Sacramento activists protest Chevron's violation of human rights from Gaza to CA

SACRAMENTO - On March 1, Sacramento human rights and environmental activists held a rally and teach-in about why consumers should boycott Chevron, one of the world's most notorious environmental destroyers and human rights violators.

Participants displayed Palestinian flags, held signs urging people to Boycott Chevron and chanted from 11 am to 1 pm in front of the Chevron owned gas station on Florin Road near Interstate 5 in Sacramento.

The teach-in highlighted overviews of Chevron’s impact on the environment, indigenous communities, and the genocide and ongoing ethnic cleansing in Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza.

Activists encouraged people to send CEO Mike Wirth a letter telling him they're joining the global boycott of Chevron gasoline/petrol until Chevron ends its complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza and in climate destruction globally. They boycott has been endorsed by tens of thousands of people around the world. You can send a letter to Chevron here: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/boycottchevron

Activists have held demonstrations at several Sacramento area Chevron stations as part of the global Boycott Chevron Campaign.

The people of the world have watched in horror as Israel bombed hospitals, homes, and nurseries in Gaza, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians and burying countless more under the rubble.

Meanwhile, Big Oil is profiting from this genocide. The Chevron corporation supplies Israel’s war machine with energy and massive tax money via the operation and co-ownership of the major Israeli-claimed fossil gas fields in the Mediterranean. Both Chevron and Israel enrich themselves from these projects – continuing a pattern of ongoing colonial violence, apartheid, and climate degradation. '

Activists are echoing the call from the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to build pressure on Chevron through boycott and divestment campaigns until it no longer conducts business that gravely violates Palestinian human rights and benefits Israel’s genocidal regime of settler-colonial apartheid.

Between 1964 and 1990, in what is considered by many to be the world's largest oil-related catastrophe, Chevron dumped 16 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador. Chevron has yet to clean up its wastewater.

There are many more examples of Chevron's path of destruction across the globe, including pollution of the Niger Delta, decimating the region's ecosystem and devastation of indigenous groups, waterways, food systems and livelihoods. The company has yet to clean up this pollution.

Chevron is responsible for many examples of toxic pollution in California, including the 2021 600 gallon oil spill into San Francisco Bay.

Chevron, the Western States Petroleum Association and the oil industry pumped record amounts of money into fighting California’s environmental justice and climate policies in 2024, according to an analysis by the Last Chance Alliance (LCA).

“Lobbying and influence spending disclosures show that Big Oil spent $6.6 million in the fourth quarter attempting to shape statewide policy measures,” the LCA revealed. “That brings the annual price tag for last year to $38 million, shattering the annual state lobbying record for the industry by 31%, which stood at $26.2 million in 2017.

Spending by two groups alone, Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), the largest and most powerful corporate lobbying group in California, and Chevron, shattered the previous record, coming in at $31.6 million in 2024. WSPA and Chevron accounted for 83% of the industry’s expenditure. WSPA spent $17.4 million on lobbying in 2024, while spent Chevron $14.2 million

CRC/Aera Energy took third place in the Big Oil lobbying spending spree, spending $2.1 million in 2024. Marathon Petroleum placed fourth, spending $1.5 million, while Phillips 66 placed fifth, spending $876,563.

The top five 2024 Big Oil influence spenders can be seen below.

Western States Petroleum Association $17.4 million
Chevron $14.2 million
CRC / Aera Energy $2.1 million
Marathon Petroleum $1.5 million
Phillips 66 $876,563

Big Oil crushed its two-year legislative session record as well, spending $65.8 million during the 2023-2024 legislative session. This far exceeds the $44.1 million spent during the 2017-2018 session, the LCA said.

“During the fourth quarter, Chevron disclosed influence spending contributions of nearly $426,000 alone to the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), as well as another over $231,000 to the front group Californians for Energy Independence, and over $77,000 to a Washington, DC-based PR firm named DDC Public Affairs that is notorious for its creation of industry front groups and deception campaigns,” the LCA stated.

“WSPA, for its part, paid over $19,500 to the notorious Chevron-tied law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher currently defending a handful of its Big Oil member companies in the landmark climate deception lawsuit filed against them by Attorney General Rob Bonta in 2023. It also forked over $33,000 to the legal administrator of its front groups, the Bay Area law firm Nielsen Merksamer,” the group wrote.

To read the complete article, go here: https://www.elkgrovedailynews.com/big-oil-shatters-annual-lobbying-spending-records/

Here's a thread from the Drop Site News to catch you up on the latest developments on Israel’s war on Gaza:

➤ "Israel’s internationally wanted Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced he will be blocking all humanitarian aid from entering after Hamas refused to alter the previous deal and release Israeli hostages ahead of the agreed terms (which included an Israeli troop withdrawal).

➤ Netanyahu said his decision to block humanitarian aid into Gaza was made in coordination with the Trump administration. The announcement follows the conclusion of the first phase of ceasefire negotiations.

➤ Palestinians and rights groups are raising concerns over Netanyahu’s decision which constitutes a form of collective punishment, and threatens the lives of 2M+ in Gaza, furthering the humanitarian crisis there.

➤ Local medical sources report rising casualties from ongoing Israeli attacks, including drone strikes and artillery fire. At least four people have been killed and 6 injured across Gaza since this morning, with damage to civilian homes."