NEWS - Los Angeles Joins Four Other

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Subject: NEWS - Los Angeles Joins Four Other California Cities in...

Los Angeles Joins Four Other California Cities in Calling on Mitsubishi
to Abandon Baja Salt Factory and Takes Steps to Blacklist Corporate
Giant From Contracts

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Los Angeles has joined
a wave of California cities taking action against international
corporate giant Mitsubishi and its plans to build the world's largest
salt factory at Laguna San Ignacio, Baja, Mexico -- the last pristine
breeding ground of the California gray whale and host to countless
endangered species.

Yesterday, Los Angeles City Council passed a unanimous (10-0) resolution
calling on Mitsubishi to abandon its salt factory plans.  The resolution
also instructs the City Attorney to "investigate the number and types of
contracts between the City of Los Angeles and the Mitsubishi Corporation
and any of its subsidiaries and the fiscal impact of divesting from
those companies."

According to Nick Pacheco of LA's 14th District, "In Los Angeles, we are
committed to helping send the message to Mitsubishi that when they say
their plant will not harm the Lagoon, we say 'Mitsubishi, we don't buy
it.'" Pacheco, who introduced the resolution added that, "Until
Mitsubishi abandons their plans, we say 'Mitsubishi, we don't buy it.'"

Jared Blumenfeld, Director of the International Fund for Animal
Welfare's Habitat Program stated that, "The City of Los Angeles, is
following successful public actions taken against Apartheid and Burma to
turn its spotlight on Mitsubishi.  This is a model of responsible
governments holding irresponsible companies accountable."  Blumenfeld
added that, "The Mitsubishi Don't Buy It Campaign is working.  Consumer
action is growing every day: 15 mutual funds with $14 billion in assets
have told Mitsubishi they won't buy the company's stock, now five major
Californian cities have told Mitsubishi to look for salt somewhere else
or risk being blacklisted.  The response to our web site
(www.savebajawhales.com) and to our mailings has also been outstanding."

Los Angeles joins the cities of San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento and
Poway, which have also passed similar resolutions. Poway's strong motion
was also passed yesterday (5-0) and "directs that there be no purchase
of any financial instrument that includes Mitsubishi Corporation (or any
of its subsidiaries)."

According to Poway City Council member Betty Rexford, "Evolution of a
species takes milleniums; decimation of a species by man takes little
time at all."

In Sacramento, where a similar resolution passed 5-0 on Nov. 3, Council
Member Lauren Hammond stated that, "750,000 thousand letters of protest
have gone unanswered by Mitsubishi, but when you hit companies in the
pocket book, they usually respond."

The first such resolution against Mitsubishi was passed (9-0) by the San
Francisco Board of Supervisors on Sept. 29.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare has launched the Mitsubishi
"Don't Buy It" Campaign in partnership with the Natural Resources
Defense Council (NRDC) and more than 50 Mexican environmental
organization.

SOURCE  International Fund for Animal Welfare  

CO:  International Fund for Animal Welfare

ST:  California, Mexico

IN:  ENV

SU:

11/10/1999 18:12 EST http://www.prnewswire.com