Public Bank Sacramento
Public banks provide powerful solutions for funding community development while promoting sustainable and ethical goals.
Public Bank Sacramento
About Us
The Sacramento Public Bank project was started by the Sacramento Climate Coalition and Sacramento Area Congregations Together (Sac. ACT) and others formed in 2022 to generate the funds needed to help solve the intersecting crises of climate change, lack of affordable housing, climate injustice and the persistent scourge of Wall Street banks’ funding of fossil fuels, guns, and private prisons.
The Sacramento Climate Coalition (SCC) is a grassroots alliance of 36 Sacramento groups. It began in partnership with multiple organizations in 2016 to fight proposals to bring explosive crude oil through Sacramento neighborhoods on their way to coastal refineries. We won the fight and decided to expand our focus as the Sacramento Climate Coalition to the broader set of issues related to climate change as a whole. We have always had leadership from disadvantaged communities located near the rail lines and are deeply committed to environmental justice.
Over the years the Coalition has grown, and in 2018 we joined the international Climate Emergency campaign and have been the main force behind Climate Emergency Mobilizations, achieving Climate Emergency Declarations by the City, County and the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District with accelerated 2030 Carbon Zero timelines.
Sacramento ACT is a powerful multi-racial, multi-faith organization advocating a transformation of the community rooted in shared faith values. Sacramento ACT’s members include over 56 congregations, schools and neighborhood groups, representing 60,000 families in Sacramento County.
Sacramento ACT organizes to create a more just and fair community for everyone in the Sacramento region, with a particular focus on communities of color that have experienced historical discrimination and disinvestment. Our organizing is grounded in the conviction that equity—just and fair inclusion in society—must drive public policy.
For more information contact Dr. Glayol Sahba at gsahba@sacclimate.org.
What is a public bank?
- A public bank is a financial institution owned by a local government, such as a city or county.
- Provides oversight and transparency for the city’s banking needs.
- Owned by the residents of Sacramento, with bylaws created by and for the community.
- Keeps money local to benefit the community.
- Bank profits benefit Sacramento, not private shareholders.
- Can borrow from the Federal Reserve at low-interest rates and can loan up to ten times its total assets.
- California public banks are FDIC insured.
- Provide low-cost loans for infrastructure and community development projects.
- A responsible alternative to Wall Street banks that prioritize profits over community needs.
Investing in Sacramento's Future with a Public Bank
Public banks fund our future and reflect our values.
Financing Green Infrastructure for a sustainable future
• Divest from fossil fuels, private prisons, guns, and rainforest destruction
• Invest in green infrastructure and sustainable job creation
• Enables energy retrofitting and other climate-conscious projects
• Provides rapid response and low-interest loans for rebuilding and recovery efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters such as floods or fires
Affordable Housing and Vital Community Development
• Investments in affordable housing projects to address the local housing crisis
• Low-cost loans for infrastructure building and repair (with Wall Street banks, interest can be half the cost of the infrastructure)
• Support for community revitalization projects, including transportation and public works
• Stabilizing tool for city/state budgets in a downturn
Public banks greenlight community needs
• Provides targeted lending to underrepresented communities to support the city's social and economic equity goals
• Partners with local community banks and credit unions to support local small and minority-owned businesses
• Low-interest student loan programs
• Redirects public funds away from private shareholders to improve the well-being of local communities
Advantages of a Public Bank for Sacramento
Local Control
Sacramento residents, not Wall Street investors, would be the owners of the bank and determine the priorities for the bank’s investments.
Local Power
The California Public Banking Act (AB 857) allows California cities to form a public bank and leverage their funds, directing loans and profits to local needs.
Local Benefits
Sacramento can financially meet critical climate, housing, local business, social and infrastructure demands.
A Tried and Tested Solution Worldwide
Public banking is a proven solution worldwide, with 17% of banks being publicly-owned. Cities and regions throughout California including Los Angeles, San Francisco, East Bay, Central Coast, and Pomona Valley, are actively working on establishing local public banks.
Bank of North Dakota
The Bank of North Dakota (BND), the only public bank in the US, has had a successful history spanning over 100 years.
- The BND helped the state of North Dakota avoid the impacts of the 2008-2009 credit crisis, making it the only state to do so.
- The BND generated $169 million in profits in 2019.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the BND provided the most PPP loans per capita to small businesses in all 50 states, helping them recover quickly.
- The BND’s return on investment is 15%, higher than that of Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Support our Movement
Join our cause by emailing the Mayor and City Council about the need for a public bank! Send a letter using Action Network below.
Access our toolkit, which includes a map of Sacramento City Council districts, contact information for council members, and a sample script to use when advocating for support of a Sacramento public bank.
Sacramento Climate Coalition (SCC) – The SCC is a grassroots alliance comprising 36 organizations leading the efforts in the climate change and environmental justice movement in Sacramento.
info@sacclimate.org
Sacramento Area Congregations Together (SACACT) – Sacramento ACT is a coalition of over 56 congregations, schools, and neighborhood groups, representing 60,000 families in Sacramento County.
contact@sacact.org
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