Welcome to our May State Download!Â
My name is Kelly Morton and Iâm the new Pennsylvania Coordinator! Iâm looking forward to working with you all to anchor our Local Progress initiatives in Pennsylvania and support our members and partners as we drive a progressive agenda across the state.
Before my role at Local Progress, I spent seven years working in municipal level grassroots base building and electoral politics as lead organizer of Reclaim Philadelphia. I trained hundreds of volunteers and served as field director during key election campaigns for progressive candidates, including many Local Progress members! I also supported over 200 grassroots leaders in running for Democratic Committee person in 2018, resulting in several neighborhood level endorsements for progressive candidates.Â
Iâve been enriched and motivated by participating in so many coalitional campaigns with movement partners including fights for public safety, public school funding, housing justice and yearly campaigns for a true peopleâs budget for Philadelphia.Â
In the past few weeks Iâve been impressed, inspired and motivated by all of the campaigns and policies that LPPA members are working on. This newsletter includes some highlights but there are so many more. Schedule a meeting with me or email me at kmorton@localprogress.org and letâs figure out how we can work together to move your plans forward!Â
đ Around The StateÂ
Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija and his co-commissioner announced via an Op-Ed this week that they will not enter into any agreements with ICE under the federal 287(g) program. âWhen traffic stops become de facto immigration checks, we create a subset of residents forced to live further in the shadows. This doesnât enhance public safety â it compromises it.âÂ
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato recently launched a first time home buyer program for Allegheny County municipalities. This program is part of a robust plan called All in for Allegheny that details 91 actions to address the needs of County residents. Another program already in progress is 500 in 500, which aims to create 500 new affordable housing units to help homeless people or those at risk of homelessness. In February they were already halfway to their goal!
Local Progress Board member and Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks celebrated a huge victory for Philly workers with the passage of the Power Act! In 2019, the Philadelphia City Council passed an ordinance that prohibits employers from discrimination in hiring practices, requires written contracts with job duties and an hourly wage and requires meal and rest breaks, as well as sick time and paid leave. The goal with the new regulations is to make sure workers are ‘free from retaliation and employers are being held accountable,’ Brooks added. This bill provides more protections for workers that are being attacked every day by the federal administration. Read about the Power Act in Kendraâs own words in this recent Op-Ed in the Nation.Â
âď¸ Around The Region
Newark Mayor and Local Progress member Ras Baraka was recently arrested while attempting to inspect the Delaney Hall Detention Center â a facility recently reopened under federal oversight. After being denied access for over a week, Mayor Baraka was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. His arrest marks a disturbing escalation in a broader pattern of intimidation targeting local elected officials who stand up for their communities. While his charges have been dropped, the Department of Justice has announced criminal charges against Congressmember LaMonica McIver, who also visited the facility the same day. In response, Local Progress has launched a rapid response effort, mobilizing our member network to call for all charges against Congressmember McIver to be dropped and to demand an end to these authoritarian tactics. Our members are rising in solidarity to defend local democracy, reject political intimidation, and continue fighting for transparency, accountability, and the safety of all our communities. Sign on to the letter using the link here.Â
Meet Meadville Mayor Jaime Kinder
Jaime Kinder was elected Mayor of Meadville in 2021 and has become a trailblazer for the city and progressive local politics since then! Mayor Kinder is a mother of three and lifelong resident of Meadville along with her mother, grandparents, and great grandparents. Jaime attended Edinboro University as an adult student and studied sociology and African American history. As Mayor, Jaime strives to be an advocate for people of all stripes, not just the privileged few. Meadvilleâs Common Roots Project was recently awarded $81,750 from the Shapiro administration to renovate houses and sell them to low-income buyers.
The city has also received over $560,000 through the Commonwealthâs Main Street Matters program. Jaimeâs energetic leadership and vision have inspired Local Progress members and staff across the country! She serves as co-chair of the Black Caucus and joined us earlier this year at the PA State Strategy meeting. In May she attended the Leadership Collaborative in Milwaukee. Sheâll be sharing her experience in bringing revenue into rural communities at our National Convening in July.
đ Share Your Story: How is the Trump Administration Impacting your Community?
Local Progress is rolling out a new tool to measure how the Trump Administration is impacting our communities. Our new storybank form is collecting on-the-ground accounts from local officials across the country to accurately map the impact of the federal government’s actions on local communities. These stories will help our network illustrate how federal policy actions are shaping people’s day to day lives and strategize how to fight back against the Trump administration’s divisive agenda, as well as assist our press work in telling the story of our collective resistance. Weâre interested in everything from how teachers may have been shut out from Head Start programs to proactive actions your legislative body has taken to affirm the rights of immigrants in your community. Check out the form here and donât hesitate to reach out with questions!
