As we move through Spring 2026, Local Progress Michigan members continue to lead in a moment defined by rapid change and urgent questions about how our communities grow, stay safe, and remain in local control. Across the state, members are organizing around data centers, advancing community centered public safety approaches, and building stronger regional coordination rooted in bold, powerful democracy.
🖥️ Data Centers From Lansing to Detroit
LPMI members are leading a coordinated response to the rapid expansion of data center proposals. In Lansing, Councilmember Clara Martinez and Councilmember Ryan Kost helped lead sustained community pushback that resulted in Deep Green withdrawing its proposed downtown data center before a City Council vote, raising concerns about energy demand, limited public benefit, and long term impacts on the city. This moment is now shaping broader action across the state, as more municipalities look to Lansing’s experience as a model for what local leadership can do early in the process.
In April, partners at Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice and Flint Rising hosted the EJ AI Data Center Statewide Summit in Ann Arbor. Focused on building a shared understanding of data centers and the role municipalities can play, the summit emphasized what local governments can do right now to fight back in their communities. Ypsilanti City Councilmember Desirae Simmons moderated the session, grounding participants throughout the day in the systemic causes driving this work. LPMI Organizing Committee member Amber Fellows supported event organizing efforts, alongside three additional Local Progress members in attendance. The convening reinforced the importance of bringing local leaders together in spaces like this to learn from one another, align around shared challenges, and build collective strategies rooted in community care and local power.
👀 Community Safety and ALPRs
The Michigan House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the ALPR bill package on April 22nd, where LP member Saginaw City Councilmember Carly Hammond testified about the real impacts of surveillance technology in her community. She emphasized that these systems function as surveillance tools, not public safety solutions. She was joined by seven Local Progress Michigan members who submitted letters of support, representing communities across the state, from Councilmember Denzel McCampbell in Detroit to Treasurer Tom Lenard in Delhi Township, demonstrating growing concern around unchecked surveillance.
Local Progress members are already leading on this issue. Ypsilanti banned Automated License Plate Readers in 2022. Bay City declined to move forward with a contract in 2026. Ferndale chose not to renew its agreement with Flock Safety. These local policy decisions reflect a growing understanding that once surveillance systems are in place, they are difficult to scale back without strong guardrails.
If you’re seeing ALPRs discussed in your locality, or if you want to understand the issue better, reach out to Izzy or utilize our Helpdesk.
🏠 Michigan Heads West at LP Housing Convening
At the LP Housing Convening in Seattle in March, Michigan showed up strong with 2 members participating in the session “Your Role as an Elected in the Tenant Movement,” led by LPMI Organizing Committee Member Mikal Goodman. Together with Michigan partners Khadija Erickson of the Mid-Michigan Tenant Resource Center and Kyle Richard of Rent is Too Damn High, the session grounded national conversations in real tenant organizing happening back home, highlighting how Michigan leaders are shaping the broader movement.
The session focused on what comes after policy wins, creating space for members to dig into implementation, oversight, and long term accountability to tenants. Participants explored how to partner with organizers, monitor enforcement, and ensure policies deliver real outcomes in their communities. With strong peer exchange and practical strategy building, Michigan members brought their experiences to the national stage and left with deeper connections and tools to continue advancing tenant rights work.
📣 Comms Cohort 2026
That’s a wrap on another comms cohort! In April, we brought 15 LP members to Washington D.C. as the grand finale to our second-ever communications cohort. Since January of this year, this amazing group of members has come together almost every week on Zoom to learn from LP’s comms team how to become better communicators. From learning how to develop better press relationships to best practices for short-form video content, we did a deep dive for our membership on everything they need to know to be successful communicators in 2026. In D.C., we took all the lessons learned virtually and saw real-life professional communicators put them into practice. From visiting with local NPR journalists to meeting communications staffers on the Hill, the threads of our lessons were interwoven into every sit visit and important moment during our time in the nation’s capital.
📍 Tri-Cities Regional Strategy Meeting
Local Progress Michigan is bringing members together for a regional strategy session on Friday, May 29th in Bay City from 12:00 to 5:00 PM.
As attacks on local control continue and communities face growing fights around surveillance, data centers, and election protection, this gathering will create space for members to align, strategize, and build collective power together. We’ll focus on coordinating legislative strategy across municipalities, strengthening local election protection efforts, and sharing approaches to surveillance technology and community centered development.
