Sabha, Tamer
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Englin, David
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 4:19 PM
Sabha, Tamer; Harvey-Williams, Brenda; Madison, Steve; Chapman, Justin; Masuda, Gene; Sullivan, Noreen
Opposition to proposed "ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations policy"
ADL Letter - Pasadena City Council Ethical Investment Resultion 12.17.25.pdf You don't often get email fromI. Learn why this is important [ ,1; ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet Do not click links or open attachments unless you fcnowthe content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DotT portal.
December 17, 2025
Pasadena City Council - Policy Committee
100 North Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Re: Opposition to proposed "ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations policy" Dear Councilmembers:
On behalf of ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Los Angeles, and as a proud Pasadena resident, I write to express serious concern regarding the Committee's consideration of a proposed "ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations" framework for the City of Pasadena's fiduciary investments.
ADL has worked for more than a century to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, and we regularly engage with public agencies on issues of community safety, inclusion, and responsible governance.
While ethical investment policies may appear, on their face, to reflect laudable values, this proposal raises significant concerns that warrant careful consideration.
We urge the City of Pasadena to reject this biased, antisemitic, and harmful policy for the following reasons:
1. The proposal applies a discriminatory and antisemitic double standard. As presented and publicly discussed, this framework would single out Israel alone among the nations of the world for exclusion. Singling out the world's only Jewish state—while applying no comparable standards to any other country—constitutes a widely recognized antisemitic double standard. This approach aligns with the objectives of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to delegitimize Israel and has been rejected by the U.S. Congress, more than 35 states, and numerous local governments as discriminatory and harmful.
2. The policy would harm Pasadena's Jewish community. Antisemitism is at historic levels nationally and here in California. Since October 2023, ADL has documented the largest surge in antisemitic incidents since we began tracking more than four decades ago. In this context, a city action that isolates Israel alone cannot be separated from its real-world impact. Jewish residents experience such measures not as abstract foreign policy debates, but as signals of exclusion that contribute to fear, marginalization, and diminished trust in civic institutions.
3. The timing and local context make the impact especially troubling. Pasadena's Jewish community continues to recover from profound loss and disruption following the destruction of Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center in the recent wildfires. As families and institutions work to rebuild and restore a sense of safety and belonging, advancing a policy rooted in a movement widely experienced as hostile to Jews and Jewish identity risks compounding harm at a moment of particular vulnerability.
4. The proposal raises serious state and federal policy concerns. California law, including the California Combating BDS Act of 2016 (AB 2844), reflects a clear state policy opposing discriminatory boycotts targeting Israel or other countries based on national origin. Federal anti- boycott law expresses similar opposition. While Pasadena may not be bound by every provision of these statutes, adopting a policy that mirrors the objectives of BDS would place the City in direct tension with state and federal policy and expose it to legal and reputational risk.
5. The proposal offers no meaningful civic or financial benefit. The City has indicated that it currently holds no investments connected to the companies cited by proponents of this .framework. As such, adoption would not change Pasadena's investment practices or advance any concrete local objective. Instead, it would function primarily as a symbolic political statement— one that divides residents, undermines trust, and risks real harm without delivering corresponding benefit.
Pasadena has a longstandingtradition of supporting diverse communities, fostering mutual respect, and grounding its decisions in genuine Local needs. Upholdingthat tradition requires rejecting policies that discriminate, conflict with established law and policy, and cause harm without serving the interests of the community.
For these reasons, ADL respectfully but firmly urges the Committee not to advance or adopt this proposed investment framework. We would welcome the opportunity to provide additional context or engage in constructive dialogue focused on strengthening community cohesion and ensuring that Pasadena remains a city where all residents feel respected, safe, and included.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
C^2A
Senior Regional Director
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December 17, 2025
Pasadena City Council - Policy Committee
100 North Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA91101
Re: Opposition to proposed "ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations policy"
Dear Councilmembers:
On behalf of ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Los Angeles, and as a proud Pasadena resident, I write to express serious concern regarding the Committee's consideration of a proposed "ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations" framework for the City of Pasadena's fiduciary investments.
ADL has worked for more than a century to combat antisemitism and all forms of hate, and we regularly engage with public agencies on issues of community safety, inclusion, and responsible governance. While ethical investment policies may appear, on their face, to reflect laudable values, this proposal raises significant concerns that warrant careful consideration.
We urge the City of Pasadena to reject this biased, antisemitic, and harmful policy for the following reasons:
1. The proposal applies a discriminatory and antisemitic double standard.
As presented and publicly discussed, this framework would single out Israel alone among the nations of the world for exclusion. Singling out the world's only Jewish state—while applying no comparable standards to any other country— constitutes a widely recognized antisemitic double standard. This approach aligns with the objectives of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to delegitimize Israel and has been rejected by the U.S.