𧰠Tools to Interrupt Criminalization
The federal administration has escalated its use of criminalization to target immigrant communities and suppress dissent. In the past few weeks alone, over 300 student visas have been revoked on political grounds, and more than 200 immigrantsâlike Maryland father Abrego Garciaâhave been deported to a notorious torture facility in El Salvador in defiance of court orders. These acts are part of a broader strategy: using criminalization to silence opposition and enforce policies that consolidate right-wing power. Local governments have the abilityâand responsibilityâto push back.
Hereâs how we can act:
- Anchor our messaging. Use LPâs updated guidesâProtecting Immigrant Rights Under a Hostile Federal Administration and Letâs Talk Real Safetyâto align around a strong, consistent narrative. New content includes Best Practices for messaging on immigration and guidance on Responding to a Raid in your Community; and Addressing Public Suffering and Ending Harm and Surveillance, emphasizing the urgent need to move away from carceral solutions and toward real investments that address the root causes of harm.
- Interrupt policies that criminalize residents. Reach out to Interrupting Criminalizationâs Help Desk for 1:1 assistance with any organizing, policy, budget, or litigation strategies.
- Strengthen community defense. Invite a local partner organization to sign up for National Immigration Projectâs âRemoval Defense for Community Defendersâ training from May 15 through July 17.
đ Calls to Action for Public Education
The federal government is poised to pass a billionaire-backed national voucher program that would defund our public schools and harm our students. Itâs key that federal officials hear from folks on the ground about the harmful impact this defunding mechanism would have on students and the public education system. This toolkit from our friends at the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools and NYU Metro Center will help you join the ranks of fellow LP members reaching out to their representatives in Washington â itâs powerful for elected officials in D.C. to hear from local electeds!Â
Do you want to pass a resolution in your district about protecting public education? Do you want to connect with organizers who could work with you to advocate for this? Fill out this form and weâll be in touch to support with a draft resolution and an organizing toolkit from our partners at Public School Strong.
Our partners at Popular Democracy are convening Hands Off Our Schools organizing calls â the next two are May 14 and June 11. Want to sign up? More here.
đ How to Protect Communities Before and After Climate Disasters
Local elected officials need to know how to protect the communities they serve in the lead up to and before a climate disaster. Hurricanes, wildfires, and floods not only destroy peopleâs physical and emotional well-being but also can cause families to get to the brink of financial crisis. Working with community disaster recovery organizers, insurance consumer protection advocates, disaster response attorneys, and housing counselors, the Equitable and Just Insurance Initiative released a report that details how state and local governments can protect peopleâs financial well-being before and after climate disasters. The report details policy recommendations state and local governments can implement from protecting renters and homeowners to helping people avoid scams and holding fossil fuel companies accountable. Read the report here!
đĄApply by June 9: Advance Tenant Screening Protections
Every year, approximately 3.6 million individuals facing eviction assume an additional concern for their future: the challenge of finding a new home with an eviction on their record.
Results for America, in partnership with PolicyLink, National Housing Law Project, National Consumer Law Center, TechEquity and Upturn, invites place-based teams to apply for an 8-week Solutions Sprint, Unlocked: Opening the Door to Housing Access Through Tenant Screening Protections. This free learning series will provide teams with the knowledge, tools and strategies needed to design and implement policies that prevent the harms of eviction records and tenant screening practicesâand expand access to affordable housing.
đĄ Stay Connected to our Caucuses
Your one stop shop for caucus resources! Trying to remember when that next Womenâs Caucus meeting is? Looking for the link to complete your Pride Caucus Survey? Want to join a caucus signal chat? Look no further! This link will continuously be updated with all upcoming Caucus events and asks so that you can constantly refer to it and make sure youâre up to date on when your next caucus meetings are.
Also, Local Progress is seeking a Healing Justice Consultant (or a team of consultants) to curate and facilitate healing spaces for our members in-person and remote spaces. The consultant will work in collaboration with LP staff and LP members to design and lead grounding and healing experiences rooted in trauma-informed practice, with an emphasis on multiple modalities, such as but not limited to, journaling, somatics, breathwork, verbal processing, sound, and movement. Please share with your network.
âĄď¸ď¸ 2025 National Convening
We have less than 10 days until registration closes for our 2025 National Convening and we are almost at capacity! In July, we will gather local elected officials, movement partners, and donors who believe in the strength of bringing together people from different backgrounds and communities to build a country â city by city, county by county â where each of us can thrive. Join us in Chicago on July 10-12 to strategize toward this vision with a community of values-aligned peers and partners! Check your email for your invite and register by our May 21 deadline!
We have a packed summer and fall ahead with opportunities to engage in equitable transit and land use planning; continue the fight for increasing minimum wages and protecting tipped workers; and Local Progressâ National Convening in July!
If youâre interested in deepening your involvement to fight for racial and economic justice and wield local power to fight back against preemption at the state and federal level involved, you can schedule a time with me HERE!
We are always excited to bring new members into our work; your colleagues in local leadership positions can learn more about Local Progress and join HERE, partners can sign up too!
