Afternoon roundup
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* ILGOP with a totally expected reaction…
Fresh off voting to give themselves massive pay raises, Illinois Democrats are at it again. This time, they’re talking about reviving JB Pritzker’s failed 2020 tax referendum that would raise taxes on middle-class families and businesses which was resoundingly defeated 55-45% by the voters.
From Crain’s Chicago Business yesterday afternoon, “asserting that the second time could be the charm, a veteran Illinois lawmaker is preparing a new effort to get the state to enact a graduated income tax. In a phone interview, Sen. Rob Martwick, who represents portions of Chicago’s Northwest Side and adjacent suburbs, said he still believes the state, and particularly middle-class families, need the income and lower property taxes, respectively, that a graduated income tax would bring, even though voters in 2020 rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to do that by about a 10-point margin.”
“First they voted to give themselves self-congratulatory pay raises, now Illinois Democrats are talking about reviving Governor Pritzker’s rejected tax referendum to help pay for them,” said Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy. “If the past week is any indication, we’re in for two years of massively out-of-touch overreach by Illinois Democrats, that sadly Illinois voters will be asked to foot the bill for. I don’t recall a single Democrat campaigning on these issues last fall.”
Like I said, totally expected. You knew it was coming. Part of the “conversation.”
From the Crain’s article…
Martwick said he has not yet decided whether the new graduated tax should be revenue neutral, cutting taxes at the bottom of the scale as much as it raises them at the top, or instead boost the state’s income in dealing with continuing massive debt in the state’s pension funds, which are short more than $130 billion of what’s needed to pay promised benefits.
Either way, the proposal must guarantee property tax relief in the way the “fair tax” didn’t, Martwick said. “When you look at people leaving the state, the vast majority are middle-class people,” with high taxes on their homes a prime reason. To be successful, a new graduated income tax plan must provide property tax relief and deal with the pension problem, he said.
* Politico…
A new poll shows Garcia leading with 28 percent of the vote to Lightfoot’s 21 percent
The poll is not new. It’s more than a month old. You can find it here if you want, but Chicago reporters are really getting sloppy with this topic. Old polls, non-polls, blatant partisan push-polls, even non-surveys have all been hyped as the real deal. It’s the Wild West in that town.
* Press release…
Today, victims of crypto fraud stood by Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) as he introduced a resolution for the Illinois Attorney General to investigate a multi-state crypto Ponzi scheme that has targeted Latinos throughout Illinois and should be included as part of a broader federal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ald. Sigcho-Lopez has received more than 200 complaints from community members who were contacted by an alleged crypto investment LLC with promises of quick and substantial returns on their investment. Many have become victims of these crypto scammers and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of their personal savings.
“The same type of scam perpetrated by Sam Bankman-Fried at FTX is happening right here in our neighborhoods with crypto scammers targeting people in our communities by posing as real investment firms and taking the life savings of hard working families,” Sigcho-Lopez said. “It is my obligation to stand up for the victims and protect others in our community from being taken advantage of by these con artists that use the allure of cryptocurrencies to cheat people out of their money.”
CryptoFX, LLC operates a Ponzi scheme that has been under investigation by the SEC, which placed a temporary restraining order that halted their offerings. When that order ended, however, the scheme continued and Latinos throughout Illinois have been contacted by CryptoFX’s satellite offices to invest with them.
“Through this resolution I hope to bring justice to the families that have been impacted by this crypto fraud, put an end to the practices of CryptoFX, LLC in Illinois, hold the founders of this scam responsible for their crimes, and prevent any future exploitation by crypto scammers,” Sigcho-Lopez said.
Victims of CryptoFX, LLC have been contacted by the company via Whatsapp with invitations to seminars and workshops that teach financial literacy. Many victims have been invited to join by family members and friends.
…Adding… Bill action…
Today, Governor JB Pritzker took the following bill action:
Bill Number: HB 0240
Description: Healthcare omnibus that makes several changes to statute including around nursing homes, ambulance payments, hospitals, podiatrists, and mental health.
Action: Signed
Effective: Immediately
* Isabel’s roundup…
* Chalkbeat | Illinois superintendent proposes $516 million education budget increase; advocates want more: State Superintendent Carmen Ayala is proposing a $516 million, or 5.3%, increase to the state’s education budget next year, a request that education advocates say falls short of what Illinois school districts need. Ayala’s budget proposal calls for a $350 million boost for K-12 schools, or about 4%, plus a $60 million increase to early childhood education. The rest of the requested increase relates to transportation, special education, and free meals.
