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Pennsylvania state House Representative Sara Innamorato, February 22, 2019, in Pittsburgh, Pa.(Photo by Salwan Georges / The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Bernie Sanders started his career in elected office as the mayor of the largest city in Vermont. Though he eventually became a member of the US House, a US senator and, finally, a presidential contender whose 2016 and 2020 campaigns transformed debates about economic inequality in America, Sanders has always recognized that, while big policy decisions are made at the federal level and in the nations statehouses, the implementation of those policies takes place primarily at the local level. Thats one of the reasons Sanders has gone out of his way to make endorsements of progressives running in mayoral races and contests for county executive posts across the country.

In late March, Sanders flew to Chicago to rally thousands of activists in support of progressive Brandon Johnsons uphill bid for mayor of that city. Johnson won, and was sworn in on Monday during a boisterous inaugural celebration that heard him declare, We can lead Chicago to a new era together. We can build a better, stronger, safer Chicago. We just have to look deep into the soul of Chicago. Can I get a witness?

But Sanders was already focused on a pair of contests in Pennsylvania. A good deal of attention was paid to the senators appearance with US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), in Philadelphia Sunday at a major rally for Helen Gym, a labor-backed candidate who is a top contender in Tuesdays Democratic primary for mayor of Americas sixth-largest city. But Sanders has made an equally important endorsement in a hotly contested Democratic primary for the top post in a densely populated county on the other side of Pennsylvania.

Announcing his support for Pennsylvania state Representative Sara Innamorato in the race for Allegheny County executive, Sanders noted, Sara has been a consistent advocate for affordable housing, clean air and water, and to raise wages.

If she is elected as the top official in a county with a population of more than 1.2 million and 130 municipalities, including Pittsburgh, Innamorato argues that she can address all those issues. Indeed, she says, With the power of the County Executives Office, we can ensure that the moneys and programs in our County get to the people who have been left behind and neglected by decades of government disinvestment.

Thats been a theme of Innamoratos campaign from the start. Elected to the Pennsylvania state House in 2018, along with another candidate backed by Democratic Socialists of America, now-US Representative. Summer Lee, Innamorato has emerged as one of the most outspoken and effective progressives in the legislature. But, she says, she wants to have a bigger impact. Weve worked really hard at the state House to advance racial, economic, and environmental justice initiatives, the legislator explains. But when it comes down to deploying them and making sure that the moneys and the programs get to the people who have been left behind, that really comes down to having control of the county execs office and the departments that are associated with itbecause its a $3 billion budget. So its a lot of potential to make a lot of good in our community.

If Innamorato wins the top joband the latest polling puts her in the leadshe will be able to have a direct impact on fights that have been central to her public service: making housing affordable, improving air quality, reforming policing, and strengthening protections for working people and the unions that represent them. Thats one of the reasons she has earned endorsements not just from Sanders but also from Lee and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, as well as dozens of local elected officials. Shes also backed by key labor groups in the region, including locals affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of Teachers, and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. The Pennsylvania Working Families Party is also a big backer of his campaign.

Those endorsements count for a lot in a county that has historically seen as a center of the labor movement, and that has a long tradition of voting Democratic in November elections.

As she has emerged as a front-runner, however, Innamorato has taken hits from supporters of her main rivals: Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb and Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein. A Weinstein attack ad borrows a page from the Republican playbook and claims that voters should fear Sara Innamoratowhom the ad identifies as Socialist Sarawarning, We cant allow the failed progressive agenda thats destroying our city to destroy our county. A Lamb ad attacks her for the campaign support shes received from unions.

For her part, Innamorato is staying focused on her progressive agenda and leaning into her endorsements, especially the one from Sanders. Bernies campaign was really the first presidential campaign that I got involved in, in 2016. I really admired his consistency and his boldness to talk about issues that really speak to the needs and the hearts and the minds of the majority of Americans, she says. Im just really proud to have his endorsement and to stand with him, yet again, in this pursuit of building a better world.

