Governing: State and local government news and analysis
It’s about governance and whether these systems can avoid reinforcing existing inequities. States, local governments and agencies need to move to embed fairness, transparency and accountability into every stage of AI use.
Big-city mayors are taking a wide range of approaches to interactions with the Trump administration.
The bill is coming due after years of underinvestment in water infrastructure. New research highlights needs in each state and the economic benefits from meeting them.
New work rules and other reforms could help break the cycle of dependency. But to implement them, states need to move beyond a patchwork of programs that don’t talk to each other. Federal policymakers could help.
The House voted this week to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program for seven years, while also modifying the program.
It’s more important than ever to celebrate those who improve the mechanisms of government. And we need to give them the kind of learning opportunities to enable them to have even more of an impact.
The state is shockingly lax on DUIs, and it isn’t even the worst. But it shouldn’t be surprising that so many people are dying on California’s roads.
A recycling project in Santa Monica, Calif., is helping the city move away from dependence on imported water.
What happens in Georgia could be a harbinger of the next presidential contest as well as MAGA’s future. Politicians of both parties should not underestimate the political power of Black women.
Katie Wilson, a progressive challenger to Seattle’s mayoral incumbent, was declared the winner more than a week after the election concluded.
They’re the foundation of our evolving economy, defining the next generation of growth. Their resource use is misunderstood. And they’re a boon for rural communities.
The Illinois legislature passed a bill with $1.5 billion to support transit in the Chicago area and statewide. It was in the works for years.
The April 2011 outbreak spurred the state to overhaul its emergency systems — now officials say its coordinated efforts may serve as a blueprint for other states.
The most obvious example right now is with artificial intelligence, but there are plenty of other challenges.
People outside of government aren’t the only ones who could benefit from a better understanding of election processes.
Instead of across-the-board property tax cuts, targeted state and federal incentives for younger first-time home buyers and older would-be sellers could begin to break the logjam in the housing market.
How one organization in Pasadena, Calif., is mobilizing amid a shortage of federal food aid during the government shutdown.
Just about every jurisdiction measures them differently. The data should differentiate between life-and-death situations and less serious ones. Doing so could save lives — including those of first responders.
A new California law overrides local regulations to provide multifamily housing around transit corridors. Can it succeed in finally getting much-needed housing built? And is sprawl really such a bad thing?
The issues that drove the winning campaigns reflected a mix of local and national concerns, and the results pointed to divergent, sometimes contradictory, priorities for big-city voters.
The media and politicians focus on which party is winning or losing congressional seats. But moving 20 million Americans into new districts mid-decade will represent a major tear in the fabric of representative democracy.
States are reducing subsidy slots, slashing provider reimbursement rates and raising co-pays for low-income parents amid shrinking federal aid.
Abigail Spanberger’s comfortable win in the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, and Mikie Sherrill’s in New Jersey, gave Democrats their biggest electoral triumphs since Trump’s return to power.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams is one of the few public officials who's found a way to address both election security and ballot access concerns.
The federal funding reductions and new eligibility rules will have severe consequences for those with substance use disorders and returning from incarceration. States have ways to keep many of them covered.
Typhoon Halong battered remote communities on Alaska's west coast last month. The state faced unique obstacles in getting people to safety — and it faces even more as it looks toward rebuilding.
A 21st-century president and a revolutionary-era rascal have something in common: the Insurrection Act.
Home prices have begun to stabilize ever so slightly in the last few months after years of rapid growth. Experts don’t expect them to plummet anytime soon.
Holding city council meetings downtown during weekday business hours makes them inaccessible to too many residents. To open up civic participation, local governments should rethink their scheduling and make the most of electronic tools.
Actors in and out of government continue to cast doubt on election integrity. What makes accusations stick, and what can states do about them?
