CITY COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 23, 2024
DOCUMENTS RECEIVED AFTER
PUBLISHED AGENDA
Item# 8
CONS 24-003
Adopt a Resolution Accepting
the Fiscal Year 2024 Statement
of Investment Policy and
Delegation of Authority
From: Sandra Frost
To: Kelly McAdoo; List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Comments for Hayward City Council meeting 1/23/24: NO TAX DOLLARS FOR GENOCIDE Date: Monday, January 22, 2024 2:44:12 PM
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Honorable City Council Members, Mayor Salinas, City Manager McAdoo:
Over 45 days and no commitment from Council to make a statement supporting ceasefire in Gaza.
Mayor Salinas promised to reply in a timely manner, and this is yet to happen.
If a simple statement supporting a ceasefire for a humanitarian crisis is too scary for Council to commit to, then I don't have hopes you will consider a position on divestment since money is such a strong driver in politics and for you all.
I support my colleagues, comrades and community who will be present at your council meeting tomorrow night in protest and with testimony.
I remind you that you are elected public servants
representing the needs and concerns of the people.
Please look beyond our small corner of the
world and take more of a global perspective with your decisions and actions.
https://truthout.org/articles/st-louiss-ceasefire-resolution-is-a-testament-to-black-palestinian- solidarity/#:~:text=It%20took%20far%20longer%20than,a%20bilateral%20ceasefire%20in%20Gaza.
I close with this: From @palestinesolidarity.cc to the Watsonville City Council, Central Coast, Santa Cruz County, California; an unceded Ohlone nation of indigenous people.
We're calling on the City Council to place on an agenda and pass a ceasefire resolution that includes a Permanent and Immediate ceasefire, unconditional Humanitarian aid, and does not dehumanize Palestinians or Jewish people in any way.
We want our City Council to pass a ceasefire resolution that calls for:
1) a permanent and immediate ceasefire; 2) the release of all hostages; 3) the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza; and 4) the respect for international law and protection of the security of all innocent civilians.
This issue is critical for us as residents because the genocide
happening in Gaza is funded by our
tax dollars.
Instead of addressing the fact that we live in the most expensive housing market in the country, there is a significant and growing unhoused community, a large majority unable to afford tuition or healthcare, while our government uses our taxpayer money to arm the Israeli military that is now killing countless innocent Palestinian civilians.
Passing a ceasefire resolution at the local level is our business and it matters.
It is the job of local
elected officials to carry our voices to higher levels of government urging them to act.
Israel waging genocide in the name of Judaism makes Jews less safe.
Conflating Judaism with
Zionism makes Jews less safe.
A ceasefire will make everyone safer.
Our Arab and Muslim communities have never been so vulnerable.
This resolution will send a
message that we care about their safety.
This ceasefire resolution would be bringing our community together to stand in solidarity for the sanctity of human life.
With all urgency, Ceasefire now, Divest from all support for IDF genocide and terror of the Palestinian people, killing of the people of Gaza and innocent beings.
Respectfully,
Sandra Frost, resident, South Hayward
Voting constituent
From: Cassandra Santoyo
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: CONS 24-003 - Divest from Funding Genocide
Date: Monday, January 22, 2024 10:33:49 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Cassandra Santoyo and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
As the city in the heart of the bay, it is important that we set an example for other City Councils and provide the solidarity Hayward preaches to abide by.
Civilians in Gaza and the broader occupied Palestine are being murdered daily by a military receiving economic support by these same companies Hayward invests in, in the name of the broader community.
This is not what the people of Hayward stand for. That investment has no business financing a genocide when our very own people here in Hayward are directly asking for that economic support.
It is not enough that we seek comfort within our lifestyle. It is not enough that we, in the United States are privileged with life, and comforts, and safety. If our neighbors across the sea are suffering, we are suffering too. If our fellow human beings of all ages and sizes and genders and professions are being murdered for valuing their ties to their ancestral lands, what does that say about the U.S. which you directly represent with your government title and position.
We are all aware that before the United States, the nation state did not exist. Palestinians are living through what us indigenous people of the “Americas”, of Turtle Island have lived through for the past 500 years which is genocidal imperialism and colonialism.
I ask you… When your government structure collapses, when you find yourself at your death bed, when all is said and done. Will you look back and find honor in doing everything in your power to support life, to support humanity and kindness? Or will you be filled with regret that you sat in that City Council chamber and watched a genocide happen before your eyes without blinking an eye?