Congress, more than 35 states, and numerous local governments as discriminatory and harmful.
2. The policy would harm Pasadena's Jewish community. Antisemitism is at historic levels nationally and here in California. Since October 2023, ADL has documented the largest surge in antisemitic incidents since we began tracking more than four decades ago. In this context, a city action that isolates Israel alone cannot be separated from its real-world impact. Jewish residents experience such measures not as abstract foreign policy debates, but as signals of exclusion that contribute to fear, marginalization, and diminished trust in civic institutions.
3. The timing and local context make the impact especially troubling.
Pasadena's Jewish community continues to recover from profound loss and disruption following the destruction of Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center in the recent wildfires. As families and institutions work to rebuild and restore a sense of safety and belonging, advancing a policy rooted in a movement widely 10495 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025 I t:(310)446-20001 e: [email protected] j w: la.adl.orgPage 1 of 3 ADL
®
experienced as hostile to Jews and Jewish identity risks compounding harm at a moment of particular vulnerability.
4. The proposal raises serious state and federal policy concerns. California law, including the California Combating BDS Act of 2016 (AB 2844), reflects a clear state policy opposing discriminatory boycotts targeting Israel or other countries based on national origin. Federal anti-boycott law expresses similar opposition. While Pasadena may not be bound by every provision of these statutes, adopting a policy that mirrors the objectives of BDS would place the City in direct tension with state and federal policy and expose it to legal and reputational risk.
5. The proposal offers no meaningful civic or financial benefit. The City has indicated that it currently holds no investments connected to the companies cited by proponents of this framework. As such, adoption would not change Pasadena's investment practices or advance any concrete local objective.
Instead, it would function primarily as a symbolic political statement—one that divides residents, undermines trust, and risks real harm without delivering corresponding benefit.
Pasadena has a longstanding tradition of supporting diverse communities, fostering mutual respect, and grounding its decisions in genuine local needs. Upholding that tradition requires rejecting policies that discriminate, conflict with established law and policy, and cause harm without serving the interests of the community.
For these reasons, ADL respectfully but firmly urges the Committee not to advance or adopt this proposed investment framework. We would welcome the opportunity to provide additional context or engage in constructive dialogue focused on strengthening community cohesion and ensuring that Pasadena remains a city where all residents feel respected, safe, and included.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.
Sincerely,
r
David Englin
Senior Regional Direct
ADL Los Angeles
Pasadena Resident and Voter
10495 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025 I t:(310)446-20001 e: [email protected] | w: la.adl.org Page 2 of 3 Sabha, Tamer
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Attachments:
Jason Moss
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 3:14 PM
Madison, Steve; Masuda, Gene; Rivas, Jessica
Sabha, Tamer; Harvey-Williams, Brenda; Chapman, Justin; Sullivan, Noreen; cityclerk; Gordo, Victor; Marquez, Miguel
Pasadena's Legislative Policy Committee
Letter to City of Pasadena Legislative Policy Committee urging opposition to Ethical Investment policy.pdf
Some people who received this message don't often get email froLearn why this is important [ A ] CAUTION: This email was delivered from the Internet. Do not click links or open attachments unless you know the content is safe. Report phish using the Phish Alert Button. For more information about the Phish Alert Button view article "KB0011474" on the DolT portal.
Attached is a letter on behalf of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valley.
The attached letter outlines our serious concerns with the discussion about the ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations policy before tomorrow night's committee meeting.
I ask that you strongly consider our concerns and know that I am available to discuss this issue further. ^
^
JEWISH
FEDERXTtON
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*»» N5UONA fittiiili;
Jason Moss, MSW, WUCS
BfficutiveDfrectoi
1 l4A W. I.Jm® Aveflue
MoRrovia.CA 9101A
wwwjawishsgpv.org
^
^
JEWISH
FEDERATION
OF THE GREATER SAN GABRIEL
AND POMONA VALLEYS
President
Jeanine Borland Mann
Vice President
David Levy
Chief Financial Officer
John Carlton*
Secretary
Julie Bank
Board of Governors
Mickey Bernath
Avi Bilu
Mark Esensten
Lawrence Lurvey
Stuart Miller*
Oran Reznik
Julie Solberg*
" Past Federation President
Executive Director
Jason Moss, MSW, MAJCS
Program and Community
Outreach Director
Rebecca Russell
Cultural Arts
Program Director
Cantor Judy Sofer
Operations and
Communications Manager
Karen Galeana
PJ Library and PJ Our Way
Program Director
Natalie Karic
Camp Gan Shafom Director
and Social Media Coordinator
Annabella Tornek
Bookkeeper
Susan Hain
December 17, 2025
Pasadena City Council - Legislative Policy Committee
City of Pasadena
100 N. Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101
Dear City Councilmembers,
On behalf of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, the Jewish voice for Jews living between Glendale to Rancho Cucamonga and south to Whittier, I am writing to urge you to reject and not recommend the City of Pasadena consider an ethical, environmental, social and governance considerations policy.
