* WBEZ has a good story up about homeless people and mass transit in Chicago…

There are about 3,000 available shelter beds in the city, according to DFSS. But the system that manages the shelters counted 11,683 active clients — or unhoused people already in the system — as of early March. And as of this week, another 4,414 Chicagoans were waitlisted for housing support services.

“The shelter beds available are just a fraction of what we actually need,” said Niya Kelly, the director of state legislative policy for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. […]

“As far as beds go, there’s just no availability,” said Stephannie Schreiber, the Night Ministry case manager. “We call 311 to try and find them shelter. But personally, I have never successfully been able to get someone a bed.” […]

When asked what it is doing to address a more systemic issue, a DFSS spokesperson said that as of 2023, the department is allocating an additional $3.7 million annually to increase shelter funding. The spokesperson did not disclose exactly where that money is going.

* On to the campaign. Tribune…

Asked about his previous support for the “defund the police” movement — including a declaration that it isn’t a slogan but a “real political goal” — Johnson said, “I said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.”

Oh, please. He said the defund the police cause was “not only admirable but it’s necessary.” Click here and watch it yourself. The Trib story has more examples.

* Back to the Tribune…

Vallas, meanwhile, was asked about his calls to “take the handcuffs off the police,” which he denied.

“Well, please let me know where I said that because … I’ve avoided using that rhetoric, and if I haven’t, I’d be surprised by that quote, because I’ve been careful not to say that one,” Vallas said. […]

When he rolled out his public safety plan in December, however, Vallas said he would reverse rules that have “literally handcuffed officers,” according to WTTW, contributing to demoralization and making “proactive policing” impossible. […]

He has also made posts on Facebook and Twitter criticizing local leaders and state legislation for what he said was “handcuffing” police.

One example…

Absolutely ridiculous & unacceptable! Last night another mass shooting occurred with 5 shot! 3 mass shootings in the last 3 days. We cannot handcuff CPD & must allow them to do there jobs! What spin will Brown & Lightfoot to Monday? #ChiMayor23

— Paul Vallas (@PaulVallas) July 24, 2022

Maybe he was hacked. /s

* Media advisory from yesterday…

The Vallas for Mayor campaign will announce major endorsements in separate press conferences Wednesday morning – highlighted by the endorsement of a candidate who ran in the mayoral election – as well as three City Council members and an incoming alderman, who will lend their support to the Vallas public safety plan as well as Paul’s commitment to equity for all Chicago communities.

Two press conferences are scheduled as follows:

· 9 AM - ALDERMEN ENDORSE VALLAS – Vallas Chinatown Campaign Office, 2355 S. Wentworth

Paul will be endorsed by Alderman Nicole Lee (11th), Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th), Alderman Debra Silverstein (50th), and incoming Alderman Bennett Lawson (44th).

· 10:30 AM - MAYORAL CANDIDATE ENDORSEMENT – Vallas Campaign Headquarters, 328 S. Jefferson, 8th Floor

Paul will be endorsed by yet another candidate from the mayoral race adding to the list of Dr. Willie Wilson and Alderman Roderick Sawyer.

It turned out to be Ja’Mal Green…

pic.twitter.com/yoby3iRl7z

— Mary Ann Ahern (@MaryAnnAhernNBC) March 15, 2023

Yet another shield against those who would accuse Vallas of racism.

* AG Raoul is a former prosecutor and is definitely not a police defunder, so regardless of this odd spin, it’ll help…

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is endorsing Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor, a move that raises the stakes on endorsements on the same day Paul Vallas announced his own big backer.

With crime issues at the center of the mayor’s race, support from the state’s chief law enforcement officer could be huge in swaying moderate Democrats who have been hesitant to support Johnson, a progressive who in the past has invoked the “defund” movement.

The endorsement by Raoul, the first state-wide elected official to endorse in the race, also raises questions about why the state’s chief investigator would endorse in the mayor’s race since his office would also be charged with investigating that office. Gov. JB Pritzker isn’t endorsing either candidate.

* More developments…

Paul Vallas is endorsing 11th Ward Ald. Nicole Lee tomorrow and vice versa. Her ward overwhelmingly went for Vallas and she has been attacked from the right over crime, so this is expected to help. Meanwhile Chinatown’s rep in Springfield, Theresa Mah, endorsed Brandon Johnson

— Alice Yin (@byaliceyin) March 15, 2023

* Not a surprise…

Citizen Action/Illinois is proud to announce the organization’s endorsement of Brandon Johnson for Mayor of Chicago.

The endorsement was made by a vote of the Citizen Action/Illinois Policy Council, a body of 50 organizational affiliates and individual leaders including elected officials at the Congressional, state and local levels.More than two-thirds of the voting members of the Policy Council supported the endorsement.

