Welcome to our summer download! Our PA Chapter has been in the mix at the National Convening and hard at work at home, organizing with partners for education funding and progressive state revenue.Â
Next month weâre launching our new resource: Bold Housing Solutions: A Toolkit for PA Municipalities, and weâre hosting a webinar to help you navigate it!
This download includes some highlights, but so much more is happening and possible. Schedule a meeting with me or email me. Iâm looking forward to hearing from you and incorporating your feedback into our statewide plans, while supporting your individual work!Â
⥠PA Delegation to the LP National Convening in BaltimoreÂ
LPPA showed up strong at the National Convening in Baltimore with nearly 50 attendees, including six members speaking on panels on topics ranging from housing to affordability to preemption.Â
Meadville Mayor, Jaime Kinder spoke about tenant organizing, Philly City Councilmember, Rue Landau, shared her experience with the No Secret Police Toolkit and Phillyâs ICE Out legislation and Ariel Zych, Fox Chapel School Board Director presented on organizing for public goods. Jon Irons, Former Lehigh County Commissioner talked about organizing around state preemption, Jamie Gauthier, Philly City Councilmember shared her expertise on land use and fighting bad developers. Nicolas O’Rourke, Philly City Councilmember, shared his Affordable Philly Now campaign.Â
Our members made connections throughout the convening and we all came together for our state social on Friday night. Several members shared how energized they were by the convening and how proud they are of our growing PA Chapter and the expertise and commitment our members bring to our collective work! Read the full recap in our blog here.
đž LPPA told Harrisburg Leadership âTax Billionaires Fund PA!â
As state leaders debated the budget in Harrisburg, PA chapter members and other progressive electeds signed on to a letter in support of three bills that would generate $6 billion in state revenue without burdening working families. The letter was sent to State Senators Kim Ward and Joe Pittman and State Representatives Joanna McClinton and Matt Bradford on June 2. The letter remains open for signers as the push for progressive revenue continues beyond the recent passing of the state budget. While the digital ad tax passed the PA State House on June 9, it wasnât included in the passed budget this year. Many Pennsylvania members also joined our coalition partners, Tax Billionaires Fund PA, for a rally on June 1 at the Capitol.Â
đ LPPA members Visit Harrisburg to Demand Education FundingÂ
On May 6, six LPPA school board members met with State Representatives and State Senators to discuss Education funding as PA negotiates its state budget. PA Schools are unconstitutionally underfunded, and advocates called on Harrisburg leaders to add increased education funding to this yearâs state budget. Members joined a rally on the capitol steps with Education advocates, including PA Schools Work, Make the Road PA, and 412 Justice.Â
𫶠Our First Regional Meetup in Harrisburg!
On May 6, we held our first Harrisburg Regional meetup cohosted by New Cumberland PA Council member Drew Lawrence, Fox Chapel School Board member Ariel Zych, and Wilkinsburg School Board member Amanda Barber. Drew shared about how important the Local Progress network has been to him as one of the few progressives on his borough council. Amanda and Ariel presented a teach-in on how property tax reassessments can affect public school funding, complete with district reports for each member attending. Arielle Klagsbrun from Tax Billionaires Fund PA shared about their LPPA-endorsed campaign, which would generate $6 billion in state revenue to fill gaps created by the federal budget. The event was the first in-person LP event for six of the attending members, who were appreciative of the LPPA network and the leadership of their peers!Â
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đ School Board Members Dug into Constituent Communications
On May 20, eight LPPA School Board members met and discussed communication with constituents and funding options in our Q2 networking event. Funding issues included Act 511 revenue and the ability for School Districts to either levy that tax or partner with their municipality and split the revenue. Members also talked about cyclical property tax reassessments. Other funding options included supporting the Tax Billionaires Fund PA bills, which would bring $6 billion in state revenue. The main discussion of the evening was communication with constituents. Members shared their experiences with the âOne Voiceâ policy, which often prevents them from speaking directly to residents in their districts about School Board issues. Amy Sarno shared her Facebook page, which provides transparent communication to residents of the district within legal boundaries.
đ€ Meadville/Erie August MeetupÂ
Join us for our first LPPA Northwest Meetup! We will be gathering with LPPA members, other progressive local elected officials in the region, and partner organizations. Meadville has been an inspiration for our Chapter members in so many ways – from setting up their municipal EMS services to investing in a community land trust. Weâre excited to visit and experience their local efforts firsthand!
This event will be hosted by Meadville Mayor Jaime Kinder and Erie City Council President Tyler Titus. Theyâll share their experiences with collaborative governance in their jurisdictions. RSVP to join us on August 20 from 6-8pm!
đ Bold Housing Solutions: A Toolkit for PA Municipalities
Weâre so excited to invite you to a webinar and resource release for our PA Housing Toolkit!
This toolkit has been shaped by LPPA member requests for support with local housing solutions over the past year and a half. It includes an overview of municipal powers, tenant rights, and state-level preemption. We highlight nine housing policies in briefs that include case studies and legal authority. Every section of the guide is marked by a key so you can tell if the policy is possible in your type of municipality.Â
Toolkit co-authors Local Progress Housing Program Manager, Mia Loseff, and Regional Housing Legal Services Staff Attorney Bob Damewood will provide an overview of the toolkit and answer questions during a Q&A. Weâll also highlight resources for housing narrative and talk about partnering with movement organizations to help win housing policy in your municipality!
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đłïž Election Protection Webinar Series
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.
đ 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 Womenâs 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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đ» 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 â 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 youâre getting ahead of proposed data centers, updating existing laws, or mitigating the impacts of harmful data centers in your community, youâll 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 Contact our LPPA Organizing Committee!
Our PA Chapter is led by six members from across the state who adopted our initial Statement of Values and meet monthly to discuss our state organizing and meet with our partners to learn about their campaigns. Do you have ideas about our Chapter or questions about how to get more involved? Contact our LPPA Organizing Committee by emailing them.
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â¶ïž 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, weâve also developed this guide to support connecting the pipeline from campaign to governance!
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đĄ 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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â 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.
âš Meet Pittsburgh Councilmember Deb Gross!
Councilmember Gross ran for office because she saw that Pittsburgh, like many U.S. cities, faces significant pressure from privatization. Large corporations and private equity firms continue to purchase municipal assets, land, and housing, while small neighborhood businesses struggle with rising rents and operational costs. Throughout her two terms on council, sheâs worked to safeguard public resources, including opposing the sale or lease of the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, the sale of city facilities to private developers, and the privatization of operations to entities without public accountability.Â
Local Progress was instrumental in supporting her work on the cityâs response to homelessness. Over nearly three years, she developed zoning amendments that allow service providers to build and convert structures for transitional housing while requiring wrapâaround services that support Pittsburghâs most vulnerable residents.
In the coming months, sheâs focusing on strengthening oversight of surveillance technologies used by the City of Pittsburgh. Earlier this year, she sponsored a resolution directing the Department of Innovation & Performance to audit all technologies used across city departments. She has also introduced a twoâbill package aimed at better regulating investorâowned shortâterm rentals. In addition, sheâs continuing to advance policies that support cooperative models in Pittsburgh. Her current work focuses on supporting emerging cooperatives and ensuring they have pathways to grow within our neighborhood business districts.
Fun fact about Pittsburgh: it covers just 55 square miles, yet it includes 90 unique neighborhoods!Â