A policy like this, while well-intentioned, can and will have a lasting negative impact on Pasadena's residents. And in this case, the motivation behind this effort is focused solely on the perceived actions of a single entity - Israel, as has been clearly evident by the countless number of people speaking at city council meetings and asking for this action.
Efforts like this have been popping up all around the country and are continually beaten back because while proposed as ethical investment policies, they are actually efforts to promote the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. This is a politically motivated movement, whose stated purpose it to undermine Israel and further isolate one of the United States' closest allies on the world stage. And these efforts also have a detrimental impact on the local Jewish community members because of the targeted hate and intimidating they receive as a result.
Because of this and for additional reasons articulated below, we urge the City of Pasadena to reject this harmful, biased, and antisemitic policy.
1. This is a BDS resolution
Although the proposed resolution mentioned the city's 1988 resolution as a response South African Apartheid, its main motivation uses inaccurate explanations as to why the city should adopt an ethical investment strategy that clearly targets only Israel. This further illustrates the clear motivation behind this effort.
BDS is not just a protest against foreign policy... it targets Israel's existence, Israeli citizens, and Jews worldwide, including Pasadena and its surrounding areas since we are perceived and seen as Israel's proxies. This creates an environment of division and increases the prominence of antisemitism and anti-Jewish rhetoric. This has been clearly evident in comments made by supporters of this movement at city council meetings.
In 2016, the state of California passed legislation (AB 2844) prohibiting "public agencies that receive $100,000 or more in state funding from divesting from foreign nations, specifically catling out Israel in the legal text, because doing so would be discrimination.
Entities that do divest risk losing state dollars." And court after court has affirmed the Serving the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys
114AW. Lime Avenue | Monrovia, CA 91016 | 626.445.0810
[email protected] www.jewishsgpv.org
legality of laws banning BDS, showing that they regulate economic conduct and do not violate the First Amendment.
2. This effort is polarizing and targets the Pasadena Jewish community Data from LA County Commission on Human Relations' 2024 Hate Crimes Report, indicate and found that 80% of all Religious Hate Crimes targeted the Jewish community. These totals have increased since Hamas' October 7 attack. And we continue to witness the hate that is targeted at the Jewish community, not only with the attack of the h-lanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, but also in our own backyard, in Redlands, where a home decorated for hlanukkah was attacked.
The hatred directed at the Jewish community was clearly evident in the public comments during the March 18, 2024 City Council meeting when the city passed a ceasefire statement (not a resolution) and in subsequent city council meetings.
By further giving a platform for this hate rhetoric to continue by recommending the city council discuss this possible resolution will increase the likelihood of more anti-Jewish hate permeating throughout Pasadena. By standing against this effort, the City of Pasadena will not enter a "slippery slope" where supporters will continue to show up and ask the city for even more.
3. Symbolic efforts like this will have a negative financial impact on city investments Long Beach recently considered a similar campaign. Its Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Financial Management found that supporting this effort would be wildly expensive and hopelessly unworkable for cities. This does not even take into account the limitations that this would place on investment strategies, whose goals should be focused earning a sizeable return on their investment.
If Pasadena decides to move forward, it would be nearly impossible to determine what the barometer for the city could be to determine what is ethical. Since there could be instances where even the US Government could be found to have committed violations, the city may have to disqualify the entire private sector from being invested in by the city.
And as the Department of Finance's Agenda Report indicates, in 2021 the city council already chose to add a guideline pertaining to an ESG component to its investment policy.
For these reasons and many others, the Jewish Federationof the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys strongly urges the Legislative Policy Committee not to advance or adopt the proposed investment policy. If it does, it risks alienating and harming Pasadena residents, while supporting discremintory efforts that target the local Jewish community and those who support Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration and know that I am available to provide additional information or answer any questions you may have.
With appreciation,
^.
/Jason Moss, MSW, MAJCS
Executive Director
Serving the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys
114AW. Lime Avenue | Monrovia, CA 91016 | 626.445.0810
[email protected] www.jewishsgpv.org