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Speaker urges local educators' retirement funds to divest Tesla holdings
Summary
At the Marin County Board of Education meeting, retired finance director Mary Joan Walker urged local education retirement systems to divest Tesla shares, citing multi‑million‑share holdings reported for CalSTRS and CalPERS and calling for coordinated action.
Mary Joan Walker, a San Rafael resident and retired city and county finance director, urged the board during public comment to press educator pension funds to divest Tesla stock.
Walker said she had found that "4,500,000 shares of Tesla that the California State Teachers Retirement System owns" and that "CalPERS owns 4,800,000 shares," adding "together, that's over 9,000,000 shares" and describing those holdings as "unconscionable" given her view of CEO Elon Musk's conduct. She said she had sent the board a letter asking them to consider steps toward divestment and referenced recent calls from national labor leaders for pension managers to review Tesla holdings.
The board did not take action on the request during the meeting. Staff did not present any agenda item related to local investment policy or the county office's authority over external pension funds; Walker framed her remarks as an appeal to trustees and the county office to use their influence and to communicate with statewide retirement managers.
