March 6, 2007

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:                                              Via mail, fax and mail:            
200 North Spring Street, Room 303                                    Fax:  (213) 9780758     
Los Angeles, CA 90012                                                    email:  mayor@lacity.org

Honorable Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:

We commend you and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for taking such a courageous stand on the dire situation in Darfur.  To divest from companies that are profiteering from doing business with the Sudanese government in order to protest the ongoing and severe human rights violations and genocide is the strongest message that can be sent that does not involve a single bullet or the loss of a single American life.  It is a completely non-violent method to diminish a violent situation.  No one in favor of saving innocent life can possibly oppose this type of action.

Accordingly, we Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Los Angeles urge you to adopt the same position with respect to companies that do business with Iran, Syria and countries that threaten our vital security interests. 

According to The Center for Security Policy report, August 12, 2004, Los Angeles financial involvement with terrorist-sponsoring states is at a minimum of just under $50 billion, and is invested as follows:

Los Angeles County Employees’ Retirement (LACER):                $20,231,020,000
Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension (LAFPP):                                 $27,054,680,000
Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement (LACER):                     $  2,199.825,000

Your actions with respect to Darfur make it obvious that you are in agreement with us that taxpayers should not fund terrorists.  To quote Assemblyman Joel Anderson, sponsor of Assembly Bill 221, “Money is the mother’s milk of terrorism…It is outrageous for...taxpayers’ money to be invested in companies whose business activities benefit a nation that sponsors terrorists who target American citizens.”

At this point in time, the leadership in Iran is facing substantial instability that affords us a narrow window of opportunity to further destabilize this dangerous regime.  For the sake of world peace, the West must act strongly and forcefully now.   Combine this effort with the current sanctions that have led to Iran’s calling for a summit which the US has agreed to attend, the Iran-Syria divestiture would put teeth into the diplomacy and would strengthen our bargaining position.

As important as the Darfur divestiture is, this divestiture would have even more far-reaching implications.  We urge you to please act on behalf of the entire free world and support a divestiture of Iran, Syria and other terror supporting countries. 

Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Los Angeles implores you to act now to preserve freedom
for our children and our country by taking this proactive role in the face of the evil that is facing
us in a non-partisan, non-violent and proven effective approach.  

You would be the first mayor of any city in the United States to take such a proactive role.  This courageous act would ensure your legacy for our country and the entire free world.

Respectfully submitted,

Doris Wise Montrose, President
Susanne M. Reyto
Nurit Greenger
Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Los Angeles (CJHSLA)
doris@cjhsla.org            www.cjhsla.org

CC:  Los Angeles City Council members

CC:  Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors