2/20/24 New Map of Drilling Sites in California
Lena Gonzalez Bill SB 252 will make the big pension funds divest from the Oil business
And you can write to your representative to ask for their support
2/7/24 Bank of America Defaults on Promises
Read more on Bill McKibben’s Column
1/28/24 New links to push Pension Fund divestment
To help push the Fossil Free Ca movement for pension fund dicvestmenrt please use these links.
- For members or recipients of CalPERS:
- For members of CalSTRS:
- For anybody to nudge their assembly person or senator:
- And a nifty resource that shows the locations of oil and gas wells supported by funds from CalPERS and CalSTRS:
12/20/23 Green Investment fund
Green Century puts out a regular newsletter with info on it’s work with a variety of businesses
12/14/23 New info – ESG Explainer
Costco/Citibank campaign 10/9/32
COSTCO, TELL CITIBANK TO CLEAN UP!
Citibank uses our money to invest in fossil fuels and, despite pressure from climate activists like ourselves and promises to significantly cut its indirect emissions by 2030, remains the second largest funder of fossil fuels in the world.
But if Citibank won’t listen to us, it will very likely listen to one of its largest and most profitable partners: Costco. The third largest retailer in the U.S., with 199 million American members, Costco already has adopted climate and sustainability policies, which include looking at suppliers’ emissions.
And guess what! Costco is one of Citibank’s largest credit card partners, issuing co-branded Citibank credit cards to its members. So, we are petitioning Costco, which values its customers, to pressure Citibank to align its investments with the Paris Agreement or sever its relationship and drop the use of its credit card.
This would be a huge financial and public relations loss for Citibank.
TAKE ACTION: You don’t need to be a member of Costco or use its Citibank credit card to sign this petition.
Support Fossil Free California
The giant California pension funds should stop funding BIG OIL immediately. Sadly state bill SB252 did not pass but ut will be back next session.
6/29/23 New links supporting CalStrs/Calpers Divestment
- Public Pension Funds have lost billions on their Fossil fuel Investments: New Analysis – DeSmog
- Opinion: California’s pensions funds are wrecking the planet and losing billions. Its quite a trick – Bill McKibben
- Divesting from fossil fuels could add billions to pensions -Wealth Professionals
- Divesting From Fossil fuels Would Have Saved U.S. Pension Funds $21 Billion – OilPrice.com
- US Public Pension funds are paying huge price for not divesting from fossil fuels, report shows – Common Dreams
Stop Dirty Banking in Santa Cruz – update 3/1/23
Three upcoming opportunities to engage! Info below on:
1) RSVP for 3.21.23 Day of Action NOW!
2) Move Your Money learning cohort this Sunday 3/5
3) Planning for 3.21.23 this Wednesday 3/8
Background: Together the Santa Cruz Climate Justice Crew has been working to stop the money pipeline funding climate chaos since 2021. We’ve been showing up and asking the banks – Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo – to change. We don’t want our money to be used by these banks to rob the coming generations of a healthy future and a livable planet. We want banks to invest in clean energy, good jobs, and climate solutions, not new pipelines, oil drilling, coal plants, and fracking. (See https://about.bnef.com/blog/financing-the-transition-energy-supply-investment-and-bank-financing-activity/ for more info about what these banks are financing.)
So now is the time to escalate: If the banks won’t cut it out on climate, we are threatening to cut up our credit cards! Join us on 3.21.23, as we gather with organizers across the nation to show the strength of our movement!
You don’t need to have a credit card or bank account with these banks––we need people of all ages, races, and means to make visible the connection between cash in the dirty banks financing the carbon pollution in our air. Bring your friends, energy, and creativity!
1) RSVP for 3.21.23 We’re trying to get a good count of how many people are joining us Tuesday March 21st at 3:30pm. We have 18 signed up so far – thank you! If you haven’t signed up yet, and you think you can make it, please RSVP to let us know – https://www.mobilize.us/thirdact/event/550910/
2) Move Your Money learning cohort: Want to turn off the money spigot for the fossil fuel industry by moving your money away from Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo or Citibank? Want to encourage others to do as well? Get together with like minded people to receive information on how to go about it, share success stories and challenges!
