Berkeley Council OKs Boycott of 2 More Oil Firms

BERKELEY — Berkeley officials sought a new place to buy gasoline Wednesday after a City Council vote to boycott two oil companies that do business with Nigeria.

The 7-0 vote Tuesday night ruled out Shell and Chevron as possible suppliers of gasoline for city vehicles.

Arco, Unocal, Mobil and Texaco were already boycotted under a policy that protests human rights violations in Myanmar. While Exxon is not formally boycotted, it is on the “out” list because of its response to the Valdez oil spill in Alaska, said Acting Finance Director Frances David.

City Manager James Keene said he worries that if the city has to resort to no-name brands, it might not be able to keep the sometimes temperamental engines of street sweepers and police cars running smoothly.

But Mayor Shirley Dean, who supported the ban, said it shows Berkeley is a “city with a social conscience.” Dean contended that similar boycotts by Berkeley and other U.S. cities against companies doing business in apartheid-ruled South Africa helped end that regime.