CPBA ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES
We’ve assembled a collection of resources to move the public banking movement forward in California and beyond. It’s a helpful resource for policymakers, advocates, and community members working to build public banks and expand access to fair financial services. Our Movement Resources include business plans, lending and investment reports, municipal records, and organizing tools from grassroots public banking campaigns in the Central Coast, East Bay, Fresno, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BANKING ACT (AB 857, 2019)
CALIFORNIA STATE PUBLIC BANK (AB 310, 2020)
CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BANKING OPTION ACT (AB 1177, 2021) – CALACCOUNT
CALACCOUNT PROGRAM (AB 1365, 2025)
MOVEMENT RESOURCES
2025 Legislative Brief – summary of the California Public Banking Act, the California Public Banking Option Act, CalAccount Program, and the California State Bank.
Resource Booklet – overview of public banking and FAQ.
Technical Brief – technical summary of California’s public banks.
Public Banking Video – 2-minute explainer video.
Public Banks x CDFIs – flyer
Public Banks x Local Financial Institutions Brief – explains how California’s Public Banks, under AB 857, can collaborate with local financial institutions (LFIs) like credit unions and CDFIs to address community needs.
Public Banking One-Pagers – quick guides on how public banks support affordable housing, green energy, labor, localism and agroecology, municipal governments, and small businesses.
Public Banks x Affordable Housing
Public Banks x Social Housing – brief
Public Banks x Small Businesses – brief
CalAccount – website and FAQ
CalAccount Legislative Summary
- CalAccount 2025 Fact Sheet
- CalAccount One-Page
- California Public Banking Option Act (AB 1177) fact sheet
- The Business of Bank Account Fees, Roosevelt Institute
- The Case for CalAccount, HR&A Advisors
- Banking for the People, Roosevelt Institute
- CalAccount Market Study & Feasibility Report, RAND
Green Banks
Latest Public Banking Briefs Featuring CPBA’s Work
The California Public Banking Alliance’s work is featured in a series of recent academic, foundation, and policy reports that examine public banking as a tool for equity, sustainability, and inclusive economic development.
- Demos and New Economy Project, May 2025: Public Banks for Racial Equity: Democratizing Finance to Build Community Wealth
- The New School, June 2025: Public Banking: A Public Option to Build an Inclusive and Sustainable Economy
- The New School, June 2025: Financial Infrastructure to Support Guaranteed Income
- University of Michigan, California Public Banking Alliance, Beneficial State Foundation, Small Business Majority, and Demos, July 2025: Public Banking in California: Learning from the Bank of North Dakota
CPBA CITY & REGIONAL MOVEMENT RESOURCES
CENTRAL COAST
- Letter from Santa Cruz County Supervisor seeking statements of interest from Central Coast cities, counties, and public agencies to participate in a viability study for the Central Coast Public Bank.
- Central Coast Regional Communications and Reports
EAST BAY
- Public Bank East Bay Business plan and three years of financial model available to review on request.
- Treasurer’s board letter from Hank Levy, Alameda County Treasurer stating intent to allocate $40M.
- Letter from Floy Andrews, Special Counsel of Friends of the Public Bank East Bay, legal opinion on use of local agency investment pool funds for public bank capitalization.
- East Bay Governance Prototype
FRESNO
LOS ANGELES
- Public Bank LA Fact Sheet
- Interactive Balance Sheet Simulator – useful tool to build your own customized public bank loan portfolio.
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Municipal Bank of Los Angeles
– five-part series from the Jain Family Institute and the Berggruen Institute detailing practical lending and investment options for the Los Angeles Public Bank.
- Housing Solutions and Portfolio Options – opportunities in the city’s financing for affordable housing, available land for development, and the preservation of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH).
- Clean Energy Portfolio Options – how the municipal bank supports the LADWP, LA’s municipal-owned utility, along with community solar, utility-scale solar, and energy efficiency retrofits.
- Financial Justice Portfolio Options
- Democratic Governance Frameworks
- What a Public Bank Can Do For LA and Its People – series overview & summary
- Los Angeles City Council RFP for Public Bank Feasibility Study and Business Plan
- LA Public Bank Small Businesses Report , Inclusive Action for the City
- Governance Proposal for the LA Public Bank , The Democracy Collaborative
- Public Bank LA Resource Booklet
- Public Bank LA Activist Toolkit
- Los Angeles City Communications and Reports
SACRAMENTO
- Sacramento City Council RFQ for Public Bank Viability Study and Business Plan
- Sacramento Communications and Reports
SAN FRANCISCO
- San Francisco Public Bank Business Plan
- San Francisco MFC Business Plan
- SF Green Bank Memo
- SF Public Bank Governance Plan
- HR&A Recommendations
- SF Public Bank Reinvestment Working Group
San Francisco City/County Communications and Reports