Our Blog + Latest News
A photograph of downtown Ithaca, New York featuring old buildings and pedestrians walking and biking along the street.

New Resource Helps Local Electeds Maximize Federal Funds for Equity

Our newly released memo shares tools and best practices to help local electeds maximize federal funding opportunities to advance equity.
A masked person holding up a sign that says "not going back."

Texas Cities Are Getting Ready For The State’s ‘Death Star’ Law

Three LP members representing El Paso, Austin, and San Antonio speak out against the Death Star Law -- warning of the detrimental local, state, and national implications of such a far-reaching power grab.

Using Federal Funds to Create More Just Communities in North Carolina

ARPA provided localities with a historic level of funding. Local electeds across North Carolina have allocated those funds towards a just recovery and look towards the future on how to leverage other federal programs to best support their communities.

74 Local Elected Leaders Urge Federal Government to Protect Tenants

Over 70 local elected officials submitted a comment calling on the federal government to pass tenant protections for enterprise-backed multifamily properties.
A photo of a group of people holding a sign saying "SA STANDS" in Bexar County, Texas after the creation of an immigrant legal defense fund.

📬 The Network Download | Immigrant justice edition | July 2023

Check out the work our network is doing to advance immigrant justice!
Arial view of the Texas State Capitol lit up at night.

The ‘Death Star’ Bill is About Kneecapping Democracy in Texas

LP's Kara Sheehan weighs in on what the Death Star Law means for localities across Texas.
Ald. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez (33rd) reacts at a City Council meeting on March 15, 2023.

Cops Should Not Respond To Mental Health Emergencies, Experts Say As City Weighs Ordinance

Chicago Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez's “Treatment Not Trauma” ordinance would enable the city to handle mental health emergencies without police officers.

Federal Advocacy Roundup | July 2023

The July2023 Local Progress Federal Advocacy Roundup breaks down recent troubling SCOTUS decisions that advance the interests of right-wing billionaires at the expense of working people and communities of color.
Close-up image of a person's hand highlighting text.

Plainfield BOE Debates Cultural Responsiveness of its Textbooks, Votes to Resurface Hub Stine

Plainfield Board of Education Commissioner Azim Gray stands up for culturally responsive curriculums.

Workers’ Rights Local Government Round Up | July 2023

Check out some of the landmark workers’ rights policies that passed across the country over the last few months, as well as news of recent enforcement actions!
Photo of Brad Lander standing at the bottom of a staircase by Maria Spann/The Guardian.

‘Suit up for the backlash!’: The battle to regulate New York’s gig economy

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander says efforts to establish a minimum wage for food delivery workers have met well-funded resistance from the sector’s leading players.

New Resource Helps Local Electeds Use Procurement to Advance Equity

Our newly released report – a joint collaboration between In The Public Interest and the Local Progress Impact Lab – offers a roadmap for community advocates and local elected officials to examine how governmental entities can better design their procurement processes to incorporate public values.

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.