I was recently informed by a former California public health employee, that CalPERS, the state’s pension and health care fund, the largest in the nation, has invested $136 million in Monsanto.  

As a California activist committed to healthy communities, I see this investment as a huge conflict of interest. For its health plan subscribers, the CalPERS mission to “advance the financial and health security” of the participants does not align with the detrimental effects of the toxic herbicide Roundup, Monsanto’s number-one product. 

The day after finding out about this ill-advised investment, I sent a letter to CalPERS urging it to divest from Monsanto. It hasn’t responded. 

Concerned Californians should be outraged by this investment by CalPERS in Monsanto and the harm that inevitably impacts the very retirees CalPERS is responsible to protect.

We listed several items for the board to review which will hopefully initiate a decision by CalPERS to divest from any investment in Monsanto.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency, deemed that glyphosate, Roundup’s key ingredient, is a probable carcinogen. In addition to this, the California EPA decided that glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) like Roundup must be labeled as containing a carcinogen. 

Roundup has been proven to cause liver disease at levels lower than what is allowed in our food. One out of 10 Americans now suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Due to the spraying of this herbicide on crops as a drying agent and on GMO crops for weed control, glyphosate is now found in the majority of our food, streams, rain, tapwater and even our urine. It’s also been detected in breast milk, vaccines and pregnant mothers.