Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 5/24/2021

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director for Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to send this job posting out not only to your campaign data workers, but new graduates interested in political data work.

• US Treasury guidance for local spending of American Rescue Plan funds is now out. Learn more at NationalDMO.org/treasury.

• Watch now – Getting Cities Vaccinated with White House COVID-19 IGA Director, Eduardo Cisneros.

Quick Links

• Local Jail Costs Keep Rising as Crime Continues to Decline

• Minneapolis One Year Later

• Survey: The Top Challenges for State and Local Government Workforces

Ideas for Cities

• Cracking Down on Illegal Guns: Using the Courts to Hold the Gun Industry Accountable

• Singapore Shows What Serious Urban Farming Looks Like

• In Nashville, Using Loan Guarantees to Fund Affordable Housing Preservation

News for Democrats 

• More Than 100,000 Haitian Immigrants Can Apply For An Extension To Stay In The U.S.

• They tried to overturn the 2020 election. Now they want to run the next one. – Multiple Republicans who refused to certify Joe Biden’s victory are now running for Secretary of State.

• WH memo sees economic strength where critics see fragility

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 5/17/2021

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director for Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to send this job posting out not only to your campaign data workers, but new graduates interested in political data work.

• US Treasury guidance for local spending of American Rescue Plan funds is now out. Learn more at NationalDMO.org/treasury.

• Watch now – Getting Cities Vaccinated with White House COVID-19 IGA Director, Eduardo Cisneros.

Quick Links

• Mobile Vaccine Squad Has a Mission: Find and Protect the Neediest

• City of Tulsa’s online services disrupted in ransomware incident

• In the Rush to Digital, Governments Can’t Leave Behind Cash Payers

Ideas for Cities

• Free public transportation is a reality in 100 cities—here’s why

• Use a Pass Phrase – Keep your accounts secure and easy to use.

• When Parking Is Punitive

News for Democrats 

• How Democrats Who Lost in Deep-Red Places Might Have Helped Biden

• Hawks to Use State Farm Arena as Georgia Polling Station For 2020 Elections – A lesson from Georgia: partner with city institutions like sports teams to register voters and host polling locations.

• The Supreme Court Is Taking Direct Aim at Roe v. Wade

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 5/10/2021

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director for Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to send this job posting out not only to your campaign data workers, but new graduates interested in political data work.

• US Treasury guidance for local spending of American Rescue Plan funds is now out. Learn more at NationalDMO.org/treasury.

• Watch now – Getting Cities Vaccinated with White House COVID-19 IGA Director, Eduardo Cisneros.

Quick Links

• Can Incentives Sway the Vaccine-Hesitant?

• A $4.5B Pool of Economic Recovery Funds States, Localities Can Tap Into

• Landlords Say Tenants Are Not Tapping Rent Relief

Ideas for Cities

• Columbia City Council unanimously approves first reading of conversion therapy ban

• Cities Are Looking to Get Better Community Engagement By Paying for It

• Oakland Schools Have a Bold, Simple Idea to Help Students’ Struggling Families

Advisory Board Updates

• Planned Parenthood Action Fund – 500 Restrictive Abortion Bills Have Been Introduced in 2021

• Instacart – Beyond the Cart

• DoorDash – Social Impact

News for Democrats 

• What Happens When Republicans Simply Refuse to Certify Democratic Wins?

• Trump didn’t bring White working-class voters to the Republican Party. The data suggest he kept them away.

• How the American Rescue Plan, the American Jobs Plan, and the American Families Plan Meet the Moment for Moms this Mother’s Day

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 5/3/2021

DMO Update

• DMO is searching for a Director for Data and Digital Engagement. We encourage you to send this job posting out not only to your campaign data workers, but new graduates interested in political data work.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• DMO supports statehood for Washington, DC, and encourages our members to pass local resolutions to ensure all Americans are represented in Congress.

Quick Links

• Philadelphia: City Council Votes to Prohibit Pre-Employment Drug Screening for Cannabis

• Millions Are Saying No to the Vaccines. What Are They Thinking?

