I am still buzzing from my first Local Progress convening, and have spent these hot summer days dreaming about what we can build together. We know that progress is not only possible, but inevitable in Colorado and that our people are ready for fearless leadership. June showed us that the time for political bravery is now. As we watch our water be promised to data centers while fires burn across the state, we know there is not a moment to spare. The joy, power, and solutions that we will build together are crucial to our shared liberation. Read on to see what your co-conspirators are up to, and how you can get involved in shaping our strategy in the coming years.Â
🧊 Lakewood Passes Resolution Reigning in ICEÂ
Lakewood member Isabel Cruz was instrumental in passing a resolution and an amendment in her city that codifies its commitment to protecting residents from ICE. The resolution mandates training for city employees on the First Amendment and Colorado’s immigrant privacy laws, and also creates an oversight committee with reporting requirements for Lakewood law enforcement, which is expected to solicit feedback from immigrant rights groups and incorporate it into police department policy as much as possible. Isabel also ran an amendment to prevent the use of city property for staging, processing, or as an operations base for ICE. The resolution passed unanimously.Â
⚖️ Denver Fights Back Against the Criminalization of Poverty, Passes New Municipal Sentencing Standards
Denver City Council, led by LPCO champions Sarah Parady, Serena Gonzales-Guitierrez, and Shontel Lewis, brought a bill across the finish line that reduces municipal sentencing standards to align with the state. Since a state overhaul in 2021, municipalities across Colorado have been sentencing people convicted of low-level crimes to up to 30 times longer than the state does for the exact same charge. These members worked for over three years to ensure that their residents have equal protection under the law in their city. LPCO will continue to educate and support members across the state as they adjust their sentencing schemes in response to the CO Supreme Court’s ruling following this momentous win. If you are working on this in your state, sign up here to join one of our information sessions with the Colorado Freedom Fund!Â
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đź’Ş Legislative Session Wrap Up
Despite a lame-duck session, LPCO worked to build power toward long-term wins and help partners move what was possible in the last session of an executive bent on obstructing progress. Reflecting our continued commitment to workers, LPCO joined the Colorado Rideshare Coalition led by Towards Justice, CWA Local 7777, and Colorado Independent Drivers United and supported a bill that passed the House in 2026 on driver rates. With rural LPCO members, we worked to fight rollbacks of overtime protections for farmworkers, ensuring legislators heard directly from those most affected. We also continued to deepen our partnerships by advocating at the Capitol for a package of immigrant-protection bills, including House Bill 1275 (killed in committee); House Bill 1276 (passed the legislature and was signed by the Governor); and Senate Bill 5 (passed the legislature and was vetoed by the Governor).Â
In 2026, we continue to work closely with LP partners in several cities to pass pro-tenant policies, including rental registries, the right to confer, and rent escrow. LP partners, including UNE and COHFA, are working in strategic regions to build a larger base of tenants and local elected officials to commit to undoing the ban when the executive branch turns over. We continue building membership in rural Colorado to develop trans-local solutions to housing issues that many communities on the Western Slope are facing.Â
🎉 LPCO at the National Convening!
Colorado had nearly 20 members and partners attend our 2026 National Convening: Fearless Leadership * Joyful Liberation in Baltimore last month! Our membership has been growing every month, and more than half of our attendees were brand new members serving on school boards, county commissions, and city councils from all over the state, from Centennial to Summit County. They came to learn, connect, and share their knowledge in order to build collective power in Colorado and across our national network. We had several LPCO members as panelists on sessions including Organizing for Public Goods, Resisting Authoritarianism and Protecting Civil Rights, and Navigating Administrative Roadblocks to Use Robert’s Rules for Good. We are so excited to share the learning that happened with all of you, and use it to continue building our collective power. Read the full recap in our blog here.
🤝 Western Slope Meet & Greet!
Western Slope members, come join me and our incredible Organizing Committee, including our Western Slope leaders, on September 2 to laugh, drink, and talk about what is possible when we come together to build trans-local power. We have been growing our Western Slope membership this year and are excited to come together in person to connect.
🗳️ Election Protection Webinar SeriesÂ
Throughout the summer, Local Progress Impact Lab will be launching a series of webinars to prepare the network to protect the 2026 midterms and ensure free and democratic elections in the face of authoritarian threats. Each call will feature guidance from expert partners on key election protection strategies and space for individualized technical assistance. Our first webinar is on Wednesday, August 12, 12pm ET/9am PT.
đź“„ You Deserve to Feel Safe While Serving, Develop Your Personal Safety Plan Today!
