Supervisor Avalos urges retirement board divest from firearms and fossil fuels; requests hearing on LGBTQ youth training

Supervisor John Avalos introduced two urging resolutions Tuesday asking the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System to divest holdings in firearm and fossil-fuel companies and requested a hearing on the city’s implementation of the so-called 12n training program for LGBTQ youth.

Avalos said the retirement system currently holds about $900,000 in firearm-company investments and roughly $1 billion in fossil-fuel company investments, figures he cited from San Francisco’s retirement system disclosures. "It makes plenty of sense that we actually remove those funds, and put them into investments that have a positive effect on our society," Avalos said when introducing the items.

Supervisor Jane Kim and Supervisor Mark Farrell were listed as cosponsors of the 12n hearing request; the youth commission had requested the board review whether city departments are meeting the 1996 program’s requirement to provide sensitivity training for staff who serve LGBTQ youth. Avalos said available city materials indicated the Department of Public Health had produced a training video but that other departments had not completed comparable training.

Supervisor Carmen Chu's retirement-system appointee to the board, Supervisor Cohen, addressed process and said the system follows a long-standing hierarchy: engagement with companies, collaborative proxy activity, and then, as a last resort, divestment. Cohen noted the system has previously divested in response to policy concerns, citing past divestments from South Africa, tobacco and Sudan-related investments.

No board votes were taken on the proposed urging resolutions or the hearing request at Tuesday’s meeting; supervisors said the matters will proceed through ordinary committee and retirement-board processes.