Simon Davis-Cohen is editor of the Ear to the Ground newsletter, an exclusive “civic intelligence” service that mines local newspapers and state legislatures from across the country.
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Simon Davis-Cohen
Yaxchibonam
The H-2A Farmworker Program’s False “Compromise”
The Trump Administration’s far-right vision for immigration involves a domestic work program for people facing the threat of deportation and the expansion of an exploitative “guest worker” arrangement. Read more
Sheriffs Collude with Anti-Immigrant Group
How Florida has become a testing ground for law enforcement attacks on noncitizens. Read more
Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon / NASA
Toledo Residents Vote to Recognize Personhood for Lake Erie
Local residents now have standing in court to sue corporate polluters on behalf of the lake. The local effort has been vigorously opposed by a group linked to some of the largest corporations and lobbying groups on the planet. Read more
Unite Here Local 11
Fed-Up Service Workers Push Back
In California, hotel employees have successfully organized for laws providing them with safer working conditions. It wasn't easy. Read more
FaceMePLS
Women of Color Service Workers Take Their Cause to the Ballot Box, and Win
How voters outside the halls of power are circumventing their local political establishments and pushing through new legislation that will directly improve their lives. Read more
Dorothea Lange
States and Localities Move to Reverse Racist and Regressive Tax Policies
Forty-five states have regressive tax codes. State and local policies could change that. Read more
Michael Fleshman
The Banality of Voter Repression
Massive voter purges have been grabbing headlines while more mundane efforts are flying under the radar. Read more
‘Not Another Flint! Let Us Vote!’
Residents in Columbus and Toledo are being told they don’t have the authority to vote to protect their drinking water this November. Read more
Kerstin Diehn
Going Local
In the age of Donald Trump, some of the most significant political battles are taking place on the local level. Read more
The States Are Attacking Local Civil Rights Law
A new report highlights how local LGBTQ rights measures are under threat—and the special lessons this offers about the dangers of state preemption. Read more
Frackfree Mahoning
Across the U.S., Courts are Keeping Voter Initiatives Off Local Ballots
Pre-election maneuvering—requiring that ballot initiatives jump through hoops and meet certain standards—is undermining local residents' democratic rights. Read more
Poll: Voters Want Local Control, Not State Takeovers
New findings show that a majority of voters are seeking to defend their local governments—and their own power. Read more
7beachbum
The Latest Weapon Against Local Democracy? “Super Preemption”
States are passing “super preemption” bills that go one step further to thwart local action on issues like guns and immigration. Read more
Negative Space
See More Local News in Your Facebook Feed? Be Skeptical
The social media giant wants to uplift local news in its algorithms. But IRL, it’s complicated. Read more
U.S. Air Force
State Delegates Meet this Week to Plan Altering the U.S. Constitution
Bolstered by powerful private interests, state governments are dangerously close to calling a Constitutional Convention. Read more
Fibonacci Blue
Local Governments Face a Conservative Backlash
In cities from Iowa to Oregon, local protections and civil rights are quashed by the states Read more
