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Gov Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Directing Divestment from Sudan

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  • Gov Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Directing Divestment from Sudan

    Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Lisa Kalustian, Chief Deputy Director
    300 South Spring Street, Suite 16701
    Los Angeles, CA 90013
    (213)897-0322
    FAX (213)897-0319

    [email protected]

    PRESS RELEASE

    Wednesday, September 24, 2008


    Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Directing Divestment from Sudan

    Building on California's leadership in fighting genocide in Sudan with
    economic measures, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 498
    <http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquer y?bill_number=ab_498&sess=CUR&house=B& author=hernandez> authored by Assemblymember Ed Hernandez
    (D-West Covina) prohibiting companies with business operations in Sudan
    from bidding on state contracts for goods and services.

    "California will not underwrite the horrors of murder and genocide in
    Sudan," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "With this legislation, we are
    continuing to send a message that California will not condone nor enable
    economic gain at the expense of innocent people in Sudan."

    The ongoing devastation in Darfur has killed an estimated 400,000 and
    displaced over 2.5 million Sudanese. AB 498 ensures that California will
    not award state contracts to companies that directly or indirectly aide
    the Sudanese government.

    In September 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed two bills
    <http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-relea se/4057/> , AB 2179 and AB
    2941, prohibiting the state's pension funds from investing in companies
    with active business in Sudan and indemnified the University of
    California from liability that might result from its divestments from
    Sudan. The Governor also sent a letter <http://gov.ca.gov/press-release/4289/>
    to President Bush urging him to sign the Darfur Peace and
    Accountability Act of 2006, which was later enacted into law. In
    addition, the Governor signed AB 221
    <http://gov.ca.gov/index.php?/press-release /7710/> last year, creating
    the California Public Divest from Iran Act prohibiting CalPERS and
    CalSTRS from investing public employee retirement funds in a company
    with business operations in Iran.

    In the 1980s, the state approved similar measures to allow state
    entities to divest in South Africa in order to protest its apartheid
    policies.
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