This is an opportunity to connect with fellow local leaders, exchange ideas, and continue building the bold, powerful democracy our communities deserve.
📣 NEWLY UPDATED: Immigrant Justice Messaging & Narrative Guide
Since taking office, Trump and his billionaire allies have waged war on all of us – militarizing our cities, abducting our neighbors, and stripping us of our freedoms – but no one has been more targeted and scapegoated than our immigrant family members and neighbors. To win the narrative, we all need to document the Trump Administration’s horrific actions, counter their lies and misinformation, AND collectively demand our vision for a better future. Check out our newly updated Immigrant Justice Messaging & Narrative Guide for situational messaging guidance, best practices, tough Q&A, and more!
🛒 How to Start a Municipal Grocery Store: First Steps Local Leaders Can Take
As grocery prices rise, municipal grocery stores may be one solution to stabilizing the cost of putting food on the table. Our new policy bulletin breaks down the grocery affordability crisis and how localities can explore municipal grocery programs with existing and emerging models, as well as practical steps to begin introducing them in your own neighborhoods. Check out (pun intended) our new resource today!
🤝 Join the LPMI Organizing Committee!
We are growing our Michigan Organizing Committee as we continue building a stronger, more connected Local Progress state chapter. In Michigan, our OC is laying the foundation for a Michigan chapter that truly reflects the diversity, priorities, and leadership of our members across the state. Local Progress can only be as strong as its membership, and this committee plays a key role in shaping where our work is headed, setting priorities, and helping guide the growth of our chapter over time. We are actively looking to expand, especially with leaders from Grand Rapids and West Michigan, the Lansing area, and Northern Michigan who are ready to step into leadership and help shape the future of Local Progress Michigan.
If you’re interested, please reach out.
💰 Tax the Rich, Fund Our Communities!
With billionaires and corporations getting richer thanks to the Trump administration’s billionaire tax break and working communities struggling because of its cuts to essential public programs, illegal wars, and chaotic tariffs, it’s more urgent than ever for local leaders to respond by taxing the rich to fund our communities’ needs.
On Monday, May 18, the Local Progress Impact Lab is joining the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy to release Tax the Rich, Fund Our Communities: Local Options For Progressive Revenue. This new policy toolkit surveys progressive local tax options, includes case studies of local successes, and provides advice on policy design and managing common challenges.
Local Progress Impact Lab and ITEP will host a launch call for Tax the Rich, Fund Our Communities: Local Options For Progressive Revenue on Monday, May 18 at 3:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM MT/ 12:00 PM PT. You’ll hear from partners and members who are on the frontlines to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share—including from Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.
🏡 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!
⚡ 2026 National Convening: Fearless Leadership * Joyful Liberation
Registration closes on May 20 for the National Convening this summer in Baltimore! Join us July 9-11 to strategize with a community of values-aligned peers and partners. Our three days together will include welcome and keynote plenaries, welcome orientations for new members, site visits, strategy sessions, receptions, and more! Most importantly, the Convening is a chance to be in and build community with each other. See what Local Progress members had to say about why they enjoy the National Convening, and check your email for your personalized registration link!
✨ Meet LPMI Member, Councilwoman Carly Hammond of Saginaw
Carly Hammond joined Local Progress Michigan shortly after Izzy came on board and as LP began investing more deeply in organizing across Michigan. Already familiar with the broader movement ecosystem through SiX and other local leaders involved in LP, Carly saw an opportunity to build stronger connections between communities fighting for bold local policy solutions.
Over the next six months, Carly is hoping to help draft new regulatory processes around data centers that center community protection and public benefit. One of her favorite moments as an LP member was helping move the SNAP fee waiver policy beyond her own community and seeing other municipalities begin adopting it as well. Carly says she ran for office because she was tired of watching opportunities pass her community by and believed Saginaw deserved stronger representation and leadership rooted in fighting for everyday people.
She also points to Saginaw’s deep organizing history as a source of pride and inspiration. During the civil rights movement, Black activists, white Catholic clergy, and union locals came together to organize for justice in the city, even publishing their own Black power newspaper, the Saginaw Afro Herald.