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Map of Texas cities that have passed decrim resolutions.

As Trigger Law Goes into Effect, Five Texas Localities Have Moved to Prevent the Criminalization of Abortion

Five localities – Denton, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso County, and Dallas – have already passed decriminalization resolutions that ensure local resources will not be used to enforce the states’ trigger law.

August Federal Advocacy Roundup : The Inflation Reduction Act

August has been a busy time for the federal government! The big news, of course, is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which passed last week on August 16.
Panelists ready to present at Netroots Nation 2022 session on HB1.

Netroots Nation 2022 – A Threat to Racial Justice: Criminalizing Protest and State Interference

At Netroots, we examined the troubling trend of attacks on democracy through a case study of HB1, which is currently facing a community-centered legal challenge on behalf of multiple Florida municipalities.
Woman wearing "Abort Abbott" mask.

How One Progressive City Is Fighting to Decriminalize Abortion

As part of a growing movement, municipalities like Austin are finding ways to protect their most vulnerable citizens in a post-Roe world.

Two New Brands. One Powerful Network.

Today, we are thrilled to share with you the launch of our new look! Here we share a bit of the history of how we got it and the process we took to create these two beautiful brands.

Colorado Progressives Celebrate Victories at National Conference in Denver

After two years of Zoom meetings, the return of the Local Progress convention to an in-person format was an opportunity for progressives such as Kniech to share what they've accomplished with people who'd flown in from across the country.
LPMN group photo

Minnesota becomes LP’s Fourth State Chapter

Local Progress Minnesota was officially certified as our fourth state chapter -- a statewide organization of Local Progress members with a formal leadership structure, a robust and representative membership, and typically a goal to raise money to hire staff capacity locally.

Local Governments Mobilize to Support Working Citizens

In recent years, a number of local governments have stepped up their programs to support workers, from enacting local minimum wage laws and pursuing wage theft to creating new offices to enforce labor laws.

The State Download: What LPNY Has Been Up To

Our Summer 2022 edition of our LPNY newsletter, which includes a summary of the state legislative session, info about some upcoming regional housing strategy sessions, and a spotlight of one of our LPNY members!
group of people standing outside holding

The State Download: What LPNC Has Been Up To

The Summer 2022 edition of our LPNC newsletter, which includes a summary of the state legislative session, information about some upcoming regional housing strategy sessions, and a spotlight of one of our LPNC members!

Local Progress Files Amicus Brief in Support of Cities Suing Florida’s HB 1

House Bill 1 violates the Florida Constitution by unlawfully taking away power from local govs to respond to their communities’ needs and stand up for racial justice. Check out the amicus brief we filed today signed by 45 Local Progress members.

Local Progress takes progressive reproductive freedom agenda to local leaders

“I would say that many people in Texas who have the ability to be pregnant are now at risk,” said Kara Sheehan, the Texas chapter manager of Local Progress. “We are looking to our local officials to lead."

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:

Eduardo Martinez speaks during a press conference at a homeless encampment in Richmond, California, on September 15, 2022. (Jane Tyska / Digital First Media / East Bay Times via Getty Images)

Richmond Progressive Alliance’s Lessons for Local Organizers

It doesn’t often make national headlines, but the city of Richmond, California, has been home to a successful progressive political reform project in recent years. Here are ten lessons for other municipal reformers from the Richmond Progressive Alliance.
A construction worker shelters from the sun during a water break. Local government ordinances mandating such breaks have been preempted in some states.(Al Diaz/TNS)

When States and Localities Disagree On Worker Protections, What’s the Way Forward?

Local governments across the country are enacting policies that protect workers. Unfortunately, state governments have increasingly acted to preempt these efforts. That's why some local leaders are finding ways to work around such barriers, demonstrating how local power can influence policy even constrained by state preemption.
Porchá Perry demonstrates with other workers in Lansing, Michigan, in favor of bills restoring local control to pass workforce and labor policies on Sept.13, 2023. A new report finds growing union organizing across the country has triggered an anti-labor legislative response in some states, but cities and counties are increasingly pushing back. (Photo courtesy of SEIU Local 1)

States are pushing back with anti-labor laws as union popularity grows, policy experts say

A new report co-authored by New York University Wagner Labor Initiative and Local Progress Impact Lab details how localities are fighting back against state anti-labor legislation.
The Chevron Richmond Refinery is seen in 2023. In the summer of 2012, a massive blaze broke out at the refinery. | Eric Risberg/AP

California city’s $550m deal with Chevron could be a national model for environmentalists

California cities have a new playbook for beating Big Oil. In mid-August, Chevron caved in the face of a local initiative that would have taxed every barrel it produced within Richmond’s city limits at its century-old, 3,000-acre plant just north of San Francisco.

press Releases

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.

How Localities Use Community Responder Programs to Keep People Safe

This new video from Local Progress and Local Progress Impact Lab focuses on three specific localities: Durham, Oakland, and Albuquerque to explain what community responder programs are, how they work, and why hundreds of localities are starting to adopt them.

After Grants Pass: organizing to house all our neighbors

In response to the Supreme Court's cruel decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, we will continue to organize for housing for all.

Local Progress Condemns Cruel Supreme Court Decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson

In response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson, Local Progress put out the following statement.

180+ State and Local Elected Officials Urge Congress to Reject the EATS Act

LP and the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) released letters calling on Congress to protect local and state governments ability to create policy that is responsive to the issues their own communities face in the agricultural industry.