Welcome back to the LPNY State Download—our quarterly newsletter! Here’s a snapshot of what Local Progress New York has been working on over the past few months, along with key updates from across the state.
Over the past few months, Local Progress New York members have been hard at work advancing justice across the state. The New York for All Act is still in committee, aiming to expand protections and opportunities for immigrant communities. At the same time, efforts to protect our neighbors from illegal detention are underway, reflecting our unwavering commitment to upholding justice and dignity for all. These actions demonstrate a continued dedication to advancing racial, economic, and gender justice throughout diverse communities—from New York City’s neighborhoods to towns upstate.
In this edition of our LP New York State Download, you’ll read about our members’ recent wins, highlights from our National Convening, and what’s ahead for our work in New York.
💪 New York Strong at the National Convening
New York showed up and showed out at our 2025 National Convening! With 27 members in attendance, our state’s presence was felt in every corner of the event. From NYC to Cortland County, the Finger Lakes to the Binghamton School District, jurisdictions across the state were proudly represented. Leaders like Tiffany Cabán (New York City Council), Jennifer Mecozzi (Buffalo School District), and Michele Hirsch (Kingston Alderwoman) shared powerful stories of working alongside community to drive meaningful, local change.
A standout moment from the convening was Brad Lander’s moving plenary speech, which offered both new and longtime LP members a powerful walk through our history — and a reminder that this work is, at its core, a team sport. Brad honored Ady Barkan, giving him his flowers and recognizing his courage and unwavering dedication to building Local Progress into the network it is today. Read the full recap in our blog here!
The future of Local Progress New York is brighter than ever — and we’re just getting started.
🦬 Buffalo Meet up
On Friday, May 30, LPNY hosted a gathering at Taphouse in Buffalo, bringing together 10 participants for an evening of connection, learning, and solidarity. Members and partners committed to staying connected and following up on the pressing issues raised during the conversation. While Buffalo is experiencing real divisions, attendees were united in their understanding of the core challenges the community faces. The event was anchored by LPNY Co-Chair Jenn Mecozzi, who helped bring local grassroots leaders into the space. We heard from powerful community organizations — including the Tenant Union Federation, Buffalo Center for Health Equity, and Fruitbelt United — who shared valuable insights into the intersectional work happening across Buffalo neighborhoods.
🧑🧑🧒🧒 Supporting Our Members While They Stand With Immigrant New Yorkers
On June 17, LP founder and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested by ICE agents at the immigration courthouse at 26 Federal Plaza. He was there attending immigration hearings and helping escort people safely out of court to prevent their arrest by ICE. In response to his arrest, over a dozen members of the New York City Council, including Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Alexa Avilés, as well as partner organizations, rallied in support of his release. The Local Progress network sent an email urging New York members to protect immigrant communities and pass the NY4ALL Act. After being held for several hours, Lander was freed, stating, “I believe it is important to show up, bear witness, and accompany people.” The LP network responded with an outpouring of support and solidarity, urging members to take action in their communities to defend our immigrant neighbors from unjust arrests.
Are You A New York City Council Member?
We’re launching the next iteration of the NYC Progressive Governance Lab (PGL) in September!
Building on the 2021 NYC Progressive Leadership Lab (PLL)—which trained 35 newly elected council members—this next phase will scale and deepen our support for NYC’s local elected officials. The NYC PGL is a professional development program designed to provide tailored training and support to help New York City Council Members govern effectively and advance a bold, collective vision through collaborative governance.
From September to March, we’ll host monthly training sessions, closing with a celebration.This program is exclusive to NYC Council Members and free for all participants.
Please also join us on Thursday, September 4 at 5:00 PM as we kick off this important initiative with a reception. This event will bring together local leaders, partners, and funders to celebrate the launch and share the vision behind the PGL.
Want to get involved with our chapter? Let’s talk! Local Progress members have access to a slew of policy and strategic resources, but sometimes it can be hard to know where to start, so let’s connect about it. I am based in NYC and I would love to meet with you online or wherever you are. Schedule a meeting with me!
📝 Member Survey
Our Member Survey is now live! At the National Convening, over 150 members shared their thoughts about Local Progress, and we want yours too! The results will help inform our future work and priorities. As a thank you for taking the time to complete the survey we’re offering a $25 virtual Visa gift card or donation to the charity of your choice.
🧰 Tools to Interrupt Criminalization
As local elected leaders continue to stand with and fight for the protection of their immigrant communities, we want to ensure that you have the resources you need. Use LP’s updated guides–Protecting Immigrant Rights Under a Hostile Federal Administration and Let’s Talk Real Safety–to 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.
📣 What the Billionaire Tax Scam Means For Our Communities
The Trump Administration and its Congressional allies just took away life-saving healthcare and food assistance from millions of Americans. All to give themselves – and their billionaire donors – massive tax cuts. In this dire moment, local leaders will be the first line of defense to support our communities against a hostile federal government. Learn more about this billionaire tax scam, its impacts, and check out our messaging toolkit to find out how you can fight back.
🛑How Local Leaders Can Protect Communities from AI and the Tech Oligarchy
This past May, OpenAI and Microsoft lobbyists called for a shutdown on AI regulation. And recently, Congress passed a tax bill with a provision that would restrict states from regulating AI for 10 years (though it faces a steep challenge in the Senate). Our recently released report details how local elected officials and local communities should approach governance as the tech oligarchy’s influence grows in the era of AI. You can also rewatch the webinar we held this past May with AI Now Institute, New York City Councilmember Jennifer Gutiérrez, and report author, former San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen where we discussed this topic and more.
LPNY Organizing Committee Co-Chair and Kingston Alderwoman Michele Hirsch is now serving her second term representing Ward 9 on the Kingston Common Council, a role she’s held since 2020. A single mother of a child with a disability, Michele stepped into public office after seeing how often the voices of the most marginalized, especially on housing issues, were missing from decision-making tables. Her perspective is deeply informed by her work as a NYS Office of Mental Health Family Peer Advocate, where she supported families navigating housing insecurity.
A fierce tenant advocate, Michele has championed and passed transformative housing policies in Kingston, including bans on non–owner-occupied short-term rentals, Good Cause Eviction, and the Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 2019. She is currently leading the charge for truly affordable inclusionary zoning as part of Kingston’s rezoning process, which includes eliminating single-family zoning.
Michele is committed to ensuring the Emergency Tenant Protection Act is upheld during the upcoming Housing Vacancy Study, and to continuing her fight for housing justice for all.
🏡 Stay Connected to our Caucuses!
Join us for the November All Caucus Meeting – Wednesday, November 12th! We will bring together the general membership of each caucus to build community and share space across identities. This gathering will be an opportunity to learn from one another, deepen cross-caucus relationships, and strengthen our individual caucuses through the sharing of our collective brilliance. 👉 Register Here.
👩💻 Steering Committee
The LP School Board work is shaped by a Steering Committee made up of school board members from across the country. This group meets on zoom for about an hour every month (typically Friday afternoons) and helps set the agenda for our school board work across the network. We have a strong group but need help from more school board members across the network to add capacity to this important body! Are you interested in learning more? Fill out the form here.