Starting on Sunday March 5, we’ll meet from 3 to 5. We’ll meet at least until the Sunday before the big event on 3-21-23. You can show up once, twice or all three Sundays.
We’ll meet in person at 2355 Brommer St in the club house of Homestead Park, or by zoom (send Roland your email to get the link rolandsaher@gmail.com).
Limited parking inside the park – please bike, bus, carpool, walk, or park on nearby streets!
3) Planning for 3.21.23 Day of Action
We’ll meet to discuss plans and begin preparations for the Day of Action. Join us Wednesday March 8th, 1:30 in the Homestead Park clubhouse at 2355 Brommer St, or by zoom (send Roland your email to get the link rolandsaher@gmail.com).
Limited parking inside the park – please bike, bus, carpool, walk, or park on nearby streets!
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Take the pledge to move your money out ( or never use the Bad Banks again)
Tue, Mar 21, 3:30pm-5:00pm PDT Details at Novasutras website
Location
Wells Fargo Bank, 74 River St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Host(s)
Michelle Merrill • novasutras@gmail.com (primary)
pauline seales • paulineseales120@gmail.com
Description
Join us outside the oily Wells Fargo branch downtown. We’ll stay there a while, then move on to the Bank of America, and probably have a contingent that will move on to demonstrate outside Chase Bank also. We’ll have signs, do skits, sing songs, and let them know that the people want them to change their policies.
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Resources for improving your investments
- http://divestinvest.org
- http://fossilfreefunds.org
- https://www.banktrack.org/ – new group overseeing banks
- http://www.firstaffirmative.com/ – advisors specializing in Sustainable options
- In3finance.com Local finance company specializing in environmentally sound projects
- fixmyfunds.org – new group holding zoom webinars. Gearing to improving Blackrock, Vangard, Fidelity funds
- https://www.greenamerica.org/finance
our divestment flyer handout
usually copied with
New Movement to Take Action at TIAA
Encouraging Divestment News Jan 2022
Detailed article in Yale Climate Connections – $39 trillion planned divestment from Fossil Fuels by 1,500 institutions
Chase Bank event 11/16/21
Earth on fire event 9/24
Several Santa Cruz groups are planning an event Sep 24th Details here
New Report 3/24/21 Data showing which banks are destroying the Earth
No big surprises: from worst to bad – Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, Bank of America
Good News Jan 2021
Oil stock prices are falling significantly. Even if you don’t directly own stocks your IRA might be in mutual funds with oil investments.
Ask them to DIVEST or MOVE your money.
Useful links at the bottom of this page.
Update Nov 2020
Details from Fossil Free
Central Coast Public Banking Forum May 31st 2020
On May 31st 2020, 56 people attended a webinar on Public Banking, hosted by People for Public Banking, Santa Cruz. The attendees included many public officials from Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Luis Obispo and other counties as well as interested people. Here is the youtube recording of the event.
Banking on Climate Change
This Fossil Fuel Finance report 2020 by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) shows that most world-wide banks are increasing their investments in the fossil fuel industry and ignoring the climate change consequences for all life on earth. Scary Reading! and the #1 worst bank is JP Morgan Chase. If you still bank with them move your money AS SOON as you can and let them know why! And tell your friends!
BlackRock Divestment?
BlackRock – World’s largest asset management group $7T – recent focus of indigenous and other protests in SF – headquarters. Trying to move the company to environmentally responsible decisions – no changes yet. BlackRock link has a Financial Times piece.
Link to recording of the People’s Assembly on Blackrock. In January, BlackRock claimed it would put climate and sustainability at the center of its investment strategy. But the assembly learned that so far the promise has looked like a lot of hot air. The assembly we encouraged everyone to send Larry Fink and BlackRock a message today: until your company takes action, your talk is hot air.
Send your message via a postcard here.
GOOD NEWS 5/21/20
After five years of perseverance by students and faculty the University of California announced Tuesday it has divested from all fossil fuels, removing them from its $126-billion investment portfolio. With 285,000 students, UC becomes the largest educational system in the nation to shed such assets in favor of renewable energy such as solar and wind power. Details
Added 11/19/19 Huge Divestment by EIB European Investment Bank
Already the biggest financier of extreme fossil fuels on Wall Street, last year CHASE increased it’s fossil fuel investment by over $4 Billion. Wells Fargo, the #2 funder of fossil fuels is the #1 funder of FRACKING
Take your money out of BIG BANKS – especially CHASE and WELLS FARGO
Successful Divest the globe action at Wells Fargo Santa Cruz included leaflets to customers, a giant banner, a sidewalk “die-in” , letters presented to the bank
manager and a great group tableau on the marquee.
