Our Blog + Latest News

📬 LP Network Download | Traffic safety, ceasefire, history in Minnesota, & more! | January 2024

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

Local Electeds Call on NHTSA to Recall Kia & Hyundai with Theft Vulnerabilities

A coalition representing elected officials from 8 municipalities across the country – including Baltimore, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Austin – called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to issue a recall of Kia and Hyundai models with theft vulnerabilities.

What it means to be an LP School Board Member

As we start 2024, we’re proud to share our School Board Cohort Statement of Values. This statement of values unites school board members in Local Progress under a set of shared values that guides our work together.

New Resource Helps Local Electeds Create Real Traffic Safety

To support local elected officials in taking action to create real traffic safety the Local Progress Impact Lab created a new resource: Creating Traffic Safety: A Policy Memo for Local Elected Leaders.

Hundreds of Local Elected Officials Call for a Ceasefire

Today, more than 300 local elected officials across the country released an open letter to the Biden-Harris administration and Congress calling for a ceasefire. 

LPNY State Download ❄ | Progressive Governance Academy in MA, update on new voting machines & more! | December 2023

This edition of the Local Progress New York newsletter covers our end-of-session legislative push and budget roundup!
A delivery person rides an electric bike through the streets of Manhattan on Nov. 15, 2022.Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America

Gig Worker Protections Find Testing Ground in NYC, Seattle

Delivery drivers and others in the app economy made major labor strides in 2023. LP's LiJia Gong explains why continued local efforts to protect gig workers are so critical.

Our 2023 Year in Review

What we do at the local level matters – now more than ever. That’s why Local Progress & the Local Progress Impact Lab are proud to share the impact of our work from this past year in this Year in Review.
Two construction workers wearing hard hats looking at a project and speaking with one another.

Newly Proposed Federal Rule Change Would Enable Local Governments to Further Invest in Good Jobs for their Communities

This week, nearly 40 local elected officials across the country showed their support for the newly proposed federal rule change in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget.
Ford F-150 Lightning underbodies at Fords Rouge Electric Vehicle Center are inspected in Dearborn, Michigan. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

📬 The Network Download: Centering Black workers, eliminating parking minimums, new resources & more! | November 2023

Check out what the LP network has been up to this month!
Plaintiffs in a landmark abortion lawsuit against the state of Texas stand outside Travis County District Court in Austin on July 19, 2023. Photo: Courtesy of Center for Reproductive Rights/Splash Cinema

Dozens of Local Electeds in Texas Sign Amicus Brief in Support of Reproductive Rights

LPTX members are speaking out in support of patients and physicians in Texas to demand clarity around the state's "medical emergency" exception to the abortion ban.
photo of people protesting outside the supreme court with letter signs that read out "Gun Safety"

Federal Advocacy Roundup | November 2023

Welcome back to the November edition of the Federal Advocacy Round Up, where every few weeks we distill what’s happening at the federal level, how it’ll impact localities, and what you can do to influence change.

Have a Media Inquiry?

Local Progress is a movement of local elected officials advancing a racial and economic justice agenda through all levels of local government. We are elected leaders who build power with underrepresented communities and fight to reshape what is possible in our localities all across the country. 

Want to get in touch with us for a story? Reach us at press@localprogress.org.

In The News

At Local Progress, we seek to make the aspirational pragmatic by showing how government can be a tool to create just and equitable outcomes and reshaping peoples’ understanding of governing from an institution to a collective responsibility. Here are some highlights of our media coverage:

A black and white image of Trump with a yellow background.

Ivan Luevanos-Elms and Sarah Johnson: This Is What Authoritarian Intimidation Looks Like

In this op-ed, LP ED Ivan Luevanos-Elms and former LP ED Sarah Johnson make the case that Trump's attempts to bully and intimidate local leaders is yet another sign of growing authoritarianism.
An image of someone using a phone and computer at the same time (d3sign via Getty Images)

Report: How local governments can prioritize responsible AI adoption

Earlier this month, OpenAI & Microsoft lobbyists called for a shutdown on AI regulation. Our new report details the harmful impacts of unrestricted AI on our communities and what local governments can do.
Image of a lot of people protesting and speaking out

State and local Dems form a firewall against Trump DOJ’s intimidation tactics

Across the country, the Trump administration is targeting local officials to bulldoze opposition to their agenda. Today, 190+ local officials stand in solidarity against this intimidation.
RealPage is contending with state and local efforts to outlaw algorithmic rent-pricing systems. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg News

Rent-Setting Algorithms Find Legal Lifeline

RealPage stands to benefit as GOP tax bill seeks to bar state and local oversight of AI and automated decision systems for 10 years.

press Releases

A group of local elected officials holding a letter in the Colorado state capitol

LP Members & Union Leaders Call To Overturn WPA Veto

Municipal Officials join labor leaders to call out the Governor for rejecting this Common-Sense legislation
An image of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

Statement: National Network of Local Officials Denounce Unjustified Arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka

In response to the reported arrest and subsequent release of Newark Mayor and Local Progress member Ras Baraka, Essex County Commissioner and Local Progress Board Member A’Dorian Murray-Thomas released the following statement. 
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty who was sworn into office on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023 speaking at the All Square restaurant in Minneapolis on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023 where supporters gathered to celebrate her election. Mshale Staff Photo by Panashe Matemba-Mutasa

Statement: Amid Federal Threats, Local Leaders Stand Strong for True Civil Rights

In response to the Trump Administration’s so-called “civil rights” investigation into Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty’s Office, Local Progress released this statement.
A large group standing around while one person speaks at a podium.

Road To Good Cause Campaign Scores 11 Victories Across Upstate New York

The coordinated campaign of local officials expand critical renter protections to thousands of tenants, setting their sights on Rochester next.

NEW REPORT: How Local Government Can Stand Up for Workers When States Try to Stand in Their Way

This new report for Labor Day 2024 highlights ways local elected officials can advance workers rights even when facing both hostile state preemption and federal labor law preemption.