California Water Service Group

Corporate Bias Rating

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Risk Level:

Medium Risk

Summary:

California Water Service Group (CWSG) is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. CWSG occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

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Criteria

Risk Level

Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level

Rationale

CWSG integrates ESG into its business practices. From its 2022 ESG Report: “We are dedicated to understanding and leveraging the interdependence of ESG interests and are proud of our contributions to a sustainable future. We aim to integrate our commitment to protecting the planet, caring for people, and operating with the utmost integrity into the fabric of our daily business activities” (1). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level

N/A

Rationale

CWSG has not published charitable giving guidelines (1).

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level

Rationale

CWSG requires employees to take unconscious bias training (1). The company prioritizes diversity in its suppliers and recruitment (2). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level

Rationale

CWSG signed an open letter endorsing the Equality Act, a contentious proposal to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act by adding sexual orientation and so-called gender identity as protected categories. The legislation would, among other implications, grant biological men access to women-only spaces such as sports teams and public restrooms, and compel healthcare providers to deliver sex-denying healthcare (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (2).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level

Rationale

CWSG supports the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce Silicon Valley and the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (1). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (2).

Criteria

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level

Rationale

CWSG has not used its PAC donations for ideological purposes and has not reported on its lobbying (1)(2)(3)(4).

Board Bias

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1792 Exchange has not yet compiled data about the board of directors or political contributions of leadership for this company.

Shareholder Proposals

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Date	ESG Category	Proponent	Summary of Resolution	Mgmt Rec	Total Vote % in Favor
5/31/23	Environmental	Nia Impact Capital	Adopt Paris-Compliant Strategy to Cut GHG Emissions	Against	32.50%