* This looks like really bad staff work, or poor self-staffing to me…

[Carol Moseley Braun] said she had hoped to apply $140 million she expected to get from an expected state income tax hike — which she opposes — to plugging the city’s deficit. But she was surprised to learn from the editorial board that the state income tax proposal includes no new “local share” for cities.

“I thought we were getting money from the state but I guess we’re not,” Braun said.

It’s been known for days that municipals weren’t getting a cut of the tax hike. A group of aldermen (including some of her supporters) even held a press conference over the weekend attacking the exclusion.

For her to march into the Sun-Times with an exact figure the city would get from the tax increase is just downright weird.

* Braun is against the state tax hike, but rival Miguel del Valle is in favor...

“The mayor says, ‘No,’ I don’t understand that. He understands that we need that money,” del Valle said. “Chico and Carol are against it — it is irresponsible [to oppose it] It is pandering at it’s worst. How can we deal with the $16 billion deficit? We need those dollars.”

And del Valle also opposes legislation that would all but strip teachers’ right to strike…

Mayoral candidate Miguel del Valle slammed candidate Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday over Emanuel’s support for a bill that would curtail Chicago teachers’ right to strike.

“Let’s stop attacking teachers,” del Valle said after a tour of Telpochcalli Elementary School on the Southwest Side. “Trying to take away teachers’ right to strike is a direct hit on the teachers. Let’s not try to punish the Chicago Teachers Union by saying ‘We are going to take away your right to strike’ when they haven’t had a strike in 23 years. I think it’s a slap in the face of teachers. I want to stop the teacher-bashing.”

Backers of the “Performance Counts” legislation, including Emanuel, hoped to pass their bill before new legislators take their seats Wednesday. But the bill, which would make it easier to fire bad teachers, appears stalled in the state Senate.

* Speaking of Emanuel…

Chicago has too many government vehicles and the city fleet gobbles up too much fuel, Rahm Emanuel said Tuesday.

If he’s elected mayor, Emanuel vowed to save at least $5 million during his first year in office by purchasing more fuel-efficient vehicles and encouraging city employees to share cars, take bicycles and use mass transit.

$5 million would be just a 3.7 percent cut in the city’s annual $135 million expenditure on its fleet. It’s a start, I suppose.

* Roundup…

* What will Chicago’s future mayor do with the city’s public housing?

* McPier to cut most of staff: The Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority will cut more than half of its corporate staff as it splits off management operations of Navy Pier and turns over management of McCormick Place to a private operator.

* Ald. Burke: “Hard-Pressed Not To Be For Chico”: I don’t think there’s any question about that fact that I’ve been with Gery. I circulated his petitions. My brother, who’s in the legislature, enjoyed the support of Gery Chico and all the people in his last election. He won by 690 votes. Am I gonna turn my back on those folks now?”

* Chicago mayoral candidates report campaign fundraising: Since just the start of the year, Chico raised $60,500 from nearly three-dozen donors and Emanuel reported raising $27,500 from five donors. City Clerk Miguel del Valle raised $15,300 and Carol Moseley Braun reported raising no money since the start of the year, the newly released records show.

* Six candidates for mayor on February ballot

* Rahm Emanuel and more: Tracking pols on the CTA

* What Will Weis Say?

* Chico, del Valle will face question of unity candidate: Latino elected officials and community leaders have divided their support among the main four remaining mayoral candidates. From the start, Juan Rangel, president of the powerful United Neighborhood Organization, has supported Rahm Emanuel, while state Sen. Martin Sandoval has endorsed Carol Moseley Braun. Former 1st Ward alderman Manny Flores, chairman of the Illinois Commerce Commission, is backing Chico, but 22nd Ward Ald. Ricardo Munoz has endorsed del Valle.

* Rahm Emanuel talks mayoral race on WGN Morning News

* De Jesus opts out, supports Chico: The minister garnered controversy in 2009 when he was among those considered to be 26th Ward alderman to replace Billy Ocasio. (Roberto Maldonado was selected.) New Life has taken a hard line against same-sex relationships. According to a position paper on gays and lesbians by the Assemblies of God—with which the church is affiliated—”[h]omosexual behavior is sin because it is disobedient to scriptural teachings” and “[h]omosexual behavior is sin because it is contrary to God’s created order for the family and human relationships,” among other beliefs. In addition, De Jesus commented in an October 2008 Christianity Today article that “opposing abortion and homosexuality [had] been the paramount moral issues for him” until the treatment of illegal immigrants captured his attention.

* Gery Chico Supports Medical Mega Center in Chicago

* Daley aldermanic picks: Inside the box