October 5, 2026

📬 LP Network Download | Building power through collaboration | September 2026

Here’s a look at some of what’s happening across the Local Progress network.

Local Leaders are Ditching their Automated License Plate Reader Contracts

Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) have become one of the most pervasive surveillance tools used by federal immigration enforcement agencies and local police to share data, stalk, and detain the most vulnerable members of our communities including immigrants and Black and brown communities. By using their local power to cancel ALPR contracts, jurisdictions across the country are showing they can protect residents’ safety and privacy. Austin City Councilmember Mike Siegel and Pflugerville City Councilmember Rudy Metayer spoke with KUT News on the growing movement across Texas. After Pflugerville decided to terminate its contract this month, heeding the calls of community members raising concerns about access to data by external agencies, over a dozen more cancellations in the Central Texas region and beyond, like in the Greater Houston Area and El Paso, have followed in a domino effect. LPTX members Councilmembers Amanda Rodriguez and Alyssa Garza in San Marcos have been leading the way since 2025, when the first wave of ALPR cancellations hit Austin, San Marcos, and Hays County.

Meet the New Director of the Collaborative Governance Academy!

We are pleased to share that Carlos Menchaca has joined re:power Fund and Local Progress Impact Lab as Director of the Collaborative Governance Academy (CGA).

Since its founding in 2019, CGA has trained more than 2,700 elected officials, staff, and movement leaders across 46 states in the practice of collaborative governance. Carlos knows that pressure firsthand: He is the first Mexican-American elected to office in New York City and Brooklyn’s first openly gay legislator. “Power isn’t scarce, it’s renewable,” shared Carlos. “Once you understand that, co-governance stops being a threat to your authority and starts being the way you build something bigger together than either side could build alone.”

This is the beginning of CGA’s next chapter, and we hope you’ll be part of shaping it. Welcome to the team, Carlos!

📢 Op-Ed: The Next 250 Years Won’t be Built in Washington

As part of the “Case for Co-Governance” series with Race Forward and Partners for Dignity, Local Progress member and co-chair of the Black Caucus, Council Member-at-Large in Nashville, TN, Delishia Porterfield published an op-ed on co-governance’s role in the future of our country and how local elected officials can ignite change not just at home, but nationwide. Co-governance continues to prove itself as a tool for local electeds to harness their power and uplift community voices. “Local elected officials have always been the champions their communities can count on,” writes Delisihia. “In these historic times, we’re leading the change our communities need.”

⚡ Protecting the People of Puerto Rico from Energy Hikes

Nearly 200 Local Progress members from across the country signed on to an amicus brief in defense of the people of Puerto Rico. Earlier this month, the court of appeals in Boston heard arguments from the Golden Tree Bondholders, who demanded billions from the island’s energy system, which has yet to recover from the hurricanes and earthquakes that have devastated the island. The bondholders claim they’re owed billions even if that means Puerto Rico’s struggling energy grid is pushed to the brink. Our members know that if Wall Street wins in court, they will surely use the same tactics to extort our communities here on the mainland. We are proud to stand with the people of Puerto Rico to demand justice in this case and allow the island to fully recover and thrive.

🧊 LPTX Members Demand Accountability After ICE Shooting in Austin

LPTX members in Austin, TX are calling for a full, fair, and independent investigation after ICE shot and severely injured Wilber Garcés Perez on September 20 — firing from an unmarked vehicle. Within hours, Austin City Councilmembers Vanessa Fuentes and Jose Velasquez, Zo Qadri, and Mike Siegel, who were also joined by founding LP member Rep. Greg Casar — spoke out, demanding DHS keep Wilber in Texas so he can participate in the investigation, and that APD and the Travis County DA be given full access to evidence and the ability to interview the ICE shooter. “There’s a proper way to do public safety, and ICE is not making our communities safer,” Councilmember Fuentes said. Members are also pushing Travis County’s sheriff to sign onto the least-restrictive version of the 287(g) agreement, to limit its entanglement with immigration enforcement.

🗳️ 10/7: Election Protection Webinar Series

Join Local Progress Impact Lab for our final webinar on what we can do to protect the 2026 midterm elections. Our final session will be on October 7 at 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT on Popular Mobilizations to Defend Democracy. Local elected leaders play a critical role in protecting the right to protest – especially if our communities have to take to the streets to oppose election interference. Your preparations now will be critical to a nimble response! As a reminder, we’ve published a new Policy Bulletin, Protecting the 2026 General Election, with expert resources and concrete actions you can take to protect our vote.

🚑 10/21: Sustainably Funding Community Responder Programs

Cities across the country are creating community responder programs for non-violent emergencies like mental health crises, substance use issues, and wellness checks. The momentum is growing, with over 90 programs established across the country. But as federal budgets tighten, localities have to figure out how to sustainably fund these new programs to keep their communities safe. Our partners at the NYU Policing Project created a new resource highlighting how localities nationwide have used ballot initiatives to generate new revenue or reallocate existing funds to sustainably fund community responder programs while also building community buy-in. Register here to join us on October 21 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT as we walk through the new resource and learn about how you can use ballot initiatives as a creative funding tool in the face of federal austerity.

🪑 Kitchen Table Messaging for the Populist Era

A new national survey of 6,100 Americans from Rural Urban Bridge Initiative and the Center for Working Class Politics found that “kitchen-table” economic messages outperform both anti-Trump attacks and messaging that calls out the Right’s divide-and-conquer tactics — even among undecided voters. Rural respondents also preferred this messaging, with one message, “American Way,” performing especially well. Read the full Kitchen Table Messaging for the Populist Era report.

💵 State Impacts of Trump Administration Changes to Federal Funding

Just over a year ago, Congress passed the Big Ugly Bill, which massively expanded immigration enforcement in American communities by redirecting hundreds of billions of dollars to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These taxpayer dollars were originally allocated to help families afford health care and groceries. Over the last year, we have already begun to see the effects: millions of people losing health care, hospitals closing across the country, and billions poured into new immigration jails and ICE assaults on American cities. A new survey and analysis of impacts by FWD.us shows the direct impacts on working families across the country.

🤝 2026 Othering & Belonging Conference

Join us at the 2026 Othering & Belonging Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, October 9-10! O&B26 will be an immersive gathering with leaders from across the movement, united by a common purpose to foster inclusive, multiracial, pluralistic democracies and building a bigger we. Join LP for our learning lab session on October 7, Advancing Real Solutions in the Face of Coordinated Opposition! In this session, local elected officials, including those from the South and Appalachia, will share the strategies used to build and wield power at the local level for real solutions. LP will also be hosting a session on October 9, Meeting the Moment with Real Solutions and Local Leadership, to learn from local leaders who have taken bold stances and won, digging into what it means to build and wield local power for real solutions and create the conditions for communities to thrive.

🚫 No Collaboration with Secret Police

ICE wants your local police to do its dirty work. The 287(g) Program, often voluntary unless your state law requires it, turns local cops into ICE agents, emboldening them to surveil, arrest, and deport our neighbors. The good news: local electeds can stop it. By using our No Secret Police toolkit, you can fight back and put an end to 287(g) agreements in your community. Learn more by watching a short video!