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Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW), center, marches with UAW members and supporters during a Labor Day parade in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023.

📎 Federal Advocacy Roundup | Holding this moment, government shutdown averted, SCOTUS preview, and more | October 2023

Welcome back to the October 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.

Learning from Leaders in Milwaukee About School Safety

This month, Local Progress and the Local Progress Impact Lab brought two dozen local elected officials, community partners, and government staffers together in Milwaukee to learn about the work done to create real safety in schools. Read how the trip is helping inform work across the country.

How to take action in solidarity with UAW members on strike!

Photograph of the State Capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida.

Less Politics Is Local: States Get Increasingly Aggressive About Pre-Emption

Preemption of local authority has been a major concern over the past decade. Now, states are not only blocking specific laws but stopping cities and counties from addressing entire areas of policy.
dinances in a push to win back the local freedom to act in the best interest of Missourians.

📬 The Network Download | Localities standing up for local democracy, exploring bold ways to help their communities thrive, and more | September 2023

Check out what we've been up to this month!
LPMN members pose for a photo at LP's 2023 National Convening in St. Louis.

LPMN State Download 🍂 | Progressive Governance Academy, Summer Highlights, Cannabis Memo & More | September 2023

Check out what LPMN is up to!
LPTX member and Austin City Councilmember Zohaib “Zo” Qadri speaking at a rally for local democracy in St. Louis, MO.

LPTX State Download 🍁 | A win for local democracy, next steps in the fight, & upcoming events! | September 2023

See what’s in store for our LPTX Chapter!

Federal Advocacy Roundup | September 2023

The September 2023 Local Progress Federal Advocacy Roundup breaks down recent Biden administration decisions around TPS and Medicare as well as the upcoming impacts of Supreme Court decisions on student loan debt and abortion.

Local Electeds Praise Portland Street Response As National Model, Urge Continued Investment

Local elected officials representing nearly a dozen localities across the country have joined the chorus of Portlanders calling for renewed support for the Portland Street Response program.

LPNY State Download 🍂 | Organizing committee meeting, housing, immigration work & more! | September 2023

This edition of the Local Progress New York newsletter covers our recent NY Organizing Committee meeting, the fight for immigrant justice in NY state, and movement on housing justice in Kingston!
Members of the North Carolina Public Service Workers Union rally.

Workers in the South Aren’t Letting Anti-Labor Laws Stop Them From Organizing

From a recent work action in Durham, North Carolina to union drives at REI and at academic institutions, workers are taking important steps to organize the South.
A delivery worker rides his bicycle along a path on the West Side Highway in New York City.

States and cities eye stronger protections for gig economy workers

In the past five years, lawmakers in at least 10 jurisdictions — including cities such as Chicago and Seattle — have proposed new protections for ride-share drivers and food delivery workers. LP's LiJia Gong weighs in on the importance of local gig economy legislation.

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:

Courtesy of Open Arms of Minnesota| Open Arms delivers free medically tailored meals to critically ill Minnesotans and their loved ones—and that’s just one of the almost 70 orgs here that can use your support.

Mad? Sad? Motivated? 60+ MN Orgs Working to Make the Next 4 Years (and Then Some) Suck Less.

Check out LPMN's feature in this sprawling list of organizations, groups, and collectives who are determined, political headwinds be damned, to make Minnesota a better place.
Photograph of a person walking in front a sign that says "APARTMENT FOR RENT STUDIO: Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Big Cities Take Up Fight Against Algorithm-Based Rents

The federal government’s price-fixing lawsuit against rental-software firm RealPage could take years to resolve. Rather than wait, some cities and states are already cracking down on the company.
Image of a police car driving (retrieved from the Fayetteville Observer)

Do Fayetteville, NC police stop more Black drivers?

LP's former Legal Fellow Kat Kerwin and LPNC's Mario Benavente weigh in on the importance of reducing pretextual stops.
The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and Homelessness hearing testimony in chambers.

Council Committee Advances Landlord Anti-Collusion Bill

The Philadelphia City Council advanced a bill introduced by LPPA member Councilmember Nicholas O’Rourke that would ban price-fixing by landlords.

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.