hour (8 a.m.!), celebs Russell Simmons, Gabrielle Union, Terrence Howard, Vivica Fox and “American Idol— finalist David Archuleta came to the Capitol Tuesday to kick off Children Uniting Nations’ “Keeping the Promise to our Children,— an annual conference on foster and other at-risk children.

[IMGCAP(1)]And while plenty of Members joined the glitterati — including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), and California Democratic Reps. Xavier Becerra, Howard Berman, Adam Schiff and Diane Watson — the star of the morning had to be the charity’s founder, Daphna Ziman.

Ziman, a film executive/punk rock record producer-turned-prominent Los Angeles-based philanthropist, is the wife of a leading Southern California real estate mogul. And Ziman herself is a big-time figure in Democrat circles: She chaired several of now-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign fundraising events in the Golden State, for example.

Unmistakenly a left-coaster (a full mane of blonde hair and a tendency to announce her “love— for nearly everyone in the room), Ziman brought a touch of L.A. to D.C. this morning as she passionately introduced each of the Members as her personal friend. One example: Ziman relayed how she considers Watson a personal mentor, noting that the California Democrat has visited her at her home in Malibu to provide encouragement.

Pelosi called Ziman “my good friend.—

“Daphna is one of the great humanitarians of our time. She is a powerful voice for children who have no voice,— Pelosi said.

Simmons, whose Hip Hop Summit Action Network is co-sponsoring the conference, said that coming up with solutions that help foster children is a top priority. “If we can add celebrity to their support system, then that’s what we’re here for,— he said.

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