WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 3, 2021) – CalSTRS issued the following statement today regarding the preliminary voting results at ExxonMobil’s Annual Shareholder Meeting in which a third director nominated by Engine No. 1 and supported by CalSTRS from the beginning was elected by shareholders to the ExxonMobil board:

Shareholders have the power to effect change at even the most resistant companies and contribute to the sustainable value of their investments.

This historic board election will strengthen ExxonMobil for the future.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (April 9, 2021) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today announced its investment in two new low-carbon transition readiness exchange-traded funds (ETF). The BlackRock U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF and the BlackRock World ex U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF began trading yesterday and are one of the largest ETF launches in history. These ETFs address market risks and opportunities associated with the global transition to a low-carbon economy while also closely tracking the performance of the broad equity market.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (March 3, 2021) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today released its 2019–20 Sustainability Report. The report follows the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, which are recognized as the global best practices for corporate sustainability reporting.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (December 7, 2020) – CalSTRS issued the following statement today regarding its intention to support an alternate slate of board members for ExxonMobil being put forth by Engine No. 1:

As the world’s largest educator-only retirement fund, CalSTRS’ investment and engagement decisions are rooted in our mission to deliver a secure pension to California’s public educators. CalSTRS intends to support Engine No. 1’s alternate director slate for ExxonMobil to equip the board with the relevant skills and experience to strengthen long-term performance, resiliency and strategic positioning.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (September 24, 2020) – CalSTRS worked closely with the Department of Finance in the development of the California Climate Investment Framework. We are pleased that the Governor and the Framework recognize CalSTRS’ leadership in sustainable investing. The report reflects the high importance we place on managing climate risks and seeking opportunities to invest in climate solutions. CalSTRS’ legacy of climate reporting preceded and currently exceeds the requirements of SB 964. We will continue to lead in helping the state of California achieve its climate goals through the implementation of the Climate Investment Framework, and the CalSTRS Low-Carbon Transition Work Plan.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (August 3, 2020) – On July 30, 2020, the California Supreme Court announced a ruling in the case of Alameda County Deputy Sheriff’s Association v. Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association. CalSTRS was monitoring the case for potential impacts to retirement law and implementation of the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act (PEPRA), which took effect in January 2013. In a 90-page opinion, the court held that the PEPRA provisions at issue in the case clarified existing law and closed loopholes pertaining to pensionable compensation. According to the opinion, these clarifications did not violate contract law or the California Rule which protects public pensions as a vested right. The legislation affected by the ruling applies only to the County Employees’ Retirement Law. Therefore, this ruling does not directly impact CalSTRS’ retirees or calculation of CalSTRS member benefits.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 11, 2020) – In its first-ever virtual meeting, the Teachers’ Retirement Board received the results of the actuarial valuation for the CalSTRS Defined Benefit Program as of June 30, 2019. The valuation provides a snapshot-in-time of the system’s financial health and is part of the ongoing effort to monitor and assess the system’s ability to meet its long-term commitments.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (March 2, 2020) — CalSTRS, alongside Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund and the UK’s Universities Superannuation Scheme, released a statement emphasizing the importance of long-term, sustainable growth.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 23, 2020) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today released its 2018–19 Sustainability Report. The report meets the guidelines established by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the first and most widely adopted standards for sustainability reporting.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (December 9, 2019)– The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced it has again received recognition in Pensions & Investments magazine’s Best Places to Work in Money Management for 2019.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (June 17, 2019) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System, alongside leading global investors and oil and gas industry executives, today announced a collective commitment to accelerate action to avoid the worst consequences of climate change.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (January 16, 2019) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced the certification of three member representatives to the CalSTRS governing board.  The members will each serve a four-year term, which begins January 1, 2020.

The three candidates, two who represent pre-kindergarten to 12th grade educators and one who represents community college educators, were not opposed and were certified elected by CalSTRS Chief Executive Officer Jack Ehnes.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (December 17, 2018) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System has received the International Corporate Governance Network’s (ICGN) inaugural Global Stewardship Disclosure Award for Asset Owners. ICGN introduced the award to celebrate the individuals and organizations that excel in stewardship practices and disclosures.

