By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento City Council has approved an amendment to the city’s investment policy establishing socially responsible investment criteria and has already divested city funds from Lockheed Martin, according to advocates who pushed for the changes.
The policy amendment, approved June 9, incorporates criteria designed to restrict future city investments in companies linked to severe human rights violations, weapons manufacturing, immigration detention, surveillance, mass incarceration, prison labor, fossil fuels and tobacco.
The action followed advocacy from community members who raised concerns about Sacramento’s investments in companies they said contribute to war crimes and genocide in Palestine.
According to supporters of the measure, the day after the policy was approved, the city divested from Lockheed Martin. The Sacramento Reinvestment Coalition and other community advocates described the move as a significant step toward aligning public investments with community values.
“Public investments should reflect the values of the communities they serve,” said Fauziya Faruk, policy and advocacy coordinator at CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) Sacramento Valley/Central California.
“Sacramento’s adoption of socially responsible investment standards demonstrates that local government can respond to community concerns and take meaningful steps to ensure taxpayer dollars are not supporting severe human rights abuses, environmental destruction, or systems that disproportionately harm marginalized communities,” Faruk said.
“This policy shows what is possible when residents, advocates, and public officials work together to advance accountability and responsible governance,” she added.
The amendment formalizes restrictions intended to prevent future investments in companies that advocates argue contribute to harmful practices both locally and globally.
Supporters noted that Sacramento has previously taken steps to align its investment practices with social and environmental goals.
In 2021, the city divested from fossil fuels following advocacy led by former City Council member Katie Valenzuela. The city also divested from tobacco investments in 2019.
The newly adopted amendment was introduced by Sacramento City Treasurer John Colville and championed by Council members Mai Vang and Roger Dickinson.
Advocates with the Reinvest in Sacramento Coalition said the measure builds on the city’s previous actions by embedding socially responsible investment standards directly into city policy.
The policy places Sacramento among a growing number of local governments that have adopted investment policies tied to social, environmental and human rights considerations. Supporters said Sacramento joins Alameda County and the cities of Albany, Dublin and Pasadena, along with municipalities across the country that have responded to calls from the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
According to advocates, those jurisdictions have sought to cut financial ties with companies they contend enable genocide, apartheid and war crimes. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement describes those efforts as part of a broader campaign to pressure Israel to end its occupation of Arab lands, dismantle what it characterizes as a system of apartheid and restore Palestinian rights, including the right of return.
The Sacramento policy amendment is intended to guide future investment decisions by establishing standards that city officials must consider when managing public funds. Supporters argue the policy provides a framework for ensuring taxpayer dollars are not invested in companies whose activities conflict with the values expressed by community members and elected officials.
Advocates described the measure as a model for other municipalities considering whether public investments should be evaluated not only on financial performance but also on their social and human rights impacts.
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