Fact Check Team: Why San Francisco is removing its political boycott law

 

WASHINGTON (TND) — Politics is a point of debate that impacts nearly all aspects of daily life. Some cities and states have taken stances for political beliefs often in the form of a boycott.

 

In 2016, after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, San Francisco passed a law that banned city-funded travel to thirty states that it said restricted abortion, voting and LGBTQ rights. It also prohibited the city from contracting with companies headquartered in any of those states.

 

However, the city has moved to repeal that law. A report that was released this spring by the city administrator found the policy cost San Francisco financially and repealing it could save the city up to 20% in contracting costs.

 

The state of California has a similar boycott in place that could be repealed soon. Since 2017, California has banned state-funded travel to 23 states because of its policies on same-sex marriage.

 

In March, Democratic state Senate President pro-Tempore Toni G. Atkins proposed legislation that would end the ban and replace it with an advertising campaign to promote the state's policy goals of inclusion and acceptance. 

 

 

 FILE - Fishing boats can be seen at Pier 45 in San Francisco, March 20, 2023. A federal regulatory group has voted to officially close king salmon fishing season along much of the West Coast after near-record low numbers of the fish, also known as Chinook, returned to California's rivers in 2022. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

 

Some states have faced heat from sports organizations for instituting bans. In 2016, the NCAA pulled all of its championship events out of North Carolina over the state's Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, more commonly known as the "bathroom bill." 

This was a critical issue because North Carolina had hosted more NCAA tournaments than any other state. The "bathroom bill" drew criticism because it restricted which bathroom transgender people could use and limited protections for LGBTQ people. The NBA also decided to relocate its 2017 All-Star game from Charlotte, North Carolina to New Orleans, Louisiana. 

 

More recently, the state of Georgia "struck out" with Major League Baseball. In 2021, the MLB pulled its summer All-Star game from Atlanta because of Georgia's election law that had just passed. President Joe Biden joined in on the effort to relocate the game, which was moved to Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. 

 

After Georgia passed the law, other big-name brands and companies like Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Delta Airlines condemned the law as "unacceptable." Executives from other companies like JP Morgan Chase, Apple, Microsoft, Google and Citi as well as sports teams like the Atlanta Hawks and Falcons also spoke out about the importance of voting rights. 

 

Source:  The National Desk