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A Bernie Sanders Progressive Could Be the Next Leader of One of Americas Largest Counties - The Nation

Brandon Johnson took office Monday, facing an influx of migrants in desperate need of shelter, pressure to build support among skeptical business leaders, and summer months that historically bring a spike in violent crime.

Progressives viewed Johnsons election as evidence thatbold stances lead to victory at the ballot box. Now, his first term leading the nations third-largest city will test the former union organizers ability to turn those proposals into solutions for stubborn problems worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, including public safety, economic growth and housing affordability.

Theres no honeymoon in mayoral politics or city governments, said Dan Gibbons, CEO of the City Club of Chicago and a former staffer for the citys longest-serving mayor, Richard M. Daley. Everyone has your phone number, you get the blame and you dont get the credit.

Johnson, 47 and a former organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, was little known when he entered the mayoral race in 2022 and has no experience within city government. But the two-term Cook County commissioner gradually climbed atop a crowded field with the support of the influential union he once worked for, endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and local progressive groups toknock off the incumbent mayor, Lori Lightfoot, and win a tough runoff in April.

He has since tried to appeal to those who didnt back him in the election, stocking his transition team with familiar names from Chicago corporations and philanthropies beside leaders of organized labor and progressive groups. He selected a veteran of Chicagos emergency management agency as his chief of staff and a retired police commander who is popular among rank-and-file officers as interim leader of the Chicago Police Department.

There is little doubt that public safety will remain the citys top concern and Johnsons response will shape his relationship with business leaders, other elected officials, his base of progressive activists and residents of every Chicago neighborhood.

Mayor-elect Johnsons top priority remains building a better, stronger, safer Chicago where all residents can live and work free from the threat of violence, spokesman Ronnie Reese said in a statement.

Asiaha Butler, co-founder of the Resident Association of Greater Englewood on the South Side, said she hopes Johnson stays committed to his wholesale approach to crime and that Chicagoans give it an opportunity to make a difference. Butler said improving safety on her own block took 10 or even 15 years of cooperation with neighbors and other community groups.

Knowing the despair that our city sometimes faces, it will take a while to take that cloud away, Butler said. I wouldnt put anyone up to that job in one term.

Chicago has a higher per-capita homicide rate than New York or Los Angeles, but the most recent federal data shows its lower than other Midwestern cities, such as St. Louis and Detroit. Still, the number of homicides in Chicago hit a 25-year high in 2021 with 804, according to the Chicago Police Department.

That number decreased last year while other crimes, such as carjackings and robberies, increased.

Chicago business leadersoverwhelmingly endorsed Johnsons opponent, former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, typically swayed by his pitch to strengthen policing or Johnsons various tax proposals affecting large companies and the wealthy.

Key corporate groups or individuals have been impressed by the mayor-elects quick outreach following his victory, said Farzin Parang, executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

The trade group represents the commercial office industry that drew 600,000 people downtown daily pre-pandemic but now reports at most 40% of that number. Efforts to draw new tenants are regularly hampered by Chicagos headline weaknesses particularly public safety and real estate taxes, Parang said.

You really just lose out on a bunch of people that dont even consider Chicago, he said. So I think even small movements towards addressing some of those weaknesses, they have big returns.

The mayoral race wasdominated by questions of how to address crime,and Johnson argued that a policing-first approach has failed.

Instead,he proposed increasedmental health treatment, hiring more detectives, expanding youth jobs programs and increasing taxes on the sale of properties over $1 million to support more affordable housing. Johnson will also have the final say on naming the citys next police superintendent, though for the first time an appointed citizen commission will select three finalists.

Andrea Senz, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust foundation, said shes hopeful that Johnson can bring philanthropies, businesses, police and activists together to create a wide-ranging strategy to prevent violence now and chip away at the conditions that let it flourish.

It feels like this is a moment the moment to have those conversations, for a mayor to bring everybody to the table, Senz said.

Johnson has shown no sign of backing away from his campaign strategies. When violence broke out as teens flooded Chicagos downtown streets in mid-April, he issued a statement asking that people not demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities.

