#local-governance

#local-governance

Portland's transition to a new form of government last January brought new practices and procedures for the City Council. Among the largest changes, impacting both the Council and members of the public, was the introduction of eight policy committees. The committees, which considered topics including transportation, climate, finance, homelessness, and public safety, were intended to provide a focused venue for councilors to introduce legislation and hold conversations on specific topics, as well as to hear public testimony.

A new law empowering Turkey's central government to seize historic properties from local authorities is raising fears that heritage sites are becoming the latest front in a wider campaign against opposition-led municipalities. Among the sites at stake are cultural venues run by the Istanbul municipality, whose mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu launched an ambitious conservation drive and expanded cultural programming before he was jailed last year after announcing plans to run for president.

For a mayor who has become so closely associated with a foreign policy conflict thousands of miles away, Zohran Mamdani does relatively little to directly address it. Follow his public pronouncements, press conferences, and social media posts, and you'll find a relentless focus on the local: an executive order cutting fees for small businesses, a mayoral appointment to combat racial discrimination, a ride in a taxi to announce a new TLC commissioner.

Analysts have estimated that 75% of the commitments that the US made at the Paris climate agreement which Donald Trump pulled the nation out of as soon as he took office can be reached entirely without federal support. It's this conviction in the power of local governance that animates Climate Cabinet, an organization focused on supporting pro-climate candidates in under-the-radar races at the state or city level.

We've mistaken expression for impact, conflating social media dust-ups with actual power. We've neglected the unglamorous work that holds societies together: governing, problem-solving, and cooperating across differences. My research shows that real change happens not in viral TikToks but in drab meeting rooms - the phones-down, notebooks-out work of local governance. It's there that we make progress and bridge divides.

Brooks-Powers made history as the first-ever Black woman to serve as Majority Whip of the New York City Council, a leadership position who helps maintain unity amongst the party, and currently chairs the Council's Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. Throughout her tenure, Brooks-Powers has dedicated herself to ensuring that southeast Queens and the eastern Rockaway Peninsula receive equitable access to city resources and services.

Washington’s deadlock has created a tectonic shift transferring power back to the regions. This allows local leaders to take charge and think big again.

Delray Beach's decision to keep its LGBTQ+ pride intersection, despite state pressure, highlights a growing resistance among Florida cities against directives from the DeSantis administration.

Mayor Daniel Lurie expressed a limited stance on San Francisco's Sanctuary City status, indicating unwillingness to comply with Donald Trump's enforcement measures. His lack of action on immigrant legal services funding reveals a concerning oversight of the city's vulnerable immigrant population.

The outer ring or ecological ceiling of the doughnut consists of the nine planetary boundaries, which are essential environmental limits that humans risk crossing.

Cllr Lotte Collett stated, 'Climate issues need to be front and centre of everything that we do, it's massively important because the people that are the most affected by these issues are the working classes.'

The 84B Potters Bar to Barnet service will be renamed the 243 and expanded to run to Hatfield, funded initially by Hertsmere Borough Council's Community Infrastructure Levy.

These unconstitutional roundups and raids cannot be allowed to continue. They cannot become the new normal, said Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto at a news conference.

"If your standard for transit improvements/projects is 'if there's literally any local opposition, we won't do it' then you simply won't do anything."

Sidcup Youth Centre in Burnt Oak Lane will be taken over by Rose Bruford College on a 25-year lease, causing backlash from the local community.

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority has announced an opening on its Expenditure Plan Oversight Committee (EPOC), focusing on transparent fund use from Measures Q and T.

"I think every time a customer has to ask the CVS clerk to unlock the shampoo, Democrats get less popular," he wrote.

Councillor Kathleen Fraser has been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation following a complaint, as the party maintains confidentiality.

No reason has been publicly given for the decision to withdraw the latest application regarding the fate of the 150-year-old Plumstead pub.

The Delta Conveyance Project is a smart, timely and fiscally responsible way to move California's most important water infrastructure project forward.

The Bath House stands as a living model of what's possible when local people are empowered to lead: a self-sustaining civic hub generating not just public benefit, but deep social wealth.

The City of Cupertino is fostering inclusivity with the opening of an all-inclusive playground at Jollyman Park, enhancing recreation options for all abilities.

Cllr Victor Chamberlain stated that Cllr Williams' resignation speaks volumes about Labour's failures, emphasizing the need for change in Southwark leadership.