SUMMARY: A Noble family’s kitchen ceiling collapsed last week, leaving their home damaged and unsafe. The landlord, Second Avenue, has been unresponsive despite multiple work orders and contractor warnings over three years about the sagging ceiling, which finally gave way. Megan Rounds, a mother of five with asthma, is worried about health risks from insulation debris and possible asbestos. The family cannot use the kitchen and has had to send kids elsewhere for safety. Although Second Avenue promised repairs, work was repeatedly canceled without explanation, leaving the family feeling forgotten and desperate for solutions.

A Noble mother says her family has been left in unsafe and unlivable conditions after their kitchen ceiling collapsed, and their landlord still hasn’t repaired the damage.

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by Paul Monies, Oklahoma Watch
June 20, 2025

With few shareholders voting in his favor, Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ struck out in his effort to change corporate behavior on behalf of the state’s tobacco settlement endowment.  

Russ, helped by conservative legal and shareholder activist groups, failed to clear 1% of shareholders backing his proposals at a handful of companies invested by the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. Russ is chairman of the trust’s board of investors, which sets the investment policies and certifies earnings from the trust fund for projects and grants.  

The treasurer’s shareholder proposals were meant to convince large institutional investors that management policies on issues ranging from diversity and gay rights to advertising and equality weren’t in the best financial interests of the public companies. His slate of proposals targeted Google parent company Alphabet, Amazon, Lululemon, Netflix and Yum! Brands, the parent company of Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut. 

Russ said those brands should be focusing on their financial responsibilities rather than what he called ideological activism. 

“Businesses exist to deliver returns to their owners, not to serve as vehicles for political agendas,” Russ said in a conference call hosted by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group. “ESG and DEI initiatives that compromise performance are not acceptable. It’s time for other Oklahoma funds and financial institutions to demand strong corporate governance focused on financial results, not politics.” 

Publicly traded companies hold annual meetings to let shareholders have a say on routine matters such as executive pay, board of director elections and selecting audit firms. But shareholders can also ask securities regulators to put other items on the agenda, such as policy statements regarding labor relations, human rights and climate change. Directors typically advise shareholders to vote against such outside resolutions. 

Russ’ involvement with the shareholder resolutions marks a new front in an effort by conservative groups to ally with GOP elected officials to pressure public companies over their corporate policies. Alliance Defending Freedom touted Russ as the “first Republican state official to file resolutions calling for fiscal prioritization over politicization.”  

Russ previously teamed up with the State Financial Officers Foundation and other conservative groups to implement Oklahoma’s Energy Discrimination Elimination Act. The law forbids state investment contracts with financial institutions that have pledged to cut their carbon emissions or appear to discriminate against oil and gas companies. It is on hold pending an appeal before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. 

Management of all five publicly traded companies targeted by Russ advised shareholders to vote against the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust proposals. They said they weren’t necessary or went too far into the day-to-day management of the companies. 

At Alphabet, Russ wanted shareholders to back his proposal for an annual report into how the company’s “charitable partnerships impact its risks related to discrimination against individuals based on their speech or religious exercise.” The resolution cited the company’s low ranking in the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, an annual report by Alliance Defending Freedom. The proposal criticized Alphabet for donating to the Human Rights Campaign and touting its diverse workplace. 

Alphabet’s management told shareholders the proposal would micromanage the company’s business operations and it already had a robustly managed philanthropic program. Shareholders gave the proposal less than half a percent of the vote. 

Russ, who recently announced his campaign for re-election in 2026, criticized Lululemon for contributing to Black Lives Matter and Reclaim the Block, a Minneapolis nonprofit that disbanded last year. Russ also criticized the company for an incident from 2023 when it fired two store employees who confronted thieves. Many retailers have policies prohibiting employees from putting themselves in harm’s way.  

“We’ve heard of organizations with anti-police, anti-business platforms that contribute to rising retail crime,” Russ said. “No company should be funding causes that undercut its own stability or threaten shareholder value.” 

Lululemon shareholders overwhelmingly rejected the Russ proposal, giving it less than 1% of the 106 million shares eligible for voting. 

Russ and the trust’s board of investors partnered with Bowyer Research Inc., a proxy advisory service whose goal is to restore neutrality in corporate policies. Alliance Defending Freedom provided pro bono legal assistance before the Securities and Exchange Commission when Lululemon tried to keep the proposal off the ballot for the annual shareholder meeting. 

Alliance Defending Freedom said it helped with filing 74 shareholder proposals in this year’s proxy season. The nonprofit previously led the legal campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade and represented a Colorado wedding cake baker who refused service to a same-sex couple. 

