LOS ANGELES—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two bills on Monday that prohibit the state's pension funds from investing in Sudan and protect the University of California from liability as a result of their vote to stop investments in Sudan.
The governor, in his presentation before the public signing, acknowledged Adam Sterling of the UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce, as the driving force behind the initiative. The activism on University of California campuses in bringing attention to the unabated genocide paid big dividends in the passage of these two bills.
The University of California Regents voted on March 16 to end UC investments in Sudan pending the governor's signature of a bill that would provide indemnification for the university system. The Governor signed that bill, AB 2179, as well as AB 2941 which specifically targets the state's public pension funds.
"Today I am signing two bills that will send a very clear message that California does not stand for murder and genocide," said Schwarzenegger at the ceremony. "There is a tremendous amount of support for this legislation, and the support is from democrats and republicans," he continued.
"Here we speak as one voice to do what is right for the state and what is right for the world. And in the Sudan and Darfur tragedy we are all united by our common humanity. Darfur is a humanitarian crisis with hundreds of thousands of men, women and children that are dead and dying and millions more homeless or refugees," said Schwarzenegger.
At the bill signing, the Governor was joined by George Shultz, Former U.S. Secretary of State and Head of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors; Assemblymember Paul Koretz (D-West Hollywood); actors George Clooney and Don Cheadle; Adam Sterling, UC Sudan Divestment Taskforce; Alice Huffman, California NAACP President; Janice Reznik, Jewish World Watch and Father Vazken Movsesian of St. Peter Armenian Church.
"I couldn't be more proud of this bipartisan effort, and thank Gov. Schwarzenegger for his leadership at this most crucial time," said George Clooney. "It's a great step forward in holding people responsible for their actions, and a great blueprint for other states.
In the 1980s, the state approved similar measures to allow state entities to divest in South Africa in order to protest its apartheid policies.
California's actions will likely catalyze divestment in numerous other states, including 15 states which are set to introduce legislation modeled after AB 2941 at the start of 2007.
"We cannot watch from the sidelines and be content to mourn this atrocity as it passes into history," said Schwarzenegger.
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