Residents urge Santa Clara County to divest from fossil-fuel companies, citing Chevron investment

Dozens of residents told the Housing, Land Use, Environment, and Transportation Committee on Aug. 21 that Santa Clara County should stop investing public funds in fossil-fuel companies and should divest existing holdings.

The comments centered on a Sustainability Commission recommendation passed May 22, 2025, urging the county to "explicitly exclude new or renewed investments in fossil fuels" from its investment policy. Many speakers said the county still held $15,000,000 in Chevron as of Aug. 11 and said that continued investment makes the county complicit in environmental harm and human-rights abuses abroad.

Why it matters: The Sustainability Commission is an advisory body to the Board of Supervisors. A formal change to the county investment policy would require staff analysis and a board-level action; speakers urged the Hewlett Committee to move that work forward quickly.

Speakers tied the request to climate and human-rights concerns. "Santa Clara County must make the choice to be on the right side of history and refuse to invest in companies complicit in the crisis," said Timothy Sampson, a county resident. Musa Tariq of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said, "As of August 11, this county has $15,000,000 invested in Chevron," and urged the committee to adopt the Sustainability Commission's recommendation. Several other speakers named Chevron and Exxon and asked the county to stop future investments and to divest current holdings.

The committee did not take action on the recommendation at the meeting. Deputy County Executive Sylvia Gallegos told the committee the Finance Agency is preparing a report in response to a board request for information and that the results will be shared with the County Executive and the board for determination of next steps.

Public comment also included appeals that divestment would mirror previous municipal divestment campaigns (speakers referenced the anti-apartheid divestment movement of the 1980s). Commenters recommended the Hewlett Committee and Sustainability Commission work together on a timeline and implementation plan for any change in investment policy.

Ending note: Committee members acknowledged the public comments; Chair Margaret Abe Koga said staff and commissioners are listening and described existing outreach between committee offices and community groups. No formal motion to change investment policy was introduced at the meeting.