Community Groups Roll Out Policy Change Agenda for 2026 Amid New Buffalo Mayoral Administration and Federal Policy Threats
Buffalo, NY – On the morning of Friday, January 16th, 2026, Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) and com munity advocates convened to unveil the 2026 PPG Community Agenda at the Alumni & Visitor Center of Buffalo State University. This year’s agenda is shaped by two urgent realities: a transition in Buffalo’s mayoral administration, creating a critical window for major local policy shifts; and growing threats from federal policy changes. WNY community groups are calling on local and state leaders to act now to establish protections that safeguard housing, immigration rights, food access, public safety arts and culture, and community well being.
“Our federal government is actively terrorizing everyday people— whether it’s by withholding food stamps, cutting funding for homeless ness services, or kidnapping our neigh bors. The decisions made by our local governments now carry greater weight than ever before. This is where we can focus our efforts. This is where we can make a change,” said Sarah Wooton, Interim Director at Partnership for the Public Good.
Each fall, Partnership for the Public Good (PPG) leads a democratic process among its more than 390 partners to determine the Community Agenda for the coming year.
The 2026 Community Agenda includes ELEVEN policy change priorities:
Disrupt the School-to-Prison Pipe line
NY4All: Prohibit Collusion of State and Local Agencies with Federal Enforcement
Establish a Municipal Office of Urban Agriculture and Food Policy in the City of Buffalo
Communities Not Cages: Pass Prison and Parole Reform in New York State
Prioritize Community Health in the Humboldt Parkway/Kensington Expressway EIS Scoping Phase and Draft Review
Establish a Human Rights Com mission for the City of Buffalo
Enact an Ordinance in Buffalo Prohibiting Federal-Local Collusion in Civil Immigration Enforcement
We Want Care—Not Corruption— in New York State
Pass the Youth Justice and Opportunities Act
Create a Department of Arts and Culture within the City of Buffalo
Pass Good Cause Eviction Protections and Keep Housing Affordable in Buffalo The full text of each plank is available at PPG’s website, ppgbuffalo.org/community-agenda/