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines
in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towrads anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Kindly,
Cassandra Santoyo
From: Jasmin Zafra
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 10:33:47 AM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Jasmin Zafra and I am a Hayward voter residing in zip code 94544. I am writing today to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
I am aware that the City Council typically does not make decisions over jurisdictions that it does not govern, but the way I see it, this is a situation that directly affects Hayward residents, as our tax dollars are being used without our consent to fund the destruction of Palestinian homes, schools and hospitals. As a future school counselor, I am especially impacted by the videos and stories I hear of children in Palestine who have been displaced, are facing starvation and inadequate medical care, and have to live under the constant threat of bombs falling on them and their loved ones. I know the lasting effects of trauma on the brain and nervous system and my heart aches knowing that even if they survive the horrors of this genocide, they will be haunted by what they have experienced. We owe it to them to do everything we can to alleviate the suffering.
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines
in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Thank you,
Jasmin
From: Zoey Gabrielle
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 12:06:01 AM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Zoey Moran and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
The ever increasing number of civilian deaths and injuries is ultimately why I feel it is so important to divest from these companies. Funding plays a huge role in the intensity of the measures Israel is taking to wipe Palestine from the map. As of January 22nd, over 25,000 Palestenians have been murdered as a result of this ongoing genocide. It is important to take all measures possible to defund Israel and defund genocide.
I grew up in San Leandro and Hayward. I worked for HARD for several years. I remember in 2016, when Trump was elected president, Hayward put up signs that said "Hayward stands united against hate." Where is that energy now? Last I checked, those signs are still in several locations around the city. There is nothing to show for them at this given moment. The lack of action also makes me feel afraid and uncertain. What if something so devastating was happening here? Would the mayor and city council be complicit? Would they stay silent? We may never know.
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Thank you,
Zoey Moran
From: Janet Lewis
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Ceasefire on Palestine and Stop support of corporations contributing to Israel with our money.
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 2:43:47 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Janet Lewis and I attended the city council meeting on Dec.5,2023, via zoom.
I am severely disappointed that our city still has not taken any action to support a ceasefire resolution since that meeting.
I demand that our City Council divest from companies aiding the Genocide of Palestinians.
Over $1.6 million of our taxes are invested in these companies designated by the BDS movement that have helped the Israeli government kill and displace thousands of children, women, and non-combatants:
Caterpillar, who sells armored tractors to the IDF
Chevron, who extracts gas claimed by apartheid Israel
Hyundai, who sells excavators used to demolish Palestinian homes Intel, that has made the largest investment in Israel of any company ever That’s a CHOICE THAT OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS MAKING WITH OUR MONEY and CITY STAFF IS RECOMMENDING NO CHANGES to our
INVESTMENT POLICIES!
We can change that.
We’ve done this before.
The City already prohibits certain investments based on our values, and continues to do so. Right now, we refuse to invest in entities involved in developing nuclear weapons.
And in 1985, Council passed a resolution divesting from companies that supported Apartheid South Africa.
OUR CITY can’t control HOW the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDS its MONEY, but IT CAN CHOOSE WHERE IT INVESTS OUR MONEY !We DON’T WANT OUR TAX DOLLARS GOING TO COMPANIES that ARE PROFITING FROM GENOCIDE!
While the city council procrastinates about supporting a permanent ceasefire of this Genocide, Palestinian people, including their children and babies, are starving to death slowly while contracting deadly diseases, being tortured, beaten, denied food, clean water and housing, sanitation and medical help.
So, please, stop supporting this genocide and immediately stop supporting these corporations who are helping Israel with our money!
Thank you,
Janet Lewis
Sent from my iPad
From: Dina Jwainat
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Urgent Appeal for City Council Support of Ceasefire in Gaza Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 2:32:48 PM
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Dear City Council members,
My name is Dina Jwainat and I stand with humanity. I hope you do too.
I am writing to you with a heavy heart. Having been born and raised here in Hayward while being of Middle Eastern descent it has been a unique and enriching experience. Hayward, as the heart of the bay, has been instrumental in shaping my understanding of diversity and compassion. Hayward's vibrant community has exposed me to a myriad of cultures, beliefs, and perspectives, fostering an appreciation for our collective differences.
That being said, the recent events in Gaza weigh heavily on our collective consciousness. I urge the City Council to extend support for a ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing our community's values of compassion, peace, and understanding. While our influence may be limited on the global stage, a united voice from communities like ours can resonate far beyond our city borders. Your support can contribute to the collective call for peace.
As I reflect on my upbringing, I sincerely hope that Hayward continues to hold the standard of diversity and compassion that has shaped me and will support a ceasefire.
Best,
Dina Jwainat Elgelda
From: Stacey Bertulfo
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Item 8. CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:56:36 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Stacey Bertulfo, I am a student and a resident of Hayward, and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
It has been over a month since community members have called on you to pass a ceasefire resolution. Now, I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide.