Paying for his campaign promises, including the public safety response, hinges on a number of tax increases aimed at high earners and large companies likely to put up a political fight. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the states most influential Democrat, already declined to back the mayor-elects proposal to tax financial transactions, which would require sign-off from state lawmakers.

Johnson is also taking on a growing migrant crisis. Chicago is among the U.S. citiesalready struggling to provide shelter and other help to hundredsarriving from the southern border, with adults and young children sleeping in police station lobbies. The flow of new arrivals is expected to increase now that pandemic-era restrictions on migrant crossings have ended.

Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat who also ran for mayor, said Johnson will have to use the same strategy that won him the mayors office to achieve his many priorities.

I think what Lori Lightfoot learned is that in Chicago, your defenders can very quickly become your detractors, Buckner said. We want our leaders to be authentic, have conversations with us about the future. As long as he continues to do that, I think people will give him an opportunity.

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Chicago mayors progressive strategy to be tested amid public safety, growth concerns - NBC News

Zients has tried to develop relationships with Hill allies, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Theres a transition going on in the administration, Jayapal said in March. We were looking forward to developing a good relationship with Jeff Zients, but at this point, were not in that place yet. So were still working on it.

Jayapal later added: Were getting to know each other, and Ive been really pleased with how responsive and open they are.

Since Zients takeover, there have been different reviews of how communication between the White House and Congress has flowed. West Wing Playbook reported last month that Zients was working to improve his relationships with allies on Capitol Hill, routinely calling and texting key members, including Jayapal.

Ive spoken with Jeff several times since hes become chief of staff and believe he is sincere about his commitment to working with progressives, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said in March. Ron made it a priority to engage with Congress and it made a big difference. I know Jeff plans to do the same.

Ocasio-Cortez recalled the dynamic with Klain as very open.

Right now, you know, for me personally, its hard to tell sometimes what is getting through [to the White House] and what isnt, Ocasio-Cortez said. From what Ive been hearing with some grassroots partners, they dont feel the same receptiveness or true partnership that they had experienced previously.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment.

Listen to the full interview in Playbook Deep Dive here.

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AOC says lawmakers' relationship with Zients is still a work in progress - POLITICO

Democrats controlled the House and Senate, but they dont claim to have a super majority

The dramatic architecture of the rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol is enhanced through a fisheye lens in Denver. (David Zalubowski/Associated Press file)

The Red Room of Doom. Thats the nickname one House Democrat gave the state Senate this past session. Others joked that the chamber with its red wallpaper, carpet and ceiling was where progressive bills went to die.

While Democrats held a near super majority at the Colorado Legislature this session, closely divided committees in the state Senate frequently blocked or watered down some of the progressive priorities.

And that inspired one supporter of some of those policies to wonder why why didnt such big Democratic majorities translate into bigger margins on Senate committees in particular?

Coming down to a single vote

Alex Nelson, a public schoolteacher in Denver, is passionate about affordable housing. He visited the state Capitol this spring to back several Democratic housing bills and testify in committee.

Nelson sees the impact that the lack of affordable housing has on schools, with students and families being priced out and having to move away, and also people choosing to have fewer children.

Housing costs, costs of living are so high that we see diminishing enrollment every single year, which is leading to closure, consolidation, all sorts of things like that.

The issue also affects teachers.

Friends in the teaching profession have a hard time accessing affordable housing, Nelson said. A couple of my friends have left the state because of housing costs.

Given how many people are struggling with housing, Nelson said he was surprised when measures like a proposal to allow local communities to enact rent control narrowly died in a Senate committee. It failed on a 4-3 vote.

I was thinking just about how many bills in the Colorado Senate came down to a single vote of either passage or failure, said Nelson. The situation led him to wonder, why those committees had only a single vote majority when the members on the floor held almost two thirds (of the seats)? ... Is that a decision made by leadership?

On seven out of the state Senates 10 committees this year, Democrats only had a one-vote advantage. Those narrow margins made it possible for a single moderate member to side with Republicans to vote down a bill, or to demand significant changes in order to win passage.

