4a) Discussion and Possible Action Including Acceptance of Informational Report(s) from the Assessor/Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters, Acting Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector, District Attorney, Sheriff and Various County Department Heads or Designee(s)
(Sponsor: Executive Office)
Dear Honorable Supes of Mendo County--I concur with all the above emails: I urge you, the Mendocino County Supervisors, to strengthen our investment policy in which the pressing social and environmental concerns that are enumerated are routinely ignored, and in which non-binding language such as “discouraged” is the sole guiding principle. Take a stand for Ethical Investing! As we are often told, a person's actions speak louder than their words. Time for a change. Thank You, Chad Swimmer
Mendocino County's investments in corporations like Bank of America, Caterpillar and Royal Bank of Canada are at odds with our investment policy which states, "“Investments are encouraged in entities that support equality of rights regardless of sex, race, age, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as those entities that practice environmentally sound and fair labor practices. Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.”
Discouraged is not a word that the County should use as clearly the County is still investing in corporations like Caterpillar, Royal Bank, and Bank of America. Some of them are investing in fossil fuels and Caterpillar is also investing in weapons of war.
It is clear that we need to use a stronger term and indicate that we do prohibit to invest in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense and pull out our money ASAP.
There are other more ethical and morally conscious entities we can invest our money in that might even be close to home like Sonoma Clean Power. They can give the same returns.
This use of our tax dollars does not align with our county's values!
Thanks for listening to your citizens, Annemarie Weibel
The section of Mendocino County’s investment policy regarding ethical investing appears well-phrased at first glance; however, as we continue to hold investments in companies such as Bank of America, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Caterpillar, it becomes evident that the policy lacks the necessary strength and commitment to genuinely enforce ethical investing principles.
As the first comment here points out, ethical investments perform at least as well, if not better, than traditional ones. I am no expert, just a tax-paying resident, but it seems not only morally necessary and quite feasible to change our holdings, but also likely to be more stable in the long term.
Instead, our investments are being used to fund horrific violence and contribute to the severe climate emergency we face.
It is not enough to hint at who we wish we are, or who we think we should be. There must be, first and foremost, tangible actions that reflect a commitment to those stated values.
I would like to see less investment in funds that are damaging our ability to exist in this world—or that extract wealth at the at cost of lives of people elsewhere. I am disappointed to see companies like Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America Corporation, and Caterpillar Inc. — companies linked to funding war and/or fossil fuel (both of which contribute to climate change). Please take a stronger stance against supporting investments in these industries.
In the staff letter that submits the quarterly report it states "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy.." This is not true. The county is still invested in the Royal Bank of Canada, B of A, and Caterpillar. Last June, at the BOS meeting when the quarterly report was given I pointed out in written comments and on zoom that the county was invested in fossil fuels and weapons not used in the national defense because they were invested in the Royal Bank of Canada, B of A and Caterpillar. I have attached a Fact Sheet with links that shows these entities do not align with our Investment Policy and the County's stated values. We want our tax dollars to support humanity and the planet, not destroy it. Please ask that they be divested from ASAP. Thank you
We are Mendocino County for Ethical Investing (MCEI), a coalition of local Mendocino County residents who believe our collective tax dollars should no longer support entities which violate human rights, perpetuate war crimes, and bring us closer to climate apocalypse. We at MCEI are commenting on Agenda Item 4a for the September 10, 2024 Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The county’s investment policy discourages investing in fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, and weapons not used in the national defense. In the staff report submitted by the treasurer it is stated that "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy.” We ask that you :
Require clarification from the Acting Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector as to why she says that our tax dollars are not being invested in fossil fuels and weapons not used in the national defense.
We can highlight numerous investments that receive revenue from fossil fuels and weapons not used in our national defense which include firstly the holdings in Bank of America, the number four financier of fossil fuel development which also has holdings in the Israeli defense contractor Elbit. Secondly, the Royal Bank of Canada, the largest financier of fossil fuel development with substantial holdings in Palantir, which provides their Artificial Intelligence (AI) predictive system to Israeli security forces, to identify and target people in occupied Palestine and has ties to human rights violations and repressive regimes worldwide. And third, Caterpillar, which provides, customizes, and services their D9 bulldozer to arm many illegal military occupations. These machines have been cited by Human Rights Watch as being a primary weapon for destroying homes, agriculture, and roads. These militarized vehicles are weapons of war not used in our national defense. Due to concerns over their practices, many entities including the United Methodist Church have divested from Caterpillar.