Over 25,105 people have been killed in Gaza, with 60,000+ injured and more than 8,000 people missing. These are statistics that are made possible by companies including Intel, Caterpillar,
Chevron, and Hyundai; which the city of Hayward is investing our tax dollars in. As a resident, learning of these investments is very disappointing, and I am calling for the City Council to do what is right. Let Hayward send a clear message to our federal elected officials and the corporations benefiting from this - NO MORE. WE WILL NOT BE COMPLICIT.
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against the Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity. Act now.
Thank you,
Stacey Bertulfo
From: Sophia Mahoney-Rohrl
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Item 8. CONS 24-003 - Divert Hayward Funds from Genocide Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:47:07 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Sophia Mahoney-Rohrl and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
It is shocking and shameful that the City of Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
As a Jew of Ashkenazi descent, it is unconscionable to imagine that this violence could possibly be perpetrated in my name or in order to keep Jewish people safe. Attacks on Gaza do not make Israelis, Jews, or Palestinians any safer and they must stop now.
The Israeli military has killed over 25,00 Palestinians, including nearly 10,000 children and several of its own civilians being held in Gaza. Those who have survived the attacks so far are left with no reliable sources of electricity, food, and clean water, and are falling ill to completely preventable diseases because of the infrastructure destruction perpetrated by Israeli Occupation Forces. I don't even know how to try and get in touch with Palestinian Jews I have known and worked with and determine if they and their families are still living, because internet connection and even electrical power are so inconsistent.
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines
in our investment
policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towrads anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Thank you.
Regards,
Sophia Mahoney-Rohrl
From: Alan David
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Item 8. CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:26:13 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Alan David. I am an educator and resident in Hayward. I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies
designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
Israel is using our tax dollars to make Gaza completely inhabitable. Almost all universities, mosques, churches, and hospitals have been destroyed. The death toll has increased by over 7,800 since December 5. Over 25,000 Palestinians have been killed and 2 million displaced since October 7th. Nearly half of whom are civilians and children. What’s more important, our profits or the lives of children?
I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines
in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Thank you,
Alan David
From: Athena Cardiasmenos
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:25:18 PM
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Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Athena Cardiasmenos and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai.
I attended the city council meeting on December 5th and I have been extremely disappointed to see no action being taken towards a ceasefire resolution in the 45 days since that meeting.
During that time thousands of people have been killed, severely injured, starved and tortured by Israel with the full support of our government and our tax dollars. As I write this, hundreds of innocent civilians-women, men, babies, children, elderly, disabled, pregnant-many of whom are also injured, all of whom are hungry are under complete siege in Khan Younis without any way to get out. What people are experiencing is so horrific that we don’t even have adequate language to describe it. Despite all of this, if the council is still not willing to sign onto a resolution (despite a majority of Council Members publicly supporting a ceasefire), I am asking the City of Hayward to instead, divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines
in our investment policy. The genocide being
perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity.
Thank you,
Athena Cardiasmenos
From: Michele Ochoa
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Urgent Call for Divestment from Companies Supporting Israeli Military Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:16:22 PM
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Hi there,
Can you please help me combine these two emails into a format that you think would work best should it make its way to the meeting tonight? I’m struggling to consolidate it with limited time today:
Greetings, Esteemed Members of the Hayward City Council, I write to you with a heavy heart, as my responsibilities as a full-time working nursing student prevent me from attending tonight's meeting. My name is Michele Ochoa, I am a professional nursing student and Lead of my program’s cohort. I am deeply invested in our community's well-being and feel I have my finger on the pulse of this community as only a nursing student in clinical rotations can. I want you to know that the students of my cohort and myself feel Hayward is falling short of its responsibility to its people.
I urge you to heed my plea for divestment from companies complicit in the ongoing atrocity and genocide in Gaza.
It is clear at this point my daily phone calls and emails to representatives will not be enough.
However, my commitment to our city and its values remains steadfast and take a stand against the injustices being perpetrated in Israel by divesting from companies involved in these actions.
My personal decision to boycott all non-essential spending this week is a small sacrifice compared to the impact your divestment could have.
It is a symbolic gesture of my dedication to this cause and my belief in the power of collective action. Just as I have dusted off my childhood bike and committed to using it as my primary mode of transportation, I ask you to consider the symbolic weight of this act. It is a reminder that sometimes the most meaningful changes start with simple, individual choices. I urge you to be bold in your decision-making, to let our city's history of activism guide you in this crucial moment. Your actions have the potential to make a significant impact, not only within our community but also as a beacon of hope for others. Let us stand together in solidarity, united in our pursuit of justice and peace. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to seeing our city take a courageous stand on this important issue.