* Forbes | The Average Rent In Chicago Reaches Its Highest Point Ever: According to Zillow’s data, the estimated average rent in Chicago is $1,925, as of November 2022 (the most recent rental data available at the time of writing). While that figure is certainly cheaper than the average rent in America’s largest city — New York City, with an average rent of $3,353 for that same month — as well as cheaper than the nation’s second largest city — Los Angeles, with an average rent of $2,915 — Chicago’s average rent is comparatively expensive for the Midwest region of the U.S.
* WILL | Rockford lawsuit reignites debate over student resource officers: There’s an ongoing conversation about the role that police officers or student resources officers should play in school settings. A Rockford 14-year-old and his family are suing the Rockford Public Schools, claiming that one such officer at the school used unreasonable and lethal force against the teen and that the school attempted to cover the incident up. Security camera footage shows the officer bodyslamming the student, slamming his head into the ground, which knocked the boy unconscious and fractured his skull. Why? The 14-year-old had skipped part of one class and was walking down the hall.
* NBC Chicago | Illinois Coronavirus Updates: Undercount of Counties at ‘High’ COVID Alert, XBB.1.5 Grows: Illinois now has two additional counties reporting what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to as having a “high” community spread of COVID after a data delay led to an undercount last week, the state’s health department said in a press release Tuesday. Last week, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported only three counties in the state — Hancock in Western Illinois, along with Marion and Washington in Southern Illinois — had fallen into the CDC’s “high” category. However, on Tuesday, the state’s health department sent out an update, saying it had undercounted.
* Tribune | Illinois comes in No. 2 on the annual green buildings list, ahead of New York and California: Illinois was the No. 2 state for green building in 2022, second only to Massachusetts, according to an annual ranking released Tuesday by the U.S. Green Building Council. The state was No. 1 in 2021, and has ranked in the top 10 every year since the rankings began in 2010. Illinois is the only state to have topped the list five times, according to U.S. Green Building Council managing director of U.S. market transformation and development Rhiannon Jacobsen.
* Newsweek | Democratic Governor Takes Aim at Kyrsten Sinema While on Stage With Her: When asked for clarification on the meaning of Pritzker’s remarks about “reluctant members of his own party,” Jordan Abudayyeh, the governor’s deputy chief of staff for communications, told Newsweek, “I think the Governor’s words were pretty clear here and I’ll let them speak for [themselves].
* Tribune | Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s campaign spending outpacing how much she’s raising: Lightfoot began the quarter with $2.9 million in the bank and raised a little less than $1.5 million, according to newly filed campaign disclosure records. But the reelection-seeking mayor spent roughly $3 million from October through December, leaving her with about $1.4 million before the Feb. 28 mayoral election where she faces eight opponents.
* Patch | Ease Public Records Burden: Elmhurst Officials: The group wants the state to extend the response period for non-commercial public records requests. Now, it is five business days, allowing reasons for extensions. The conference does not say what it would like the period to be.
* WSIU | Behind your speedy Amazon delivery are serious hazards for workers, government finds: As part of a larger investigation into hazardous working conditions, the Occupational Safety and and Health Administration announced on Wednesday it has cited Amazon for failing to keep workers safe at warehouses in Deltona, Florida; Waukegan, Illinois; and New Windsor, New York. “While Amazon has developed impressive systems to make sure its customers’ orders are shipped efficiently and quickly, the company has failed to show the same level of commitment to protecting the safety and wellbeing of its workers,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker.
* Tribune | Alderman blocks Norfolk Southern’s Englewood rail yard expansion with delay on land vote: ‘It’s just been a disrespect to me and the community’: Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, and allies used a parliamentary tactic to defer the legislation that would allow the railroad to acquire the streets and alleys it doesn’t already own between two existing sets of tracks from Garfield Boulevard south to 59th Street.
* WGN | ‘Nothing happened,’ Ald. Derrick Curtis says of shooting that left daughter wounded: Less than two weeks after his adult daughter was shot during one of his gun safety classes, 18th Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis insisted that “nothing happened” and “she’s fine.” […] Asked if he was in touch with the Illinois State Police regarding his certification to teach concealed carry classes, Curtis said, “Absolutely. I’m good.”
* Sun-Times | Woman pleads guilty to stealing from HIV services agency, Planned Parenthood: Andrea Peoples, 43, was sentenced to four years in prison by Judge Michael Clancy after she pleaded guilty to felony counts of theft. But after receiving credit for nearly two years while on bond in the cases, Peoples will be released on parole, court records show. Peoples was first charged in January 2020 after a routine audit by Planned Parenthood found that she stole more than $100,000 from the organization’s operating budget between July 2015 and April 2017.
* CBS Chicago | Illinois ranks near bottom of states in use of ‘red flag’ gun laws: In a recent Johns Hopkins University study on policies to reduce gun violence in Illinois, their number one recommendation was to improve firearm restraining order implementation. Here is part of why that is – in 2020 and 2021, Florida had 4,895 cases where petitions were filed to remove guns. In Illinois over the same period, the number was 105.