Details on international bank investments – Report Card Summary
Link to letter for Wells Fargo manager
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Inspiring Previous events in Seattle
wrap-up videos from the action where we shut down 13 banks simultaneously,
the action where we shut down 2nd Ave outside Chase’s PNW HQ,
the action where we put a 50-foot pipeline through their PNW HQ,
and an action where we dropped a large banner from a Seattle highway.
Bay Area action against Wells Fargo 3/18/19
1/28/19 Interesting short video from a group working with industries to make big changes in emissions and water usage.
Jan 2019 Website for Santa Cruz Public Banking Group.
Oct 2018 New Journal on Green Investing etc.
Oct 2018 A Santa Cruz group is working on local Public Bank – see new website
Aug 2018 Interesting article about the increasing popularity of public banks
Aug 2018 Local finance company specializing in environmentally sound projects In3finance.com
July 2018 Interesting Article on possible public bank in San Francisco
June 2018 Local Flier on Good/Bad Banks Divest
May 2018 – Chase Bank Campaign
Of all the Big Banks CHASE is the WORST
Already the biggest financier of extreme fossil fuels on Wall Street, last year CHASE increased it’s fossil fuel investment by over $4 Billion
Did you know all major banks have investments in oil and pipeline projects? more at http://www.defunddapl.org/
Check below and MOVE your money out. Move it to a responsible local bank. Divest or close accounts at Bank of America ,Wells Fargo, Chase, Citibank, USBANK, Comerica, TD Securities
Open at a good local bank Bay Federal , Lighthouse Bank, Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, Santa Cruz County Bank, Bank of the West
Below photos from our May 7 , 2018 event in Santa Cruz
2017 Oct 23 Masaska Campaign
Great group met at Wells Fargo and later covered Chase and Bank of America. We delivered letters to the managers and passed out lots of flyers to customers with info on moving their money to banks which don’t support the fossil fuel industry,
11/1 great news – The Equator Banks publicly confirmed that they will “start a process of updating the Equator Principles” with a special focus on the “important implications of the Paris Agreement” and “application of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) in different jurisdictions”. read more at http://divestinvest.org
Support Public Banking
Recent studies show Public banks are Safer, less corrupt, more efficient and profitable for local governments and economies, less vulnerable to banking crises
Public Banking News Jan 2018
Both Michigan and New Jersey have submitted bills proposing a state bank. Read about it!
Read “Why I Support Public Banking” by Steve Pleich atwww.pdclub.org/blog:pdclub/article/id/3910196
Articles posted Nov 9
The Public Bank Option – Safer, Local and Half the Cost
Ellen Brown’s opinion re the future of public banking and the election of Phil Murphy in New Jersey (Posted on November 4, 2017 by Ellen Brown)
https://ellenbrown.com/2017/11/04/the-public-bank-option-safer-local-and-half-the-cost/
CA Treasurer Chiang recommends feasibility study on a CA Public Bank to address cannabis banking posted by PUBLIC BANKING INSTITUTE – Nov 07, 2017
Presentation and powerpoint on local movement
Links with more details PublicBankingInstitute.org EllenBrown.com
DIVEST your Savings
Oil stocks are already dropping and may fall drastically in a “Carbon Bubble”. Invest to encourage positive changes, social and/or environmental.
Divestment campaigns helped to bring down South African Apartheid and influenced the Big Tobacco settlement. Now is the time to act to save the climate. Together we can influence the future
Resources
- http://divestinvest.org
- http://fossilfreefunds.org
- https://www.banktrack.org/ – new group overseeing banks
- http://www.firstaffirmative.com/ – advisors specializing in Sustainable options
- In3finance.com Local finance company specializing in environmentally sound projects
-
fixmyfunds.org – new group holding zoom webinars. Gearing to improving Blackrock, Vangard, Fidelity funds
Santa Cruz Climate Action Network 