What if banking our own money on the West Coast could help us fund housing, infrastructure, and small business growth? And what if it bought us greater financial freedom from Wall Street and Washington, D.C.? 

In this episode of Pacific Time, host Greg Amrofell talks with Marco Rossi, a public banking advocate and legislative strategist with Washingtonians for Public Banking. Together, they explore how state- and city-owned public banks could equip us to address our own challenges and insulate us from the financial shenanigans of Mega Banks and mis-guided politicians.

Rossi explains how the Washington Public Bank bill could anchor a new model of regional resilience—one where public finance serves the public good. He connects the dots between financial sovereignty, local democracy, and the broader movement to establish public banking systems across the U.S.

From North Dakota’s century-old state bank, to the link between China’s public banking system and breakneck development, the conversation shows how public control of capital could stabilize local economies, strengthen autonomy, and prepare the West Coast for shocks—economic, political, and environmental. Laws are already on the books in California and Washington. Now’s the time for a concerted push by elected officials, business leaders, and concerned citizens, for whom federal cuts and government shutdowns illustrate the fragility of our national financial system.

Highlights

• Why public banking is the missing pillar of West Coast resilience
• How Washington’s proposed public bank could redirect billions in taxpayer funds into local housing, energy, and infrastructure
• What the Bank of North Dakota and European public banks can teach us
• How state financial sovereignty strengthens political autonomy
• Why local investment builds stability—and what happens when it’s outsourced to Wall Street
• How public banks can partner with community credit unions, tribes, and cities to fund shared priorities

Guest Bio

Marco Rosaire Rossi is a strategist and community organizer with Washingtonians for Public Banking, working to create Washington State’s first public bank. His advocacy focuses on how public financial institutions can advance economic democracy, fund sustainability projects, and protect communities from volatile private capital cycles.

Marco also collaborates with national efforts through the Public Banking Institute, the Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank, and the American Monetary Institute, helping connect state and federal reform movements toward a more accountable financial system.

Related Resources

• Washingtonians for Public Banking - Website, Substack, Instagram, BlueSky, YouTube
• Public Banking Institute
• Coalition for a National Infrastructure Bank —
• Z Magazine: Florida’s Conservative CFO Proposes a State-Owned Public Bank
• Ellen Brown: Web of Debt Substack; The Public Bank Solution on Amazon
• Bank of North Dakota

Related Episodes

• 34 What If Tiny Homes Are a Big Part of Our Housing Solution? With Zack Giffin
• 31 Could A West Coast Carbon Market Build Us An Even Bigger Economy? With Reuven Carlyle
• 23 Refresh the American Brand, West Coast First? With Michael Megalli
• 07 A West Coast Wake-up Call as the US Scrambles the World Order? With John Zysman

A spicy question: Why wouldn’t West Coast state governments, local governments, and area businesses choose their local public bank? (I’m struggling to find reasons other than inertia and trust purchased via advertising)

Join the conversation: Pacific Time is making good trouble asking questions about the future of the West Coast on Substack; YouTube; BlueSky, Instagram, and Facebook. Like, subscribe, share and, most importantly, share your comment on the spicy question above. 

Listen: Pacific Time Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcast, Podbean, and many other platforms. Follow, share, and leave a review.

Thank you to:

• Guest: Marco Rosaire Rossi
• Intro: Ellen Brown (via Nomi Prins)
• Producers: Tim Wohlberg, Valerie McTavish
• Family & friends: For nodding and smiling as I enthuse (again?!) about liberating policy innovation