Committee make-up more than a numbers game

Nelson was on the right track with his question about who decides the committee makeup; that power rests in the hands of Democratic Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno. He appoints lawmakers to committees and decides on each panels size and political split.

The committee makeup is dictated by the political makeup of the chamber as a whole, he said. The rule says that the committee makeup has to be in rough proportion to the number of seats you occupy in the Senate chamber.

But because its only a rough proportion, Moreno still has leeway on each committee. Moreno acknowledges he could have given Democrats a bigger advantage on some committees, but said he doesnt have enough members to pad out all of them and that lawmakers individual expertise played a significant role in his choices.

The situation put a spotlight on several of the Senates more moderate members, like Democrat Dylan Roberts. Roberts, who was the key no vote on the rent control bill, was a swing vote on three different committees.

I reminded bill sponsors who were frustrated at my position that I didn't make the committee assignments, said Roberts. I didn't make the makeup of the committees. I was assigned to those committees, and I'm just doing my job. I got sent here by my district, not by a political party and not by a political philosophy.

Roberts lives in Avon and represents a mountain district where Democrats hold a less than seven point advantage, according to redistricting maps. He said he scrutinizes every piece of legislation.

The goal is collaboration and trying to make bills better. But there were several policies where I just couldn't get there.

Republican lawmakers said they were more than happy the Senate acted as a moderating force.

We haven't killed that many bills, said GOP Sen. Perry Will in the final weeks of session. But some of the bills that need to go away, it went away. I think it's great and I think it's much needed.

On the House side, where committees were much more steeply tilted in Democrats favor, Republicans said they were grateful that the Senate at times blocked policies they lacked the power to stop.

There were Democrats that destroyed bills that would not be good for Colorado. It's a teamwork effort here, said Republican Rep. Ron Weinberg who passed many bipartisan bills this session.

Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen said even though the GOP is at a disadvantage he thinks they are still punching above our weight to kill bad policy ideas. We are actually trying to hold the ideals of freedom for individuals to live the lives they want to live and the way they want to live them.

Progressive frustrations

The narrow committee splits didnt just result in more moderate senators voting down progressive bills; in many cases, they were able to get concessions and amendments in exchange for their support.

For progressives, the Senate results were a source of frustration throughout the session. They argue that Democrats surprising success last November the party picked up legislative seats in a year many analysts expected them to lose some show that they have a mandate to make big moves.

Voters are wanting something bigger and bolder. And we tried and that's not what's happening, said Democratic Rep. Lorena Garcia who is in her first year at the Capitol. Garcia believes voters elected Democrats to do more this year on housing and criminal justice, in particular. But several key bills on those topics were defeated.

However, Moreno defended the committee makeup as a good reflection of the Senates general views. He notes that even when progressive bills did get to the Senate floor, they still didnt have the votes to pass.

For instance, a bill to make it harder for landlords to evict people on month to month leases lingered on the calendar and ultimately ran out of time, in part because it lacked the support to move forward. The Senate also gutted a bill that would have prevented prosecutions of 10- to 12-year-olds, except in homicide cases. And when a proposal to allow local communities to set up supervised sites for safe drug use came up in a Senate committee, three Democrats joined Republicans in voting it down.

All of the policies managed to pass the House before hitting roadblocks in the Senate.

And it wasn't always progressive policies that struggled in the Senate. The governor's Land Use bill, which was sponsored by Moreno, also died in that chamber. The Senate watered down the bill significantly, setting up a showdown with the House, which passed a more robust version. In the end, the bill was dropped in the final hours of session for lack of Senate votes.

Yes, we have a historic majority, said Moreno. It doesn't mean that we have a super majority of progressive members. It means that everyone votes their own conscience in their own district.

Senate defenders also note that some progressive bills didnt even gain traction in the House. A proposed statewide assault weapons ban failed in its first committee after three Democrats joined Republicans to defeat it. The House also handily rejected a measure to mandate more predictable schedules for restaurant and retail workers.

Progressive Democrats say they plan to try again with many of these ideas next session.