“As a Cook County Commissioner, Brandon Johnson has a proven record of fighting for the issues that face the city’s working families. As an organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, he brought the voice of educators and their communities to our coalition,” Citizen Action/Illinois Co-Director William McNary said. “We look forward to working with him to improve the lives of all Chicagoans.”

“Brandon Johnson will bring compassionate, thoughtful leadership to City Hall at a time when we face historic challenges,” Co-Director Julie Sampson said. “No one is better poised to bring the city together and lead a multi-racial, multi-generational coalition than a former educator. His energy and ideas are the driving force behind the groundswell of voters calling for change at City Hall.”

* Press release…

A broad coalition of City Council members today called for a special meeting next week to consider proposed rule changes that would establish City Council independence, removing decades of mayoral control, in addition to other changes to improve city governance.

The proposal is a seismic shift for the City Council, establishing its independence and removing power from mayors who in recent decades have exclusively selected committee chairs. But on the cusp of an historic mayoral election, and with significant turnover in the City Council, members are proposing rule changes and making this critical change for the future of city government.

Proposed rule changes would increase council independence, minimize mayoral influence over council deliberations, provide for increased transparency of committee business, and provide new ways for committees to operate. Among the rule changes, the council is considering:

• Only gender-neutral references included in the rule book;
• Increased number of committees;
• Creating Council’s own Office of Legislative Counsel;
• Additional transparency on how direct introductions of ordinances can be made and posted;
• The provision on two or more committees being called; and
• Allowing for electronic dissemination of materials.

With the proposed rule changes, Chicago would join other legislative bodies in the country as an independent, co-equal branch of city government.

* Isabel’s Chicago roundup…

* Crain’s | Return-to-office figures hit a plateau: The number of workers who’ve returned to the office in Chicago — and nationwide — has been steady since the start of 2023, right around 50%. That’s according to data from real estate technology firm Kastle Systems, which analyzed building security card swipes and compared current figures to early 2020.

* CBS Chicago | Efforts to stop smoking on the CTA highlights challenges – and limits – to policing Chicago’s public transit: Chicago police have tried to rein in smokers on the CTA with municipal citations, issuing about 3,900 citations last year, and roughly 4,400 in 2021, according to an analysis of police citation data. But the effectiveness of this policy is questionable. CBS 2 obtained payment data from 2021 from the Chicago Department of Finance and hearings data from the Department of Administrative Hearings through public records requests. Out of the roughly 4,400 citations issued in 2021, about 200 were paid – or 5%.

* NYT | Black Voters in Chicago Look for a Candidate and a Path Forward on Fighting Crime: These voters are being aggressively wooed with starkly different appeals by the candidates who made the April runoff. Paul Vallas, a former schools executive, is campaigning largely on a pro-police law-and-order message. Brandon Johnson, a county commissioner, has touted a plan that views crime as a problem with solutions that go well beyond policing.

* Block Club | Ald. Gilbert Villegas To Face CPS Teacher Lori Torres Whitt In 36th Ward Runoff: Villegas has received endorsements from officials such as Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, while Torres Whitt is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union and mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, among others.

* WTTW | 14 City Council Races Head to Runoffs, as La Spata Triumphs, But Gardiner and Taliaferro Fall Short: Six members of the City Council will have to defend their seats during those contests, including 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro, who fell 50 votes short of winning a majority of votes in his West Side ward. Taliaferro, the chair of the City Council’s public safety committee, will face CB Johnson, who has run a nonprofit organization fighting drug addiction for nearly three decades.

* WBEZ | ‘The CTA is their last resort’: A night out with the people helping homeless riders: Outreach workers say fewer shelter beds and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recent crackdown on people sleeping at O’Hare has forced more unhoused people onto trains and buses.

* Crain’s | Uptown alderman candidate faces questions over PPP loans: In a letter yesterday to Ethics Board Chairman Steve Berlin, candidate Angela Clay said she inadvertently disclosed financials on one newly formed company that she said paid her $9,000 as president, Saij, when she should have listed another that was formed earlier in 2014, Pink Ribbon Hair.

* Block Club | Ordinance Allowing Chicago Restaurants To Add Walk-Up Windows Gets Key Committee Approval: Introduced by Ald. Matt Martin (47th), the walk-up window ordinance would allow restaurants with certain neighborhood zoning classifications to install to-go windows without seeking a rezoning from City Hall.

* WGN | Alderman to propose ‘Chicago Plow the Sidewalks’ pilot program to City Council: The intent is to make sure seniors and those with physical disabilities can get out of their homes and to stores for food and other supplies. The alderman wants $750,000 to fund the pilot program.

* Block Club | Neighbors Vow To Block Chicago Fire Soccer Facility On Public Housing Land — Even After Deal Gets Key Federal Approval: The city said its lease with the Chicago Fire will bring back funds to improve housing, while residents called the deal the product of broken promises.