“The story here is the increase in shareholder engagement from right-of-center and religious individuals and institutions,” said Jeremy Tedesco, the group’s senior counsel and vice president of corporate engagement. “There’s a significant downturn in ESG proposals and a significant upswing in proposals from fiduciarily minded, free-market minded and freedom-minded Americans and American institutions.” 

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, a $2 billion fund created by voters in 2000, already forbids investment in any tobacco-related companies. The Board of Investors approved that policy in its first year of operation. 

Jerry Bowyer, who founded Bowyer Research, said Russ and the shareholder resolutions highlighted the problems with the proxy voting process. Most investors let big investment managers vote on their behalf and don’t pay close attention to corporate policies. Shareholder advisory firms provide guidance but two large firms, Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services, dominate the market. 

Bowyer said the low vote totals for the proposals likely don’t reflect the views of most shareholders. 

“It more reflects the fact that proposals like this get no support from proxy advisory services, which have taken a hostile view towards proposals that do not come from the ESG or DEI community,” Bowyer said. 

Russ said it was too early to say if he’ll ask the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust’s Board of Investors to pursue similar shareholder resolutions next year at other public companies. He can’t resubmit the unsuccessful proxy proposals under SEC rules. 

“We’re dealing with a Wizard of Oz situation and nobody wants to talk about what’s going on behind the curtain,” Russ said. “This is our money paying for these shares that are being voted through proxy services and management that could care less about the interests of Oklahoma and are certainly not aligned with the interests of Oklahoma. We really need to raise that awareness.” 

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Few Shareholders Support Oklahoma Treasurer’s Anti-DEI Push appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

This article primarily reports on Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ’s conservative efforts to challenge corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and ESG (environmental, social, governance) policies from a shareholder perspective. The language and framing highlight Russ’s alignment with conservative legal groups and free-market principles, emphasizing fiscal responsibility over “ideological activism.” While the article details his unsuccessful proposals and opposition from corporate management, it presents these events factually without overt editorializing. The focus on Russ’s collaboration with right-leaning organizations and his criticism of progressive social causes places the content in a center-right context, reflecting conservative economic and cultural priorities.

by Keaton Ross, Oklahoma Watch
June 19, 2025

A $74 million deal to outsource Oklahoma’s prison food service operations to the Trinity Services Group was voided after fewer than four weeks. 

Aramark, a competing bidder, filed a protest with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services within 10 business days of the May 13 contract award date. The state purchasing director sided with Aramark and the contract was canceled on June 6, agency spokeswoman Christa Helfrey said.

The Trinity Services Group and Aramark did not respond to several voicemails and written inquiries. A records request for the protest letter and cancellation notice is pending. 

Department of Corrections spokeswoman Kay Thompson said prison staff were notified of the cancellation on June 12. She said the agency plans to issue another bid for its food service operations, but there is no timeline. 

Thompson said the agency will continue surveying prisoners on food quality and preferences, as outlined in the voided contract with Trinity.

“We’re still going to revamp food service,” she said. 

The Department of Corrections submitted the bid in late December and pitched lawmakers on the idea during a January budget meeting. Director Steven Harpe said outsourcing would help the agency save money because large companies have suppliers and connections with which the state can’t compete. 

Critics have pointed to issues with prison food contractors in other states, including Missouri and Michigan, ranging from tiny portions to maggot-infested meat. Some prison and jail officials have also complained of food service employees smuggling contraband and having improper relationships with the incarcerated. 

State Rep. Justin Humphrey, the vice chair of the House Public Safety Committee and an outspoken critic of the Department of Corrections, said he had concerns about Trinity’s track record in other states and is pleased the deal was called off. 
“For them to say we have to get away from private prisons, spend $312 million to do it, and then turn around and try to privatize the services — I ask, ‘What’s the difference?’” he said. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

This article first appeared on Oklahoma Watch and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Oklahoma’s Prison Food Service Contract Voided appeared first on oklahomawatch.org

Oklahoma Watch, at oklahomawatch.org, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from *Oklahoma Watch* presents a factual, balanced report on the cancellation of a prison food services contract, covering perspectives from state officials, lawmakers, and referencing past issues with privatized prison food in other states. While it includes critical voices and acknowledges concerns about private contractors, it does not editorialize or frame the issue in a way that aligns with a particular political ideology. The inclusion of fiscal reasoning and public accountability, along with criticism from both government and watchdog figures, reflects a neutral journalistic tone focused on transparency rather than advocacy.