1 minute
Senator Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) announces that Senate Bill 1089 (SB 1089), his measure to require California’s public employee retirement systems divest from investments in the government of Turkey, should federal sanctions on the Turkish government be imposed, is headed to the governor.
“Turkey’s cold blooded murder of 1.5 million Armenians, and its refusal to acknowledge its role in the attempted obliteration of the Armenian people will not be forgotten. If Turkey won’t acknowledge its role in this massacre, perhaps our refusal to invest millions of dollars in its economy will get their attention. California will not forget the lives lost and the lives ruined.”
Background:
California current law, put into place in 2019 (Assembly Bill 1320, Nazarian) requires that California’s public employee retirement systems divest from investments in the government of Turkey, 18 months after the imposition of federal sanctions on that nation for its refusal to acknowledge its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide. Wilk’s measure extends the existing sunset date in AB 1320 for another 10 years.
With President Joe Biden affirming the United States’ record on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2021, and noting that recognition is a step “to ensure that what happened is never repeated,” it is important that California be prepared to send a clear message to Turkey.