Over the past two years, Local Progress Impact Lab (the Impact Lab) has been collaborating with Women’s Democracy Lab (WDL) to develop a set of resources for our Local Progress members. As local leaders, your communities are calling on you to take bold action and fearless leadership in this time of increasing authoritarianism. However, wielding your power can also put a target on your back. You and your loved ones deserve to feel safe while serving in elected office!Â
WDL has developed this personal safety plan, serving as a starting point for assessing your safety preparedness, identifying any potential gaps, and outlining your personal action plans. Download it, work your plan, consult your loved ones. We keep each other safe!
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đź’» No Buildout for Billionaires: A Local Guide to Stopping, Slowing, and Restricting Data Expansion
Big Tech is spending billions in its race to build data centers across the country – and local communities are paying the price. From strained water and energy resources to spiked utility bills and drained public budgets, the costs fall on working people while corporations pocket the profits.Â
But local governments have real power to fight back. Whether you’re getting ahead of proposed data centers, updating existing laws, or mitigating the impacts of harmful data centers in your community, you’ll leave with tools to strengthen public participation, build community power, and ensure decisions about land, water, air, and technology benefit people, not corporations. Check out our guide to stopping, slowing, and restricting data center expansion.
đź’— Grow Our Impact
We are activating a bold, action-oriented chapter in Colorado, and we need your energy, ideas, and leadership! Here’s how you can get involved:
- Recruit a new member today! Do you know a values-aligned local elected official? Whether they are newly elected or seasoned professionals, we want to hear from them!
- Email me with any questions or ideas you have to make it stronger, or schedule a meeting!
Together, we’ll learn from one another, celebrate victories, and support each other through the tough moments. We’ll strengthen connections, share ideas, and create a space where everyone’s voice matters. I’m excited for the journey ahead and grateful to be working alongside such passionate, committed people.
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▶️ Pay It Forward! Recruit a New Member Today!
With more than 550 members and partners from 41 states, including Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, the 2026 national convening in Baltimore is now in the record books as our largest gathering to date! During the convening, we learned new strategies, shared new resources, and strengthened our bonds and community. As many of you have shared, this network is your political home, where you find the strength and courage to be bold and brave, particularly in this moment! Now, we are asking you to pay it forward! Recruit a member today by sharing the join us form. For movement and labor partners, we’ve also developed this guide to support connecting the pipeline from campaign to governance!
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🏡 Your One Stop for Caucuses
Trying to remember when the next Pride 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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âť“ Need Support? Contact the Help Desk
Have a policy, strategy, or communications question? The Local Progress Impact Lab Help Desk is here to help. Through the Help Desk, members can access policy research, strategic guidance, communications support, connections to fellow Local Progress members, and expertise from trusted partner organizations. Simply email your question and timeline, and an Impact Lab team member will follow up with resources, recommendations, and next steps tailored to your needs.
✨ Meet Jasmin Ramirez, LPCO Organizing Committee Co-Chair
Jasmin Ramirez ran for office because, as a bilingual, first-generation daughter of immigrants and a mother of a special-needs kiddo, she realized there was a gap in representation at the school board level after she experienced an issue with her own child and had to advocate. The Roaring Fork Valley School District is 60% Latino, but she is the only Latina member across all four valley school districts. She has been a dedicated leader in Local Progress since she was recruited to attend the National Convening in Denver in 2022, serving on our school board steering committee, the committee that founded our Nuestro Caucus, and now as co-chair of the LPCO organizing committee.Â
In the next six months, Jasmin is working to codify the work she has accomplished during her tenure, build new leaders to carry the torch, and ensure that every student can use their ID as a library card to ensure equal access to education. She also wants to continue working on interjurisdictional collaboration to ensure that electeds across governing bodies are working together to build power and serve their communities.Â
When asked about her favorite LP moment, she said, “I have had many favorite moments, but particularly when we had the immigration convening in Colorado… The beauty of having something specific on immigration provided a community space that many of us don’t have on the regular. It was a cup-filling moment because when it is close to home, it doesn’t feel that far out of reach, and when I am with people who I know are changing the fabric of the state of Colorado, it gives me hope.”
🏫 Fun fact about Roaring Fork Valley School District: We have the largest natural hot springs in the entire country, and the infamous western outlaw Doc Holiday is buried here. Our school district has been on the front lines of creating policies and solutions to problems like workforce housing and protecting students on our campuses from ICE, but there is still a 43% achievement gap between white and Latino students that remains unsolved after 40 years. We have miles to go.Â