And as for Alex Nelson, the teacher who started us looking into this issue he said hes glad to learn more about how the Legislature works, and is optimistic some of the housing proposals he supports will see more success down the road.

I tried to remind myself that these things take time and that the first go isn't always gonna be the one that gets you exactly what you want, he said.

To read more stories from Colorado Public Radio, visit http://www.cpr.org.

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'Red Room of Doom' put brakes on some progressive priorities in ... - The Durango Herald

San Francisco Democrats have been called 'mean girls' after they banned a lesbian Asian from setting up a liberal club in the city.

Cyn Wang, who worked for the Obama Administration, attempted to set up a group called theWestside Family Democratic Club, but was stopped because the title contained the word 'family' and for backing a recall of a woke school board.

The Chinese immigrant has long been a Democrat, and on paper looks like the perfect candidate to represent a liberal group. Wang voted for Biden in 2020, labeled herself an intersectional feminist, and denounced the Republican Party as 'the biggest threat to our democracy.'

She also married a Mexican immigrant, who got her green card this month; runs a small family business and sends her daughter to a public school.

Wang was sure her club would be approved by the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) without incident, but when she and her other club members logged onto the Zoom meeting, they were sorely mistaken.

The group was met with backlash, accused of being racist, and even being secretly funded by Republicans.

'My mouth was agape,' Wang told the San Francisco Chronicle. 'Those allegations could not be more false.'

'Fighting systemic racism is one reason Im involved in local Democratic politics. To me, it lifted the veil on how narrow of a definition they have of what being a Democrat means.'

Even DCCC memberJanice Li said the meeting gave 'mean girl' mentality.

'Its that You cant sit with us mentality that makes me very uncomfortable with the state of San Francisco politics,' Li told the Chronicle. 'Its very: "Youre not even allowed in." Its very Mean Girls.'

San Francisco politics have always been a battle ground and the group planned on getting more voters registers inDistricts One, Four and Seven, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and they wanted families to get more involved, rather than ditching the city - hence why family was in their club's name.

Wang wanted a more welcoming party for families, especially on the westside, where very few clubs existed. She even helped start the San Francisco Parent Coalition, which focused on recalling two of three school board members last year and a few parents she met there helped found her new club.

The club wanted to focus on improving the public school system, cleaning up the streets, getting more houses built, and strengthening the public transportation in the city - all causes local Democrats supported.

In addition, they met all the requirements to be chartered - a pointHoney Mahogany, a DCCC chairman, highlighted.

Despite that, they were met with negativity and a local tenant activist even told them: 'F**k you.'

'F you, Westside Family Democratic Club!'Jordan Davis said at the meeting. 'I yield my time! F you!'

Davis has been to several political events in San Francisco and always used strong language and often left the podium yelling obscenities.

Local Brandee Marckmann, who opposed the school board recall, starkly accused them of being conservative: 'I know a Republican when I see one.'

DCCC members were reportedly grillingParag Gupta - one of the parents from the parent coalition who helped found the westside club - who was left shocked by the harsh questioning.

They asked him their income levels, racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, and even if they voted on the school board recall.

'Were just starting out,' Gupta told the DCCC. 'We seek to be an inclusive club, and we seek to be representative of all demographics, genders, races and inclusive of all families. If someone considers themselves a family, we consider them a family.'

Despite his attempt to reconcile the criticism, the DCCC garnered enough votes to shut them down temporarily - even though not all members voted.

Keith Baraka, a DCCC member,abstained from voting due to the public commenters concerns, but later told the Chronicle that he had spoken with Wang and would support the group if they went up for charter again.

Peter Gallotta, who voted to table the chartering, said he questioned why the club wanted to be chartered rather than just become an advocacy group.

'I think we need to reform our application process so we have more, and better, information as members before we give a stamp of approval,' he told the Chronicle.

Mahogany, the only member to defend the group, said another charter vote will be set up soon.

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San Fran progressives BAN lesbian Asian from setting up Dem club because title had 'family' in it - Daily Mail