Table of Contents

• Local Politics Around the Country

• TownHallOS Updates

• We Need Your Help

Nationwide "Hands Off" Protests: April 5, 2025

The "Hands Off" protests, which began on April 5, 2025, have become one of the largest coordinated demonstrations in recent U.S. history, with over 1,400 events across all 50 states and internationally. Organized by a coalition of advocacy groups, the protests have drawn millions of participants nationwide (CNN, NPR).

Protesters have opposed policies under President Donald Trump’s administration and Elon Musk’s federal reforms, citing concerns over cuts to Medicaid and Social Security, layoffs of federal employees, LGBTQ+ rights rollbacks, and economic challenges linked to global tariffs (Economic Times, BBC).

Major demonstrations occurred in cities like Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and New York, with over 100,000 attending National Mall rallies. Smaller towns also hosted events, while international solidarity protests occurred in cities such as London and Paris (NBC News, Reuters).

The protests reflect widespread grassroots mobilization in response to perceived threats to public services and democratic values (Washington Post, Common Dreams).

Spotlight: Local Politics Around the Country

Notable developments in local governance and civic matters across the U.S. in the last week:

Cook County, IL

• Property Tax Relief Program Finalized (April 10)

  • Cook County approved a $1,000 one-time payment for households earning ≤100% of the area median income to offset soaring property taxes. Funds will cover ~13,600 recipients. Source

• Preckwinkle Acknowledges Tech Overhaul Failures (April 10)

  • County Board President Toni Preckwinkle admitted to systemic issues with the modernization of the $100M Tyler Technologies property tax system, citing delays and glitches affecting bill distribution. Source

Los Angeles County, CA

• Rick Caruso Positions as "Shadow Mayor" (April 5)

  • The billionaire developer intensified criticism of Mayor Karen Bass’ wildfire recovery efforts, leveraging social media and a civic coalition (Steadfast LA) to promote parallel rebuilding initiatives. Source

Harris County, TX

• $330M Budget Shortfall Prompts Employee Buyouts (April 11)

  • Houston launched voluntary buyouts for 3,000 retirement-eligible employees to avert service cuts or tax hikes. If fully adopted, this could save $100M annually. Source

Maricopa County, AZ

• Voter Realignment Trends Accelerate (April 8)

  • 7,600+ voters updated registrations in March, with 4,000 switching to independent/no party. Republicans gained 1,582 registrants, mostly from independents. Source

San Diego County, CA

• Special Election Results for Supervisor (April 8)

  • Republican John McCann (43%) and Democrat Paloma Aguirre (32%) advanced to a July runoff for District 1 Supervisor, determining partisan control of the board. Source

Orange County, CA

• Supervisors Debate Andrew Do Plea Deal (April 8)

  • Board members clashed over urging federal prosecutors to toughen sentencing for ex-Supervisor Andrew Do, who stole $10M in pandemic funds. A sentencing recommendation will be drafted. Source

Kings County, NY (Brooklyn)

• Adams Skips Democratic Primary (April 4)

  • Mayor Eric Adams announced an independent re-election bid after federal corruption charges were dismissed, bypassing a June Democratic primary dominated by Andrew Cuomo. Source

Clark County, NV

• Sisolak Eyes 2026 Gubernatorial Rematch (April 11)

  • Former Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) confirmed he’s considering challenging Gov. Joe Lombardo (R), citing disapproval of Lombardo’s handling of anti-Trump protests. Source

Have a Local Story to Share?

If you know of noteworthy developments in your community, want us to spotlight a specific issue, or think we got something wrong, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us details at [email protected].

TownHallOS Updates

We’re currently awaiting approval for our tax-exempt status in Virginia. This milestone is a crucial step in our journey and is expected to coincide with our official launch. Achieving this status will allow us to serve communities nationwide as a nonprofit organization.

Business Wins

• Nonprofit Status Progress: Virginia approved our formation as a non-stock, not-for-profit corporation! We’ve filed our IRS 1023-EZ and await a 501(c)(3) determination. Donations will open next week. Please consider supporting our mission; contributions will retroactively become tax-deductible upon approval.

• Banking Partnership: We’re excited to partner with Mercury to streamline financial operations.

Last Week’s Progress

• Database: Loaded legislation data for all 50 states + federal bills.

• API Optimization: Fixed timeout issues caused by large datasets (no more spinning wheels!).

• UI Breakthrough: Our developer, Sanil, built his first Node.js API endpoint and solved row-level security bugs.

• Design Preview: Check out our bill table mockups below! We’ve been debating internally about the best user experience here. Let us know your thoughts in the poll. Feedback welcome! Note: The final design will differ from the early prototype UI mockups below.

Estimated Launch Countdown: 7 Days!

Depending on how everything goes over the next few days, we hope to launch next Saturday. We’ll keep you updated throughout the week!

Version 0.0.1 debuts next Saturday 🤞! Expect:

• Basic bill tracking

• Personalized profiles and onboarding

• Representative lookup

• Email us if you’d like early access to policy summaries

How You Can Help

• Feedback Needed: Review our UI mockups and share your thoughts.

• Spread the Word: Forward this email to local advocates and changemakers! We want to work with them.

• Support Our Work: Donations launch next week—every dollar fuels accessible democracy.

Stay in Touch! Send Us Feedback!

Please email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, or comments about features and the product. We would love to hear from you and learn about your and your community's needs.

We Need Your Help: Connecting with Local Leaders

As we gear up for alpha launch, we seek connections with local lawmakers, representatives, and civic organizations that share our commitment to transparent and accessible government. If you have contacts interested in partnering with TownHallOS, we’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to [email protected] with any relevant introductions or suggestions.

Join Us in Building the Future of Civic Engagement

TownHallOS isn’t just a platform — it’s a movement to make democracy more accessible and responsive. Together, we can create a society where every voice matters and every voice becomes action.

Thank you for being part of our story. Stay tuned for updates as we approach launch day!

— The TownHallOS Team

Where your voice becomes action.