Campaigns
Our Action
& Advocacy
We create and support progressive policies that dismantle systemic racism, and secures the rights of tenants, small business owners and immigrants. From banking policy to housing legislation, building an inclusive and fair economy that meets the needs of communities of color and low-income communities is front and center of our work.
Advocacy Areas
Public Banking
All Californians deserve access to safe and affordable financial products. The banking industry, however, has punished low-income communities and people of color through discrimination, predatory lending and vicious cycles of debt in the pursuit of profits. That’s why we champion a State Public Bank, which would guarantee ALL Californians access to banking accounts and financial services. Campaigns in this area include Cal Account, AB1177, the California Public Banking Option Act, and AB 857, the California Public Banking Act.
CRA Protections
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) affects everything from affordable housing to small businesses and community development to consumer rights. It is one of our strongest tools in the fight against systemic financial inequity. That’s why our campaigns not only ensure the CRA is protected but also work to improve it to better address redlining and race discrimination in lending.
Housing Justice
We work to put an end to housing discrimination, displacement, redlining and abuses at the hands of corporate landlords. Our campaigns such as LLC Ownership Transparency and the Stable Homes Act keep families housed, stops bad actors in the housing industry and help communities of color build generational wealth.
Digital Equity
A fast, reliable Internet connection is a requirement for almost every facet of modern life. Nearly everyone needs a high-speed broadband connection, but low-income, people of color and rural communities often struggle with access to high-speed Internet. Our campaigns find solutions to bring affordable, high-speed Internet to these communities by highlighting ways banks, community groups, and financial regulators can work together to provide funding and technical assistance to implement accessible broadband services.
Banking Accountabilty
Banks must meet the needs of the communities in which they do business. That's why we work to secure public, detailed, written commitments in the form of Community Benefit Agreements from banks when they merge to ensure that vulnerable, historically redlined and low-to-moderate communities are not left behind.
Green Futures
Climate change-related disasters such as wildfires, droughts and floods are becoming all too common. People of color, low-income and rural communities, unfortunately, are the ones most affected by these disasters. Our research and campaigns are designed to help reverse the harm already done to these communities.
Previous Campaigns
Homes in Community Hands Act
AB 1837 (Bonta), the Homes in Community Hands Act, defends and strengthens the first-ever statewide tenant and community opportunity to purchase act.
SB 1079
We helped establish the first-ever right to purchase for tenants, community land trusts, nonprofit affordable housing providers and families at foreclosure auctions with SB 1079.
Homeowners’ Bill of Rights
We organized to pass the first-in-the-nation Homeowners’ Bill of Rights (HBOR), which gives homeowners a meaningful chance to avoid foreclosure as well as the right to a fair process to determine whether their loans can be modified. Under this law, homeowners are also given a right to sue banks that fail to provide this due process.
Homeowner Survivor Bill of Rights
We mobilized to protect widows, widowers and other heirs of deceased borrowers from unfair foreclosures with the Homeowner Survivor Bill of Rights, SB1150.
EBT-for-Free
Our grassroots advocacy EBT-for-Free campaign, resulted in an agreement with the state and with Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and other banks to offer free EBT access both locally and nationwide.
DFPI Expansion
We helped strengthen the consumer protection infrastructure in California by expanding the authority of the Department of Business Oversight (DBO), now the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI).
Meet the Team Leading our campaigns
Jyotswaroop K. Bawa Chief of Campaigns
Doni Tadesse Southern California Organizer
Aliyah Shaheed Bay Area Organizer
Resist. Reinvest. Rebuild.
We’re focused on advocating for policies and practices that promote racial and economic justice and that address the root causes of inequality, redlining and systemic racism.