The above investments are contrary to the Social and Environmental Concerns section of your investment policy.
We urge you, the Mendocino County Supervisors, to strengthen our investment policy in which the pressing social and environmental concerns that are enumerated are routinely ignored, and in which non-binding language such as “discouraged” is the sole guiding principle.
Hi, I’d like hear more about how our investments are reported to be in compliance with the spirit of our investment policy.
It seems reasonable to me that we should not be invested in companies that are doing egregious amounts of harm to and throughout the world. Even a relatively conservative entity like the methodist church has divested from Caterpillar, which is in our portfolio despite it seeming to fall into the category of entities we would discourage investment in. Those companies that are willing to knowingly do business with or indirectly do business with militaries committing genocide do not seem like companies we here in Mendocino would want to be connected with. I know I certainly do not want to be connect to that. Similarly, I would not like to see our county dollars financing a company that finances fossil fuel production in a big way. This is incompatible with my desire to continue to living on and have those who come after me continue to live on a habitable planet. I would like to see our investment policy improved and put into real action. “Discouraged” seems to allow for a disregard for the policy where desired. If this is the case, why even have the guidelines at all? I would prefer our investment policy to have some teeth and be able to provide real guidance rather than be a mere virtue signal.
Mendocino County's investments in corporations like Bank of America, Caterpillar and Royal Bank of Canada are at odds with our investment policy which states, "“Investments are encouraged in entities that support equality of rights regardless of sex, race, age, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as those entities that practice environmentally sound and fair labor practices. Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.”
We must strengthen our policy by changing the word "discourage" to "prohibit" as these corporations are directly linked to weapons of war and the proliferations of fossil fuels. This use of our tax dollars does not align with our county's values!
Our current policy reads, “Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.” I urge you to replace the word “discouraged” with “prohibited.” That way, the moral sentiments behind the current policy can be actualized, instead of being mere suggestions. The Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America, and Caterpillar are three investments in our county's portfolio that do not align with our stated values and I urge you to divest from these 3 companies immediately. Thank you.
I am glad that the county started to move toward more ethical investments, but urge the BOS to change the word in the county's investment policy that says "discourages" to "prohibits". Then, I would like to see our county divest from Caterpillar, Bank of America, and Royal Bank of Canada, to start. I'm horrified to know that our tax dollars are invested in companies that are profiting off of the destruction of the planet, war crimes, and human rights violations. Thank you.
The investments are not in accordance with our investment policy. The policy discourages investments in weapons and fossil fuels, yet there are still investments in Caterpillar, Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of America. We need a stronger investment policy that "prohibits" instead of "discourages" investements in fossil fuels and weapons. Our tax dollars should be invested in more ethical investments.
I’m writing in reference to agenda items 3s) and 4a) the letter submitted by Treasurer Sara Pierce stating once again "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy…". As a concerned Mendocino County resident who strongly encourages the need for our tax dollars to SUPPORT humanity, and the Earth, our investments are not “in accordance” with our Investment Policy. Approximately 2.5 % of our Consolidated Portfolio is still invested in fossil fuels, and weapons not used in America’s self defense but are used to continue supporting the military industrial complex. It is therefore necessary to update the county’s investment policy which currently states we “discourage” investments and change it to “prohibit” the investments.
Sadly the ethnic cleansing and scorched earth project in progress every day in Gaza and the West Bank where 40,000+civilians, (a gross miscount), of mostly displaced women and children have literally been paid by the above 2.5% investments the county holds. It is a moral imperative we divest from such companies. Two months ago it was identified by the world court that Israel is an apartheid state, see the following links. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/19/world-court-finds-israel-responsible-apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured
We can no longer ignore America’s role in an ongoing genocide, and destruction of our planet that holds the future of our children and grandchildren. Again, it is our moral duty to stop the harm.
