The University of California has $32 billion invested in weapons manufacturers and other companies that pro-Palestinian protesters are targeting on college campuses in the Golden State.
That represents around one-fifth of the university system’s total assets, according to UC Chief Investment Officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher.
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The big picture: Singh revealed the investment data at the UC’s Board of Regents meeting on Tuesday, responding to a letter from the UC Divest Coalition regarding the system’s $175 billion in assets.
- Students with the UC Divest Coalition are protesting the system’s investments and calling for divestment from companies linked to weapons manufacturers, Blackstone, BlackRock and others.
- But last month the UC system said it will not divest from Israel, a message that did not change this week.
The backstory: While the UC system is not considering divesting at this point, it has a history of doing so when met with protests.
- Previous divestment actions by the UC Regents include $3.1 billion from companies doing business with South Africa during apartheid and dropping investments in fossil fuels in 2020.