With hope and determination,
Michele Ochoa
Please help me write an email letter urging my city, Hayward CA to please divest from these companies: Intel, chevron, Hyundai, Caterpillar. Please make it powerful, earnest and heartfelt: I am Michele Ochoa, a 37yo fulltime working nursing student. I cannot attend the city hall meeting tonight as I will be attending to the bedside needs of the most vulnerable members of our community and ask that my city, for whom I’ve volunteered, supported and hope to contribute to for as long I live. As a working nursing student I am rarely able to attend the meetings and gatherings concerning the demand for a ceasefire and total divestment of Isreal, instead, making daily phone calls to representatives and writing in my every spare moment. It’s apparent this is not enough. Moving forward, we must speak the only language that seems to matter in the country, we must speak with our dollars. My city is meant to reflect the interest of its constituents. My college is a trade school. We have people of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities, a pretty good microcosm of our city in my opinion and there is not a single person who isn’t fuming over the actions of government funding a genocide despite the will of its people. I am turning to you, the city I chose to love, call home and serve, to please, please, divest from any company that is continuing to allow the state of Israel to profit and further its blatant war crimes in breech of international law. I am not spending a dime this week. Not on food, not on gas and I will continue my boycott until there is divestment. My commitment is sincere as is that of my classmates. We are sharing homemade potluck style meals, carpooling, comforting eachother, we cry and scream together.
On our breaks, we watch the recognizable and exhausted faces of healthcare workers receiving patient after patient, day and day out of the kinds of trauma that should normally be seen maybe once or twice in a career. This is how a community gets things done. Last night, I oiled the rusted gears and spun the threadbare tires of my childhood bike and silently prayed they see me steadfast through the puddles. This will be my mode of transportation for the foreseeable future. As I left for class, I turned my head to fasten my helmet, I looked longingly at my car. The ease and comfort of a routine sitting so conveniently just right there. It would have been safe and easy to drive to campus and I usually do but with continued escalation, I refuse to take any action that ensures the status quo continues to reign terror upon every single Palestinian.
Damp, cold and unsure, I peddled through unfamiliar routes, handle bars wiggling and muscles fatigued I did the inconvenient. I am asking you to please do the same. My small personal divestment will hardly make news but you, dear members of the city council, have the unique ability to make significant impact in a time when our dollars have become crucial and our sole means of expression.
I am asking you to do as your people do, to brave the uncertain with us, with the people of Hayward as your helmet and our beautiful history of activism, your bike. Transport us forward to whatever may come next without fear. Do not let fear dictate how you serve your people, let it be love that propels us toward sending this message on a larger, United scale.
Thank you for your time
(Please change anything so long as the message remains true) Thank you kindly
Michele Ochoa (415)920-3209
From: Dr. Farima Pour-Khorshid
To: List-Mayor-Council
Subject: Item 8. CONS 24-003 - Divest from Genocide
Date: Tuesday, January 23, 2024 1:06:42 PM
CAUTION:This is an external email. Do not click on links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe.
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
My name is Farima Pour-Khorshid and I am writing to urge the City of Hayward to divest from companies aiding Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment against the people of Palestine.
I was shocked to learn that Hayward is currently investing over $1.6 million in companies
designated by the BDS movement as supporting the ongoing genocide. These companies include Intel, Caterpillar, Chevron, and Hyundai. I have lived in Hayward my entire life, I have served as an educator committed to social justice in the Hayward Unified School District upon graduating in 2002 and I cannot understand how and why our city is not taking action against the current genocide in Gaza.
Over 62,681 people have been injured, with the majority of them being civilian women and children. Palestinians lack access to food, water, and electricity due to the Israeli blockade. Do you, or someone you know, have friends/family/loved ones in Gaza or elsewhere in Palestine being affected by this? I am asking the City of Hayward to divest our tax dollars from apartheid and genocide by following BDS guidelines in our investment policy. The genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli government against Palestinian people is unconscionable and our tax dollars should not go towards anyone profiting from this atrocity. Beyond this, I would love for our city to take a stance like other cities across the Bay Area (Richmond and Oakland) to position our city as a community that is against genocide and for an immediate ceasefire now! Thank you,
Farima Pour-Khorshid
--
Farima Pour-Khorshid, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Teacher Supervisor
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
School of Education
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton St., San Francisco, CA 94117
"We all struggle for a common, collective purpose. This single, shared purpose is human being, which we use as a verb rather than a noun [where our] educator activism is the struggle for the inalienable right of all people to human be —to be liberated from any project of violence that treats persons as property, persons as things, persons as disposable, or persons as in any other way less than fully human" (We Are Victorious: Educator Activism as a Shared Struggle for Human Being).