• First 100 Days Local Report Card

Ideas for Cities

• Six Do’s and Don’ts for Local Emergency Rental Assistance Programs

• Beef up your campaign security with these tips from the DNC

• How Downtowns Can Rebound After the Pandemic

News for Democrats 

• Biden says he will raise refugee cap from 15,000 to 62,500

• Fact Sheet: The American Families Plan

• Celebrate The American Jobs Plan

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 4/26/2021

DMO Update

• Join DMO this Monday for an update on where municipalities stand on vaccine distribution, with White House COVID-19 Intergovernmental Affairs Director Eduardo Cisneros.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• DMO supports statehood for Washington, DC, and encourages our members to pass local resolutions to ensure all Americans are represented in Congress.

Quick Links

• How the Biden-Harris Coronavirus Plan Can Support State and Local Vaccination Efforts

• More Americans Are Leaving Cities, But Don’t Call It an Urban Exodus

• City of Chicago Sues Indiana Gun Store Tied to More than 850 Crime Guns Recovered in Chicago

Ideas for Cities

• Op-ed Writing: Tips and Tricks – New to Op-eds? Here are a few tips for getting started.

• It’s Time to Reject Fines and Fees as a Solution to Budget Problems

• Mayors Letter in Support of National Paid Leave

News for Democrats 

• Sotomayor gives blistering dissent to Trump SCOTUS appointees who find juvenile not worthy of parole – Republican SCOTUS members are openly ignoring legal precedent when deciding cases.

• Biden To Establish $15-An-Hour Minimum Wage For Federal Contractors

• More action, less talk, distinguish Biden’s 100-day sprint

Pic of the Week

Charlotte At-Large Council Member Braxton Winston at an on-site COVID-19 vaccination clinic hosted by the Ironworkers.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 4/19/2021

DMO Update

• Join Philadelphia Council Member Derek Green, Detroit Council Member Scott Benson, Columbia Council Member Tameika Isaac Devine, and HomeServe for a webinar on what cities can do about aging water infrastructure. Register with HomeServe for this webinar.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• DMO supports statehood for Washington, DC, and encourages our members to pass local resolutions to ensure all Americans are represented in Congress.

Quick Links

• Cities Prepare to Spend Historic Sums of Federal Aid

• Whatever Climate Change Does to the World, Cities Will Be Hit Hardest

• Increasing Number of Americans Believe in Conspiracy Theories

Ideas for Cities

• The Road to Removing Police From Traffic Enforcement

• Syracuse Couldn’t Fine Its Way to Clear Sidewalks, So It’s Trying Something New

• What Other Places Can Learn From Santa Rosa’s Tent City

American Jobs Plan

• All In: Partnering with Community and Faith Organizations in COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

• FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan Supports Small Businesses

• FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initial Actions to Address the Gun Violence Public Health Epidemic

News for Democrats 

• Florida’s new ban on transgender students in sports would allow schools to subject minors to genital inspections

• Democrats to introduce bill to expand Supreme Court from 9 to 13 justices

• The Democratic Party is Growing Because We’re Delivering Results

Video of the Week

New from the White House – Getting America Back on Track

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 4/12/2021

DMO Update

• DMO has renewed our support for the RECYCLE and RECOVER acts. You can call for greater funding and education around recycling by sending this sample letter to your federal representatives.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• Need to speak with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs? Email Nils.Robbins@NationalDMO.org for a connection.

Quick Links

• How St. Louis’s First Black Woman Mayor Will Lead With a Racial Equity Lens

• Statement from Jeff Zients, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator on Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

• Increasing Numbers of U.S. Residents in High-Risk Wildfire and Flood Zones

Ideas for Cities

• How Two Local Governments Got Covid Vaccination Registrations Right

• How This Texas City Ended Veteran and Chronic Homelessness

• Seattle City Council passes right to a free lawyer for those facing eviction

American Jobs Plan

• New Funding for Cities: The American Rescue Plan and Other Federal Funding Opportunities to Combat Gun Violence

• The American Jobs Plan Advances Racial Equity

• The American Jobs Plan Supports Rural America

News for Democrats 

• The States Following Georgia’s Lead on Voter Suppression

• Biden to announce withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by September 11

• Inside a stealth ‘persuasion machine’ promising Republican victories in 2022

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 4/5/2021

DMO Update

• Want to learn how you can use ARP funding to reopen schools? Join DMO and AFT President Randi Weingarten this Monday for a brief webinar.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• Need to speak with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs? Email Nils.Robbins@NationalDMO.org for a connection.