On Friday, July 20, 2018, CalSTRS Chief Investment Officer Christopher J. Ailman informed the Teachers’ Retirement Board that he had initiated the CalSTRS Divestment Policy as it applies to investments in private prison companies. The policy requires a comprehensive review of affected companies to determine potential risks they pose to the CalSTRS portfolio. The process includes further engagement with the leadership at the companies to ensure they are adhering to the law, CalSTRS policies, and best practice corporate governance principles.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 11, 2018) – The trustees of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System yesterday elected Dana Dillon as board chair and Sharon Hendricks as vice chair for the 2018-19 term. The Teachers’ Retirement Board nominates and elects its chair and vice chair annually. The newly-elected officers assume their posts immediately. The chair and vice chair provide board leadership for the largest educator-only pension fund in the world.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (May 9, 2018) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today unveiled a plan to prioritize engagement with makers and retailers of firearms that are illegal in California. The plan, approved unanimously by the Teachers’ Retirement Board, authorizes CalSTRS corporate governance staff to make firearms engagement activities a top priority by publicly engaging companies and potentially recommending that the board consider divestment if engagement efforts fail.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (February 7, 2018) – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today adopted Investment Belief #8, thus completing its first-ever set of investment beliefs to provide overarching guidance on CalSTRS’ investment decisions across its portfolio asset classes.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – CalSTRS Chief Executive Officer Jack Ehnes issued the following statement reflecting the Teachers’ Retirement Board’s decision to oppose H.R. 10 (Hensarling, R-TX), also known as the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017:

“The Financial CHOICE Act is shrouded in rhetoric about fixing the United States economy and lifting the regulatory burden on our financial institutions. On the contrary, this bill actually aims to unwind important shareholder rights, allows for riskier public companies, and decimates the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ability to protect investors.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California State Teachers’ Retirement System was among the Netflix investors who spoke out today following the entertainment company’s annual meeting, at which shareholders again backed multiple proposals to reform the company’s corporate governance practices.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today released Global Stewardship at Work, its 2015—16 sustainability report. This is the third year the system published the report, which is based on the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Guidelines.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced that Governor Brown has appointed Karen Yamamoto to the California State Teachers’ Retirement Board. The board oversees the retirement benefits for California’s prekindergarten–12 and community college educators covered under the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS).

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today praised Banc of California’s announcement that it has added Mary Allis Curran and Dr. Bonnie Guiton Hill to its board of directors. CalSTRS worked together with investment partners Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC and Banc of California to identify the best board candidates.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced a comprehensive redesign of 403bCompare.com, a free online resource providing tools for visitors to compare hundreds of supplemental savings products available through their employer. The site is available to all certificated and classified employees of California public school and community college districts, county offices of education and charter schools.

CalSTRS is one of the founders of the Investor Stewardship Group. The ISG is a collective of some of the largest U.S.-based institutional investors and global asset managers, along with several of their international counterparts. It was formed to develop a sustained initiative to establish a framework of basic standards of investment stewardship and corporate governance for U.S. institutional investor and boardroom conduct. The ISG is being led by the senior corporate governance practitioners at institutional investor and investment management firms.

The ISG brings all types of investors together to enable them to speak with one voice on these fundamental issues of corporate governance and investment stewardship.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System last Thursday, July 14, approved policy changes to the Corporate Governance Principles which establish the high-level framework, proxy voting activities and shareholder priorities.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today committed up to $2.5 billion to low-carbon strategies in U.S., non-U.S. developed and emerging equity markets.

