East Bay & SF
End Poverty in California (EPIC) is partnering withCalifornia Public Banking Alliance,The San Francisco Public Bank Coalition andFriends of the Public Bank East Bay to host a East Bay/San Francisco Public Banking Roundtable. The goal of this session is to hold dialogue with local leaders and residents about public banking and current ballot measures in San Francisco and the East Bay. The event will take place in September 2026, date and time TBD.

Los Angeles
A big thank you to Dan Pelegero and Osian Bellinger with Public Bank LA and CPBA, and Martha Turner with 350 Sacramento. Dan and Osian created the poster presented at the California Climate & Energy Collaborative Forum in Los Angeles in late June – and it made an impression! Between the three of them, they estimate speaking with around 100 attendees, with theirs being the last display standing as conversations kept going. The room was full of local government climate program managers, community-based organizations, and private sector partners.

Check out the poster, “Renewing Public Finance for California’s Clean Energy Goals,” which uses Los Angeles as its model.

Berkeley Ballot Measure
Voters in Berkeley will be asked to approve a parcel tax to capitalize and support a public bank that includes Berkeley in its service area. It is one of seven ballot measures for the City of Berkeley and the full text of the initiative is available here.

SF Public Bank Ballot Measure

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted 9-2 to place a measure on the November ballot that will determine the governance of the public bank and marks another critical step towards creating the first city-run public bank for San Francisco.
After 10 years, advocates finally have a chance to make public bank a reality

The text of the ballot initiative is available here: SF Qualified Ballot Measures.

Read the Letter to the Editor of SF Chronicle from California Public Banking Alliance’s Vice Chair, Rick Girling: Public Bank Makes Sense

San Jose

Shout out to Nick Cortez and Jake Tonkel for representing the California Public Banking Alliance at the South Bay Progressive Alliance’s July meeting! Nick and Jake presented on how public banking can break the grip of private lenders and reduce the high financing costs that drain state and local government budgets. California currently spends billions every year on interest to private banks, money that could be reinvested in housing, clean energy, and community needs.