Quick Links

• NYPD officers are no longer protected from civil lawsuits after city council passes police reform legislation

• New Project Aims to Identify Local Government Assets at Risk of Cyberattack

• Estimated Local Allocations in the American Rescue Plan

Ideas for Cities

• Madison ordinance regulating personal delivery devices. 

• To Improve Public Health, the Environment and Racial Equity All at Once: Upgrade Low-Income Housing

• It’s expensive to be poor. Publicly owned banks may help

Advisory Board Updates

• Planned Parenthood Action Fund – New Report — Escalation in Dismantling Abortion Access in States

• Mayors Against Illegal Guns – The Economic Cost of Gun Violence

• SMART Union – What is Ventilation Verification?

News for Democrats 

• Biden to review executive authority to cancel student debt

• DCCC Announces Members of 2021-2022 Frontline Program

• ‘My experience was painful’ | State Rep. Park Cannon speaks on arrest at Georgia Capitol  – Rep. Cannon now faces 8 years in prison on felony charges for knocking on Gov. Kemp’s door as he signed the anti-voting legislation.

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 3/29/2021

DMO Update

• Need to speak with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs? Email Nils.Robbins@NationalDMO.org for a connection.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• Have you contributed your annual $50 membership to DMO this year?

Quick Links

• The Local Policies That Will Outlast the Pandemic

• Mid-Sized City Mayors Urge Feds Not to Forget Them in Climate Fight

• The Riskiest ‘Smart City’ Technologies, According to Cybersecurity Experts

Ideas for Cities

• Join Mayors Against Illegal Guns for tomorrow’s webinar on mass shootings, hate crimes, and the economic cost of gun violence.

• An Initiative to Improve Street Safety through Public Art

• Charleston has new ‘Green Team’ to lead sustainability efforts – Going green isn’t just about the environment, but about saving taxpayer money through reduced energy use.

News for Democrats 

• With More Women In State Office, Family Leave Policies Have Not Caught Up

• Why one part of the Georgia Republicans’ anti-voting law stands out – The Republican state legislature now has unprecedented control over whose ballots get counted.

• California May Launch Its Own Version of the Depression-Era WPA

Democratic Municipal Officials Digest
Week of 3/22/2021

DMO Update

• Need to speak with the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs? Email Nils.Robbins@NationalDMO.org for a connection.

• How DMOs can Celebrate the American Rescue Plan. Publish an op-ed in your local paper informing constituents on how Democrats have helped them.

• Hold an event this Thursday, March 25th as the White House draws attention to how the American Rescue Plan brings Help for American Communities.

Quick Links

• Ald. Gilbert Villegas outlines the pilot program for universal basic income

• Growing Number of Cities Weigh Tribal ‘Land Acknowledgements’

• Everything You Need to Know About COVID Relief

Ideas for Cities

• How Cities Can Make Cybersecurity a Top Priority

• Guaranteed Income in Jackson Designed By Black Moms for Black Moms, Showing Results for Black Moms

• Dare to Reimagine – 50 policy innovations from Local Progress

Advisory Board Updates

• Comcast – An Update on our $100M Commitment

• Planned Parenthood – Update on the American Rescue Plan and State Abortion Bans

• AFT’s Weingarten Sends Letter on Physical Distancing to CDC, Education Department

News for Democrats 

• House Democrats end controversial consultant ban

• For Voting Rights Advocates, a ‘Once in a Generation Moment’ Looms

• The Great American Build – Climate Action Means Jobs