Public Bank Los Angeles (PBLA) is a volunteer initiative founded in 2017 to establish a socially and environmentally responsible municipal bank for the City of Los Angeles. PBLA evolved from Divest LA, a grassroots movement that successfully divested Wells Fargo from the city’s commercial banking services. This movement was inspired by the DefundDAPL phenomenon and the desire to resist unethical banking practices that harm vulnerable communities. The Divest LA Change.org petition to the Los Angeles City Council received nearly 38,700 supporters.

Public Bank Los Angeles spearheaded the Measure B ballot initiative, the first voter referendum in the US that sought approval for a city-owned bank. The ballot measure received over 44% of the votes and the support of more than 430,000 Angelenos.

As a founding member of the California Public Banking Alliance (CPBA), PBLA played a pivotal role in the passage of the California Public Banking Act, the groundbreaking Assembly Bill 857, in October 2019. This act sanctioned the establishment of municipal public banks in California, making it the first state to do so.

Public Bank LA was instrumental in the approval of California’s second public banking bill, the Public Banking Option Act (AB 1177) in 2021, which aims to extend critical financial services to unbanked and underbanked Californians.

In 2023, PBLA campaigned for the Los Angeles City Council's unanimous vote to move forward with the creation of a feasibility study for the LA public bank. PBLA is also collaborating with SEIU CA to implement the CalAccount program, which provides free and universal banking services to all Californians.

Become a part of our growing grassroots movement to keep the City of Los Angeles' money within our communities to benefit the people and planet.

Join over 100 community and statewide organizations by endorsing Public Bank LA at bit.ly/pblaendorse.

Volunteer with us: bit.ly/pblaorganize.

publicbankla.com