The passively managed equity portfolio will be invested in an index designed to have significantly lower exposure to carbon emissions than the broad market and nearly complete reduction in exposure to fossil fuel reserves.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System received the Association of Asian American Investment Managers 2016 Founder’s Award today. The award is a one-time honor being given in celebration of AAAIM’s 10^th Anniversary.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced the release of its second annual Global Reporting Initiative sustainability report: Fostering a Secure Future. The report provides an overview of CalSTRS’ sustainable practices and performance, including overviews of stakeholder, employee and member engagement; a description of the alignment between CalSTRS’ values and those of its business partners; and, examples of workforce activities promoting sustainable economic, environmental and social business practices, which guide its long-term strategy.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced that, for the fourth year in a row, a member of the fund’s investment staff was named to Chief Investment Officer magazine’s influential “Forty Under Forty” list of up-and-coming investment professionals under the age of 40.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The trustees of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System today elected Dana Dillon as board chair and Sharon Hendricks as vice chair for the 2016-17 term.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced the appointment of Sandy Blair to Director of Retirement Readiness. In her new role, Ms. Blair, the director of CalSTRS Defined Contribution Solutions business unit since 2013, will also oversee CalSTRS member benefits education efforts, field benefits operations, and member and employer outreach activities.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System demonstrated its ongoing commitment to “moving the needle” on gender diversity by spearheading the “Beyond Talk: Taking Action to Achieve Gender Balance in the Financial World” networking workshop, along with State Street Global Advisors, on March 8 in San Francisco.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Faculty Association of California Community Colleges has named Teachers’ Retirement Board Vice-Chair Sharon Hendricks a co-recipient of the John Vasconcellos Advocate of the Year award for 2016. Sharing the honor with Ms. Hendricks is co-recipient Lynn Shaw, an instructor of electrical technology at Long Beach City College.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A study from University of California, Berkeley shows that for the vast majority of teachers, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit pension provides a higher, more secure retirement income compared to a 401(k)-style plan.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Governor Edmund G. Brown announced yesterday the reappointment of Tom Unterman and Nora Vargas to the Teachers’ Retirement Board, which oversees the retirement benefits for California’s K-12 and community college educators covered under the California State Teachers’ Retirement System. Both appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – CalSTRS Chief Executive Officer, Jack Ehnes issued the following statement on the draft release of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of the Conference of the Parties in Paris, France:

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System today announced its involvement with the Energy Productivity Index for Companies, a new project that will establish the first global energy productivity benchmark for listed industrial companies. The project was officially launched today in New York. 

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Infrastructure Alliance Partnership among The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), Dutch pension manager APG, and Argo Infrastructure Partners, today announced it has completed the acquisition of the Cross-Sound Cable, or CSC, transmission line after receiving all regulatory approvals.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CALIF. – Investment returns at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) came in at 4.8 percent gross for the fiscal-year-end 2014-15, belying stronger long-term performance for the educator fund with $191.4 billion in assets as of June 30, 2015.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California State Teachers’ Retirement System’s (CalSTRS) Chief Executive Officer Jack Ehnes, announced today that CalSTRS has consented to Cerberus’ proposal allowing CalSTRS to exit its economic interest in Remington Outdoor, ending a two-year divestment effort.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today announced the release of its 2013–14 Sustainability Report: The Next 100 Years. CalSTRS is the first U.S. public pension fund to complete the rigorous and detailed sustainability reporting guidelines consistent with the Global Reporting Initiative .  

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today announced the promotion of Andrew Roth to Benefits & Services Executive Officer, Mr. Roth replaces Peggy Plett who will be retiring after 28 years at CalSTRS.

WEST SACRAMENTO, CA – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) yesterday announced the election of the three member-representatives to the CalSTRS governing board. The members will each serve a four-year term, which begins January 1, 2016.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The board of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today adopted the actuarial valuation of the Defined Benefit Program as of June 30, 2014. The gap between current assets and the obligations facing the system—known as the unfunded actuarial obligation, or funding gap—has shrunk slightly to $72.7 billion—a nearly one billion dollar decrease from the previous years’ $73.67 billion.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – CalSTRS shares the frustration and concern of educators who want to see our fund completely divest from firearms.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System’s (CalSTRS) Investment Committee adoption last week of updated Corporate Governance Principles, sets the stage for an active proxy season in 2015.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) received its final $15.6 million payment of compensation from the 1997 sale of the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve as part of the $1.1 trillion budget appropriation bill signed into law today by the President.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) announced today the completion of its Investment Branch leadership restructuring with the hiring of its first Chief Operating Investment Officer and two asset class directors.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A new report from Ceres ranks the nation’s 330 largest insurance companies on their response to climate-related risks and finds a profound lack of preparedness. CalSTRS currently holds $4.3 billion of investments in the insurance sector, which represents 2.4 percent of the overall portfolio. CalSTRS believes that climate-related risks and opportunities can affect the performance of its investments.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) today announced it has received top honors for the portfolio’s 2013-14 performance from iiSEARCHES—Institutional Investor’s investment management, sales and marketing data service.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), in collaboration with the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), sent the 131 California companies in their portfolios that lack women directors a letter offering their combined expertise to help diversify their boards.

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Continued growth in the equity market, coupled with a bias to U.S. companies, fed a second year of healthy investment returns at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS), which closed the 2013-14 fiscal year with an 18.66 percent return on its investments.