It is time to act for humanity and the planet.
Thank you for hearing me.
I’m writing in reference to agenda numbers 3s) and 4a) the letter submitted by Treasurer Sara Pierce stating once again "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy…". But as a concerned Mendocino County resident who strongly encourages the need for our tax dollars to SUPPORT humanity, and the Earth it is actually not “in accordance” with our Investment Policy. Approximately 2.5 % of our Consolidated Portfolio is still invested in fossil fuels and mass weapons not used in self defense. Rather than “discourage” these as is stated in our county’s policy we need to enforce and be accountable by “prohibiting” the investments directly.
Secondly I support g3) or the renewal of Resolution 24. It clarifies that in order for our county to “avoid irreversible, catastrophic climate change impacts..we must facilitate effective and expedited implementation of climate change mitigation efforts, including streamlining the implementation of climate change mitigation measures such as renewable energy projects, green infrastructure and emissions reductions initiatives;
Lastly the ethnic cleansing and scorched earth projects happening every day in Gaza and the West Bank where 40,000+civilians mostly displaced woman and children- have literally been paid by the above 2.5 investments and our 13 million US tax dollars/day. Two months ago this was identified by the world court as apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/19/world-court-finds-israel-responsible-apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured
BOS has handed control over our tax dollars and investments to one person and firm that is ignoring things that have been discouraged in the county's investment policy.
DIVEST from the funds and companies that are involved in non national defense warmongering and fossil fuels industries accelerating climate change.
Change one word in the Investment Policy from "discourage" (which has zero teeth) to "prohibit". Don't be namby pamby on this. Research supports good or better returns with ethical funds than with traditional funds.
Take our money out of these pritioity bad actors: BofA, Caterpillar, Royal Bank of Canada and these secondary priority bad actors: Northern Trust Co, Amazon and Toyota.
Hand the reigns over to someone that understands ethical investing with good returns.
I strongly support divestment from weapons of war, and strengthening the investment policy as presented by Mendocino County for Ethical Investing.
Dear Honorable Supes of Mendo County--I concur with all the above emails: I urge you, the Mendocino County Supervisors, to strengthen our investment policy in which the pressing social and environmental concerns that are enumerated are routinely ignored, and in which non-binding language such as “discouraged” is the sole guiding principle. Take a stand for Ethical Investing! As we are often told, a person's actions speak louder than their words. Time for a change. Thank You, Chad Swimmer
Mendocino County's investments in corporations like Bank of America, Caterpillar and Royal Bank of Canada are at odds with our investment policy which states, "“Investments are encouraged in entities that support equality of rights regardless of sex, race, age, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as those entities that practice environmentally sound and fair labor practices. Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.”
Discouraged is not a word that the County should use as clearly the County is still investing in corporations like Caterpillar, Royal Bank, and Bank of America. Some of them are investing in fossil fuels and Caterpillar is also investing in weapons of war.
It is clear that we need to use a stronger term and indicate that we do prohibit to invest in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense and pull out our money ASAP.
There are other more ethical and morally conscious entities we can invest our money in that might even be close to home like Sonoma Clean Power. They can give the same returns.
This use of our tax dollars does not align with our county's values!
Thanks for listening to your citizens, Annemarie Weibel
The section of Mendocino County’s investment policy regarding ethical investing appears well-phrased at first glance; however, as we continue to hold investments in companies such as Bank of America, the Royal Bank of Canada, and Caterpillar, it becomes evident that the policy lacks the necessary strength and commitment to genuinely enforce ethical investing principles.
As the first comment here points out, ethical investments perform at least as well, if not better, than traditional ones. I am no expert, just a tax-paying resident, but it seems not only morally necessary and quite feasible to change our holdings, but also likely to be more stable in the long term.
Instead, our investments are being used to fund horrific violence and contribute to the severe climate emergency we face.
It is not enough to hint at who we wish we are, or who we think we should be. There must be, first and foremost, tangible actions that reflect a commitment to those stated values.
