POLICY for LOCAL PROGRESS Case Studies & Best Practices from Around the Country
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POLICY FOR LOCAL PROGRESS Case Studies & Best Practices from Around the Country 2019 As Local Progress celebrates our 8th year, we are delighted to share this updated version of our policy brief publication, a resource which we hope is helpful for our members across the network. We are grateful to the following allied organizations for co-authoring this policy book with us. Their substantive expertise and commitment to working with local elected officials to promote progressive public policy are incredible assets to our movement and our country. FreeLawFounders ABOUT US Local Progress was founded in 2012 to connect local elected officials to help replicate progressive policy across cities by sharing innovative ideas and best practices; to provide training on how to govern most effectively; and to impact the national discourse by coordinating and elevating innovative municipal work across the country. OUR VISION Our network is made up of hundreds of local elected officials from around the country who are united in their commitment to shared prosperity, equal justice under law, livable and sustainable communities, and good government that serves the public interest. We are building a strong piece of movement infrastructure that can help advance a wide array of priorities at the local level and help transform national politics and policies in the years and decades ahead. In an era when conservatives control too many of state governments and too much of Washington, DC, we know that localities can and must work together to push our country in a new and exciting progressive direction . This is both the promise and the immensity of the task before us. CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY Local Progress is a project of the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD). CPD works to create equity, opportunity and a dynamic democracy in partnership with high- impact base-building organizations, organizing alliances, and progressive unions. CPD strengthens our collective capacity to envision and win an innovative pro-worker, pro- immigrant, racial and economic justice agenda. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION EDUCATION Embracing a Racial Equity Approach • 4 Community Schools • 66 Comprehensive Sex Education • 68 ACCESS AND JUSTICE Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline • 70 Abortion Access • 8 ESSA Implementation • 72 Access to Healthy Food • 10 Strengthening Our Public Schools • 74 Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls • 12 Civil Asset Forfeiture • 14 EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT Equality and Equity for Trans, Nonbinary, • 16 Artisan Zoning • 76 and Gender Nonconforming People Community Benefits • 78 LGBT Civil Rights • 18 Equitable Access to Capital for Urban Manufacturers • 80 Local Police Surveillance Technology • 20 Small Business Support • 82 Lessons in Taking Drug Policy Reform Local • 22 Policing and Civil Rights • 24 GOOD GOVERNMENT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST Reproductive Rights for Young People • 26 Fighting Back Against Forced Arbitration • 84 Specialty Courts and Community Justice • 28 Food Procurement Policies and Programs • 86 CLIMATE, TRANSIT AND Making Job Subsidies Transparent • 88 INFRASTRUCTURE Racial Equity in Our Cities • 90 Creating Green Jobs • 30 Responsible Banking and Access to Credit • 92 Divesting from Fossil Fuels • 32 Equitable Strategies for Renewable Energy • 34 HOUSING Fracking Bans and Moratoriums • 36 Addressing the Foreclosure Crisis • 94 Equitable Infrastructure • 38 Affordable Housing Impact Fee Programs • 96 Funding Public Transit and Improving Service • 40 Banning Source of Income Housing Discrimination • 98 Livable Cities • 42 Ending Drug-Related Evictions in Public Housing • 100 Housing Code Enforcement • 102 DIGNITY AT WORK Inclusionary Housing • 104 Construction in the South • 44 Permanently Affordable Homeownership • 106 Ending Wage Theft • 46 Protecting Tenants in the On-Demand Economy • 108 Ensuring a Fair Workweek • 48 Ensuring Racial Equity in Public Contracting • 50 IMMIGRANT PROTECTIONS Establishing Partnerships to Improve Enforcement • 52 Ensuring Language Access • 110 of Workplace Standards Detainer Discretion • 112 Fair-Chance Hiring for Workers with Criminal Records • 54 Local Confidentiality Policies • 114 Living Wage Ordinances • 56 Universal Representation • 116 Local and Targeted Hiring • 58 ROBUST LOCAL DEMOCRACY Paid Sick Leave • 60 AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Prohibiting Job Discrimination Based on Credit History • 62 Campaign Finance Reform • 118 Protecting Workers in the On-Demand Economy • 64 Confronting Preemption • 120 Digital Democracy and Transparency • 122 Expanding Voting Rights • 124 Participatory Budgeting • 126 INTRODUCTION: Embracing a Racial Equity Approach We believe that public policy can be a tool for ad- work toward community results with stakeholder-driv- vancing equity and justice. However, we also acknowl- en implementation. This disrupts historic patterns of edge that the public policy making process on most every “doing what we’ve always done, because we’ve always issue—from land use and zoning to policing, education done it that way.””1 The framework has seven steps and and voting access—has perpetuated racial inequality the first four comprise the data analysis: desired results, in our country whether through malicious intent to envisioning what the result looks like, identifying the exclude communities of color or as the impact of race- appropriate community indicators and analyzing the blind policy making. data. Steps five, six and seven emphasize selecting ap- The policy briefs in this book cover a range of ideas propriate community partners, identifying how to shift for communities: from strengthening worker rights and the overarching data trends towards racial equity, and protections, improving public education, expanding selecting a starting place. transportation and increasing the supply of affordable Applying a racial equity lens to the RBA frame- housing to supporting small businesses, implementing work helps illuminate and surface currently existing community benefit agreements and more. The frame- discrimination and structural disparities at play in the work outlined below focuses on getting to results, but community. It also helps ensure that changes do not it’s not sufficient without a racial equity lens that focuses perpetuate inequities. on addressing inequities. In addition to this analysis, INDICATORS AS MEASURES OF STRUCTURAL we encourage you to add to this framework: examine RACISM: After articulating population wide results, community engagement practices to ensure broad, eq- the framework requires identifying community in- uitable and substantive engagement; analyze budgets dicators to measure results, and then focusing on the for unequal or discriminatory funding allocations; and key activities and consequent performance measures grapple with bias and barriers in institutions and gov- of various programs, activities, functions and agencies. ernmental structures that put communities of color at Picking indicators where longitudinal data is avail- a disadvantage to influence outcomes. able helps show comparisons (and long-standing struc- The larger institutional ecosystem must be part of tural inequities) for communities of color over time. In the solution in order to fight decades and centuries of getting to the root of why something is inequitable, it systemic racism; long-term policy change requires the is important that indicators not be constructed or de- input and participation from city, non-profit, philanthro- termined in a mindset that assumes certain behaviors py, community based organizations and others. Most among communities of color lead to inequitable out- importantly, a racial equity approach to policy begins comes, otherwise known as “deficit thinking.” Instead, at the visioning process, continues during the planning the conclusion should be that discrepancies are driven process, and continues through implementation and by deeper structural racism in the system. policy evaluation. An example of deficit thinking would be to assume USING A RESULTS-BASED ACCOUNTABILITY that worse health outcomes for those in poverty come (RBA) FRAMEWORK from poor eating habits instead of a lack of access to The Government Alliance on Racial Equity (GARE) fresh, healthy, affordable food options. The indicators describes “Results-Based Accountability™ (RBA) as in this scenario would include unemployment rate, the a tool that starts with the desired results and works percentage of students who receive free and reduced backwards towards the means, to ensure that your plans lunches, or academic achievement rates. 4 POLICY BRIEF | LOCAL PROGRESS: THE NATIONAL MUNICIPAL POLICY NETWORK Community indicators crystalize the need for change RBA: AFTER THE DATA ANALYSIS Organizations and allies, because, when aggregated and analyzed, they highlight vital along with community, are vital partners for systems change. disparities and systemic inequities at a community level pop- The alliance should be selected for strategic reasons: each ulation. It is essential to identify the appropriate indicators partner should bring unique perspectives to build a complete so that the data will surface community inequities and future understanding of inequities and solutions. This group of stake- progress made to eliminate them. holders is responsible for moving from data analysis to ideas and • An example of a community indicator could be the level of brainstorming ways to create the systems change. This space asthma rates between Black and White children, which is is a valuable opportunity