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Residents press Chino Hills Council to divest city investments from Caterpillar and other companies
Summary
Multiple residents used public comment Oct. 22 to urge the City of Chino Hills to divest a $2.5 million bond holding in Caterpillar and to increase transparency about city investments and vendor due diligence; the council did not take formal action on divestment during the meeting.
During the non-agendized public comment period Oct. 22, multiple Chino Hills residents urged the City Council to divest municipal investments from Caterpillar and other companies they said were involved in human-rights abuses overseas.
Suzette Dang, representing the office of the county supervisor, opened the public-comment sequence with an event announcement. Later speakers including Farzana, Jasser, Sarah and Selena told the council they want the city to "divest from Caterpillar" and to disclose the city’s investment holdings and screening process. One speaker said the city holds a $2,500,000 bond with Caterpillar; others urged the council to include ethical vetting in vendor due diligence.
Speakers framed their requests as moral and constituent concerns. Sarah (public commenter) said the council’s continued investment was "complicity" and called the city’s silence "moral bankruptcy." Several speakers asked whether vendors (including the energy firm the council was considering) divest from or screen for ties to alleged human-rights abuses.
City Attorney and the mayor repeatedly warned that candidate forums and some political matters are not "city business" and reminded speakers to confine remarks to municipal matters when required by council rules; the transcript records interruptions and repeated admonitions to stay on city business. Council did not take action on divestment during the meeting; no staff report or ordinance was on the agenda proposing divestment.
Other public comments included a resident complaint about spotty green-waste pickup (Debbie Hernandez) and community announcements about upcoming events.
Next step: Council did not indicate a specific follow-up; a formal staff report or a council-initiated agenda item would be required for any divestment discussion or action.