I would like to see less investment in funds that are damaging our ability to exist in this world—or that extract wealth at the at cost of lives of people elsewhere. I am disappointed to see companies like Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America Corporation, and Caterpillar Inc. — companies linked to funding war and/or fossil fuel (both of which contribute to climate change). Please take a stronger stance against supporting investments in these industries.
In the staff letter that submits the quarterly report it states "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy.." This is not true. The county is still invested in the Royal Bank of Canada, B of A, and Caterpillar. Last June, at the BOS meeting when the quarterly report was given I pointed out in written comments and on zoom that the county was invested in fossil fuels and weapons not used in the national defense because they were invested in the Royal Bank of Canada, B of A and Caterpillar. I have attached a Fact Sheet with links that shows these entities do not align with our Investment Policy and the County's stated values. We want our tax dollars to support humanity and the planet, not destroy it. Please ask that they be divested from ASAP. Thank you
We are Mendocino County for Ethical Investing (MCEI), a coalition of local Mendocino County residents who believe our collective tax dollars should no longer support entities which violate human rights, perpetuate war crimes, and bring us closer to climate apocalypse. We at MCEI are commenting on Agenda Item 4a for the September 10, 2024 Board of Supervisors Meeting.
The county’s investment policy discourages investing in fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, and weapons not used in the national defense. In the staff report submitted by the treasurer it is stated that "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy.” We ask that you :
Require clarification from the Acting Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector as to why she says that our tax dollars are not being invested in fossil fuels and weapons not used in the national defense.
We can highlight numerous investments that receive revenue from fossil fuels and weapons not used in our national defense which include firstly the holdings in Bank of America, the number four financier of fossil fuel development which also has holdings in the Israeli defense contractor Elbit. Secondly, the Royal Bank of Canada, the largest financier of fossil fuel development with substantial holdings in Palantir, which provides their Artificial Intelligence (AI) predictive system to Israeli security forces, to identify and target people in occupied Palestine and has ties to human rights violations and repressive regimes worldwide. And third, Caterpillar, which provides, customizes, and services their D9 bulldozer to arm many illegal military occupations. These machines have been cited by Human Rights Watch as being a primary weapon for destroying homes, agriculture, and roads. These militarized vehicles are weapons of war not used in our national defense. Due to concerns over their practices, many entities including the United Methodist Church have divested from Caterpillar.
The above investments are contrary to the Social and Environmental Concerns section of your investment policy.
We urge you, the Mendocino County Supervisors, to strengthen our investment policy in which the pressing social and environmental concerns that are enumerated are routinely ignored, and in which non-binding language such as “discouraged” is the sole guiding principle.
Hi, I’d like hear more about how our investments are reported to be in compliance with the spirit of our investment policy.
It seems reasonable to me that we should not be invested in companies that are doing egregious amounts of harm to and throughout the world. Even a relatively conservative entity like the methodist church has divested from Caterpillar, which is in our portfolio despite it seeming to fall into the category of entities we would discourage investment in. Those companies that are willing to knowingly do business with or indirectly do business with militaries committing genocide do not seem like companies we here in Mendocino would want to be connected with. I know I certainly do not want to be connect to that. Similarly, I would not like to see our county dollars financing a company that finances fossil fuel production in a big way. This is incompatible with my desire to continue to living on and have those who come after me continue to live on a habitable planet. I would like to see our investment policy improved and put into real action. “Discouraged” seems to allow for a disregard for the policy where desired. If this is the case, why even have the guidelines at all? I would prefer our investment policy to have some teeth and be able to provide real guidance rather than be a mere virtue signal.
Mendocino County's investments in corporations like Bank of America, Caterpillar and Royal Bank of Canada are at odds with our investment policy which states, "“Investments are encouraged in entities that support equality of rights regardless of sex, race, age, disability, or sexual orientation, as well as those entities that practice environmentally sound and fair labor practices. Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of fossil fuels, tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.”
We must strengthen our policy by changing the word "discourage" to "prohibit" as these corporations are directly linked to weapons of war and the proliferations of fossil fuels. This use of our tax dollars does not align with our county's values!
