Our Blog + Latest News
Group photo of the LPTX Organizing Committee meeting in Houston, TX in December 2023. Members gather around a LPTX sign.

LPTX State Download ❄️ | Organizing to defend reproductive rights & local control, plus upcoming events! | February 2024

Our Texas chapter has been hitting the ground running this year on several issues already! Check out what they are up to!

LP School Board Download 📚 | States’ voucher push, honest education, an important staff update | February 2024

Check out our newsletter about all things school board! This month, we’re sharing the latest news and resources around defending LGBTQ+ rights, fighting voucher expansion, and advocating for strong, equitable public schools across the country.
Image of a hammer smashing a city (TAP)

Pre-Preemption

Conservative states have now taken to blocking liberal cities from even thinking about legislating on behalf of their residents. LP's Francesca Menes weighs in.
Hyndai and Kia logos side by side (ABC News)

Philly councilmember among group calling for recall Kia, Hyundai vehicles due to alarming theft rate

Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks has joined a group of elected leaders from around the country, demanding a federal recall of Kia and Hyundai vehicles over the alarming theft rate nationwide.
Members of the Fe Y Justice Worker Center hold signs to protest House Bill 2127, dubbed the "Death Star bill," during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall on July 14. Credit: Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribune

Texas local electeds are not giving up their fight for local democracy

Yesterday, nearly 60 local electeds from across the state of Texas banded together to once again tell the courts that they will NOT stand for the Death Star Law or any of the Texas Legislature’s efforts to undermine local democracy.

Local Leaders Denounce Senate Deal That Would Gut Asylum

In response to the Senate’s proposed border deal that would gut asylum in exchange for foreign military spending, Local Progress released this statement.

📬 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 is 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. 
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.

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:

Factory workers and UAW union members form a picket line outside the Ford Motor Co. Kentucky Truck Plant in the early morning hours on October 14, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Michael Swensen / Getty Images)

Workplace Militancy Isn’t Enough for Labor

Progressive labor movement must collaborate with like-minded local, state, and federal elected officials through networks such as Local Progress, the State Innovation Exchange, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus to expand and sustain hard-won gains.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services has been asked to extend the work eligibility period for people with pending renewals on their permits to work in the states. Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images

Immigrant Advocates Push Work Permit Fix as Deadlines Near

LP member Pious Ali – a city council member in Portland, Maine – stresses the importance of work authorization for new arrivals. “They are transforming the face of the workforce and the face of the community in a very positive way,” he said.
Image of a hammer smashing a city (TAP)

Pre-Preemption

Conservative states have now taken to blocking liberal cities from even thinking about legislating on behalf of their residents. LP's Francesca Menes weighs in.
Hyndai and Kia logos side by side (ABC News)

Philly councilmember among group calling for recall Kia, Hyundai vehicles due to alarming theft rate

Philadelphia City Councilmember Kendra Brooks has joined a group of elected leaders from around the country, demanding a federal recall of Kia and Hyundai vehicles over the alarming theft rate nationwide.

press Releases

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. 

Local Leaders Denounce Senate Deal That Would Gut Asylum

In response to the Senate’s proposed border deal that would gut asylum in exchange for foreign military spending, Local Progress released this statement.

📬 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.

Local Progress joins 100 tenants in DC at Homes Guarantee’s Tenant Takeover

Local Progress joined over 100 tenants at Homes Guarantee's Tenant Takeover to urge the federal government for vital tenant protections.