We’re kicking off 2026 strong, and New York members have already been hard at work building power, leading boldly, and shaping statewide policy. From launching our 2026 Legislative Toolkit to celebrating Governor Hochul’s commitment to fund universal childcare, this quarter is full of wins, collaboration, and momentum. The NYC Progressive Governance Lab continues through March with sessions on Housing, Public Safety & Community, and a Staff Training. Here’s a look at what we’re building together in 2026.
🏛️ 2026 Toolkit & State Priorities
With the 2026 state legislative session underway, we’re excited to share Local Progress New York’s updated 2026 Legislative Toolkit. In partnership with our Organizing Committee, we have established four statewide priorities that local officials will advance together this year:
- Three collective budget asks to secure billions for local governments
- Reforming New York’s recycling system
- AÂ Land Value Tax pilot program
- Statewide universal childcare
These priorities are designed to be practical, winnable, and impactful giving local leaders concrete ways to influence state policy together. Each section includes background, sign-on action steps, and communications ideas to help amplify our shared advocacy.
Some major bills, like New York for All and the New York Health Act, aren’t included here—but you can find them in our Advocacy One-Pager, which we’ll continue updating throughout the session. These priority bills are not included in this toolkit because they are ongoing, active campaigns that we are already advancing.
👶 Universal Childcare Momentum: A Major Step Forward in New York
We’re thrilled that Governor Hochul has moved to fund universal childcare in New York City and expand access statewide, building on the progress of the Universal Childcare Act (A5899/S3415A). This commitment signals a meaningful shift toward a childcare system that works for families, providers, and communities across New York. Local Progress NY members have prioritized this bill in our toolkit along with a number of sign on letters to the state legislature. This is a testament to the power of local leaders and coalition partners coming together to push for policies that strengthen economic security and advance equity in every corner of our state. We’ll continue to build on this momentum throughout 2026.Â
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đź“š NYC PGL 2026 Sessions
On January 27, the NYC Collaborative Governance Lab (CGL), formerly known as Progressive Governance Lab or PGL, hosted a two-hour hybrid Housing Strategy Session bringing together Council Members, staff, and community partners to explore community ownership as a tool for preservation and long-term affordability. We had returning members Lincoln Restler, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Tiffany Cabán, Rita Joseph, and Althea Stevens join the session along with new members Elsie Encarnacion, Shanel Thomas Henry, and Harvey Epstein. The conversation focused on COPA and Community Land Trusts, highlighting how these models strengthen tenant protections, counter bad landlords, and build community power. Participants also identified housing priorities for the year ahead, including preservation, public land for public good, and the need for strong partnerships and acquisition funding to move community ownership forward in NYC.
🍎 NYC Collaborative Governance Lab
The NYC Collaborative Governance Lab will continue convening from January through March 2026, bringing together NYC Council members for focused, peer-driven sessions. Topics will include Housing, Public Safety and Community, and Staff Training, with the goal of strengthening leadership, collaboration, and progressive governance across the Council. Building on last year’s momentum, these sessions will offer practical tools, shared learning, and strategies to drive citywide impact.
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💸 Join Our Partners at Invest in Our NY’s Albany Action
In two weeks, our partners at Invest in Our NY (IONY) will mobilize coalition members alongside mayors and local elected officials for the first major Albany action of the year. We invite LPNY members to join a rally and press conference on Wednesday, February 11, when localities testify about their budget needs, also known as “Tin Cup Day” followed by coordinated lobby visits. Together, we’ll urge state leaders to push back on federal funding cuts and tackle the affordability crisis by taxing the ultra-wealthy and highly profitable corporations to invest in our communities.
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❤️ Albany Caucus Weekend Social
Each year, the New York Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus convenes a weekend in Albany to uplift the caucus’s legislative priorities and connect with elected officials and partners from across the state. On Saturday, February 14, from 5pm-7pm, Local Progress NY will join forces with partners including the New York Working Families Party and Invest in Our NY to host a reception, creating space to build relationships, align on shared goals, and strengthen our collective strategy for the year ahead.
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📍 Save the Date – LPNY Spring Regional Meet-Ups
We’re excited to bring Local Progress members and partners together across New York this spring for a series of regional gatherings focused on connection, strategy, and building power together. Join us in a region near you to meet fellow local leaders, share priorities, and strengthen our collective work.
- Orange County – March
- Dutchess County – AprilÂ
- Ulster County – MayÂ
- Ithaca – JuneÂ
More details and RSVP information coming soon — we hope you’ll join us!
📜 Introduce a Resolution to Demand: ICE OUT!