Our current policy reads, “Investments are discouraged in entities that receive a significant portion of their revenues from the manufacturer of tobacco products, firearms, or weapons not used in our national defense.” I urge you to replace the word “discouraged” with “prohibited.” That way, the moral sentiments behind the current policy can be actualized, instead of being mere suggestions. The Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of America, and Caterpillar are three investments in our county's portfolio that do not align with our stated values and I urge you to divest from these 3 companies immediately. Thank you.
I am glad that the county started to move toward more ethical investments, but urge the BOS to change the word in the county's investment policy that says "discourages" to "prohibits". Then, I would like to see our county divest from Caterpillar, Bank of America, and Royal Bank of Canada, to start. I'm horrified to know that our tax dollars are invested in companies that are profiting off of the destruction of the planet, war crimes, and human rights violations. Thank you.
The investments are not in accordance with our investment policy. The policy discourages investments in weapons and fossil fuels, yet there are still investments in Caterpillar, Royal Bank of Canada and Bank of America. We need a stronger investment policy that "prohibits" instead of "discourages" investements in fossil fuels and weapons. Our tax dollars should be invested in more ethical investments.
I’m writing in reference to agenda items 3s) and 4a) the letter submitted by Treasurer Sara Pierce stating once again "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy…". As a concerned Mendocino County resident who strongly encourages the need for our tax dollars to SUPPORT humanity, and the Earth, our investments are not “in accordance” with our Investment Policy. Approximately 2.5 % of our Consolidated Portfolio is still invested in fossil fuels, and weapons not used in America’s self defense but are used to continue supporting the military industrial complex. It is therefore necessary to update the county’s investment policy which currently states we “discourage” investments and change it to “prohibit” the investments.
Sadly the ethnic cleansing and scorched earth project in progress every day in Gaza and the West Bank where 40,000+civilians, (a gross miscount), of mostly displaced women and children have literally been paid by the above 2.5% investments the county holds. It is a moral imperative we divest from such companies. Two months ago it was identified by the world court that Israel is an apartheid state, see the following links. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/19/world-court-finds-israel-responsible-apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured
We can no longer ignore America’s role in an ongoing genocide, and destruction of our planet that holds the future of our children and grandchildren. Again, it is our moral duty to stop the harm.
It is time to act for humanity and the planet.
Thank you for hearing me.
Son Rey Garcia
I’m writing in reference to agenda numbers 3s) and 4a) the letter submitted by Treasurer Sara Pierce stating once again "The investments have been made in accordance with the Investment Policy…". But as a concerned Mendocino County resident who strongly encourages the need for our tax dollars to SUPPORT humanity, and the Earth it is actually not “in accordance” with our Investment Policy. Approximately 2.5 % of our Consolidated Portfolio is still invested in fossil fuels and mass weapons not used in self defense. Rather than “discourage” these as is stated in our county’s policy we need to enforce and be accountable by “prohibiting” the investments directly.
Secondly I support g3) or the renewal of Resolution 24. It clarifies that in order for our county to “avoid irreversible, catastrophic climate change impacts..we must facilitate effective and expedited implementation of climate change mitigation efforts, including streamlining the implementation of climate change mitigation measures such as renewable energy projects, green infrastructure and emissions reductions initiatives;
Lastly the ethnic cleansing and scorched earth projects happening every day in Gaza and the West Bank where 40,000+civilians mostly displaced woman and children- have literally been paid by the above 2.5 investments and our 13 million US tax dollars/day. Two months ago this was identified by the world court as apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/19/world-court-finds-israel-responsible-apartheid. https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/26/israel-palestinian-healthcare-workers-tortured
BOS has handed control over our tax dollars and investments to one person and firm that is ignoring things that have been discouraged in the county's investment policy.
DIVEST from the funds and companies that are involved in non national defense warmongering and fossil fuels industries accelerating climate change.
Change one word in the Investment Policy from "discourage" (which has zero teeth) to "prohibit". Don't be namby pamby on this. Research supports good or better returns with ethical funds than with traditional funds.
Take our money out of these pritioity bad actors: BofA, Caterpillar, Royal Bank of Canada and these secondary priority bad actors: Northern Trust Co, Amazon and Toyota.
Hand the reigns over to someone that understands ethical investing with good returns.