Free South Africa protest in South Central, Los Angeles 1986 | Source: UCLA Archives

On July 3, 1986, Los Angeles marked a historic moment for the city and the international community, going beyond a statement of solidarity. The L.A. City Council and then-Mayor Tom Bradley decided that standing up to racism and discrimination was a priority and leveraged their political power by cutting economic ties with the apartheid government of South Africa.

Bradley signed the city’s landmark anti-apartheid ordinance, also known as the L.A. divestment ordinance against the apartheid government of South Africa. This local law strictly restricted city commerce by banning municipal contracts and purchases from any company or bank doing business with apartheid South Africa. It also required companies bidding on city contracts to sign an affidavit certifying that they had no commercial ties to the white ruling nation on the African continent.

The action placed the nation’s second-largest city among U.S. municipalities that used their contracts, purchasing power, and investments as tools of foreign policy pressure. As a result, then-President Ronald Reagan opposed the law, saying it would cause an “economic war.” Therefore, he placed the economy above how Black people were systemically discriminated against in South Africa.

Four decades later, with two mayoral candidates fighting over who is more progressive, that history raises a question for L.A. voters:

Would the next mayor be willing to use its economic and political power today in response to Israel’s treatment of Palestinians? And call for ending its apartheid system against Palestinians? Would the city cut ties with Israel economically to pressure it to end its genocide?

Screenshot of L.A. Times articles | Source: L.A. Times archives

L.A.’s anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s

The city council and mayor’s move to support the anti-apartheid movement didn’t happen overnight. In 1948, the apartheid system in South Africa officially started following the general election victory of the Afrikaner National Party. As a result, the anti-apartheid movement was born and later spread worldwide in solidarity with the people of South Africa.

In 1984, the Los Angeles Free South Africa Movement (LAFSAM) campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. L.A. called for the release of African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela. In addition, LAFSAM opposed the awarding of the lifetime achievement award by the L.A. chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to New Jersey-born Frank Sinatra because they performed in South Africa. Sinatra’s performance violated the cultural boycott artists were leading, much like today, when artists are denied invitations to perform in Israel.

L.A. City Council 1986 roster | Source: Wikipedia

In 1985, several thousand students protested at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), calling for divestment from South Africa. This is similar to today’s movement, in which thousands of students across the country have urged their universities to divest from Israel because of its apartheid system against Palestinians, the Gaza genocide, and its colonial zionist movement.

As people in L.A. mobilized to end apartheid in South Africa, elected officials were forced to take a stance as the pressure grew. Much like today, anyone running for office is forced to have a position on the Gaza genocide and Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

Bradley argued that American corporate investments were helping sustain the apartheid system and that Los Angeles should not participate in it.

The pressure intensified.

In July 1986, the City Council approved an expanded anti-apartheid policy that prohibited the city from purchasing certain goods and services from companies with South African business ties. The bill had been under consideration for roughly a year and passed unanimously on its final vote. According to the L.A. Times, it affected contracts worth about $107 million, or about 13% of the city’s contracts in the previous fiscal year.

Bradley called for a $1 billion divestiture from South Africa. The city targeted financial investments in companies, municipal purchasing contracts, and currency sales.

The divestment and selective purchasing ordinances restricted the following types of goods, services, and assets:

Computer parts and technological hardware.

Vehicles, specifically fleet pickup trucks.

Industrial equipment, including vacuums and building materials like concrete.

Maintenance supplies, such as commercial paint.

Banned financial assets and currency.

Krugerrands: The city cracked down on the local sales of South African gold coins. It did so by imposing local fees designed to stifle their trade and fund anti-apartheid........

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