Congress has until February 13th to reach an agreement on how and whether to fund DHS, including ICE and Border Patrol. As local elected officials, we must use our power and our voices to turn the pressure up and together say: ICE OUT.Â
Local Progress members have been calling on Congress to use the power of the purse to stop ICE. Last week, Local Progress member Teresa Mosqueda (King County, WA) introduced and passed a first-of-its-kind resolution calling for funding restrictions and regulations for DHS. We are following her lead and organizing members like you across the country to pass resolutions of your own. We’ve created sample resolutions for cities, counties, and school boards to give you a head start. Will you join our organized force to protect our communities and stop ICE and DHS from wreaking more havoc?
This funding impasse gives us a chance to restrain their barbaric tactics. The resolution calls on Congress to:
- End enforcement surges in places like Minneapolis;
- Prohibit masks and end racial targeting and targeting of daycares and schools;
- Place strong guardrails on ICE including requiring judicial warrants and allowing localities to investigate misconduct;
- End detention center abuses and restore people’s access to bond hearings; and
- Make deep cuts to the $170 billion dollars given to DHS in last year’s funding legislation.
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➡️ From Campaigns to Governance: A Partner’s Guide to Building Our Base Together
Do you know someone who won last November? With nearly 1,800 members, Local Progress continues to be the best place for values-aligned local elected officials to be in community with one another. As one member shared in our survey last year, “The support and friendship I have built over the years are what keep me going!” With your help, we can identify new members to join the network and have the community you have come to cherish. Check out our partner’s guide.Â
🏡 Your One Stop for Caucuses
Trying to remember when the next Nuestro Caucus General meeting is? Want to join the Black Caucus signal group chat? Or find your caucus playlist? Look no further! Your one stop shop for all things caucus is right here!Â
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📨 Help Us Find the Next Collaborative Governance Academy Director!
With our recent re-launch of the Collaborative Governance (CGA), formerly known as Progressive Governance Academy or PGA, we are looking for a deeply collaborative and strategic leader to evolve and elevate this joint initiative, both as a model for progressive leadership development and as a model for collective impact. The CGA Director will bring their vision and expertise to shaping and formalizing the CGA as an enduring program by setting a renewed strategy with a focus on scaling for impact. Click here to share the posting!
⚡️ National Convening Registration Launching Soon for Members & Alumni Leaders!
Are you ready for this year’s convening? We can’t wait to see you in Baltimore, MD on July 9-11! Over the past year, the community care amongst the incredible Local Progress network in this moment makes crystal clear what we’ve always known – that even in the midst of relentless attacks on immigrants, Black and Brown folks, LGBTQ+ people, workers, youth, and our communities – localities are not only at the forefront but serve as the bedrock of transformative change. It is this movement of local elected officials leading fearlessly to build a world where all of us can be grounded in our joy and freedom that inspires our 2026 theme: Fearless Leadership * Joyful Liberation.Â
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đź“Ł Join the LPNY Organizing Committee
Sign up for the LPNY Organizing Committee to help shape priorities, plan events, and advance policy campaigns. Explore resources, connect with peers across the network, and invite colleagues to join to strengthen Local Progress New York.
Dan Aymar-Blair is a member of the LPNY Organizing Committee and currently serves as the Dutchess County Comptroller. Elected in 2024 and sworn in for his first term in January 2025, Dan acts as the County’s financial watchdog, safeguarding taxpayer dollars while strengthening government efficiency and accountability. Prior to becoming Comptroller, he served on the Beacon City Council from 2020 to 2024. A sixth-generation New Yorker, Dan grew up in Saratoga Springs, where he developed a deep commitment to hard work and public service from his father, a Hudson River tugboat captain, and his mother, a geriatric nurse. He studied political science and government at George Washington University while working two jobs and now lives in Beacon with his wife and their two sons.
Dan first connected with Local Progress after attending an affordable housing event in Wappinger Falls around 2018, where he was inspired by the organization’s practical strategies and peer learning. After being elected in 2019, joining LP was one of his first steps, and he has since valued the relationships and shared learning across the network from collaborating with fellow progressive comptrollers to gaining actionable policy ideas and statewide connections at his first New York convening. He ran for office to bring fiscal responsibility and accountability to Dutchess County after years of reckless spending and wasteful projects. Over the next six months, Dan is focused on closely analyzing major county expenditures, including capital assets and large initiatives, while expanding oversight into new areas. He plans to examine the county’s use of artificial intelligence and review emerging revenue streams, including adult-use cannabis tax dollars, for the first time.Â
Local trivia about Dutchess County:Â Despite living his entire life in Hyde Park, Franklin Delano Roosevelt never carried Dutchess County in any state or federal election.Â