* Block Club | Queer Sober Social Offers LGBTQ+ Chicagoans A Chance To Build Community Without Booze : Queer Sober Social, founded in 2020, organizes monthly meetups and bi-weekly video calls and maintains an active online community. Hundreds of LGBTQ+, sober adults have connected with each other through the group, leader Carly Novoselsky said.
* Intelligencer | Extremely Hardcore Twitter’s staff spent years trying to protect the platform against impulsive ranting billionaires — then one made himself the CEO.: The days surrounding the acquisition passed in a blur of ominous, unlikely scenes. Musk posing as the world’s richest prop comic, announcing his takeover by lugging a kitchen sink into the office: “Entering Twitter HQ — let that sink in!” (181.2K retweets, 43.6K quote tweets, 1.3M likes.) A fleet of Teslas in the parking lot. Musk’s intimidating security detail standing outside his glass conference room as if guarding the leader of a developing nation. Musk’s 2-year-old son, X Æ A-Xii, toddling around the second floor, occasionally crying.
* Reuters | Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies: A 2016 video that Tesla (TSLA.O) used to promote its self-driving technology was staged to show capabilities like stopping at a red light and accelerating at a green light that the system did not have, according to testimony by a senior engineer. The video, which remains archived on Tesla’s website, was released in October 2016 and promoted on Twitter by Chief Executive Elon Musk as evidence that “Tesla drives itself.”
* WSIL | Mt. Vernon ELKS to donate $6,000 to VA clinic: Mt. Vernon Elks #819 members will meet with Marion VA Health Care System Executive Director Zach Sage to present a donation of $6,000. The donation will be for the veterans treated by the Mt. Vernon VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic.
* Press release | Secretary Blinken’s Travel to Chicago, Illinois: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Chicago, Illinois, January 19-20 to participate in a moderated conversation at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, where he will help mark the Institute’s 10-year anniversary. While in Chicago, Secretary Blinken will also meet with leaders from the Ukrainian diaspora community, as well as with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation. Additionally, the Secretary will visit Ukrainian Village, and participate in a roundtable discussion centered around local engagement in support of Ukraine. Secretary Blinken will also visit the Chicago Passport Agency and meet with Department of State employees.
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* Sen. Sally Turner is a reasonable Republican. She and many others like her undoubtedly fret at the state of her party these days. With respect, it’s just bizarre to me that these same people never seem to realize how they have enthusiastically enabled that base…
In an interview on WGLT’s Sound Ideas, [Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason] said she plans to introduce a bill to require voters provide ID at the ballot box.
Turner, a former county clerk, said she’s not seen evidence of election fraud in Illinois, but added some voters may feel disenfranchised.
“They think others may be casting a ballot that really isn’t them. Indeed, I have not seen that be the case personally, but that might alleviate some of that headache,” Turner said.
People have to show proof of identification when they register to vote. Your voter registration signature is then your ID at the polls. Introducing a bill based on other people’s perceived feelings about stolen elections or whatnot is empowering the conspiracy theorists.
During the winter break, some goofy Minnesotan was going on and on at the pool about how tons of people were bused from Chicago to vote in Minneapolis. It didn’t appear to occur to this dude how impossibly difficult it would be to conceal such a gigantic logistics effort at either end, or even in between. Laws shouldn’t be passed to placate that person’s feelings, who would undoubtedly just come up with an insane replacement conspiracy theory anyway.
If there’s a problem, fix it. Sen. Turner says there’s not a problem, and she was a county clerk so she would know. Stop pandering to the mob.
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Your feel-good story of the day
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kay Shipman at FarmWeek…
Sam Acho saw a solution to food insecurity in the hundreds of people at the Everything Local Conference Wednesday in Springfield.
The former Chicago Bears linebacker and ESPN college football analyst shared how professional athletes on different Chicago teams helped create a source of healthy food on Chicago’s West Side. He delivered the keynote address for the conference sponsored by the Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Specialty Growers Association and Illinois Farmers Market Association in the Crowne Plaza.
During the racial strife in 2020, Acho and nine professional Chicago athletes “pulled up chairs and sat in a circle and listened” to 10 police officers and 30 teens in the Austin neighborhood. While touring the neighborhood, Acho remembered he and one of the other athletes noticed only one grocery store, but 10 liquor stores. The athletes wondered if they could do something about that problem.
Before they left the tour bus, a young girl spoke to the group. “You come to our community and leave, but a lot of us choose to live here. Some of you will remember that when you go to your homes,” Acho recalled.
* But, a week later, the athletes did come back to the neighborhood…
The athletes proposed buying one of the liquor stores and turning it into a food market where the teens would work.
In August 2020, the Austin Harvest food mart pop-up opened with eight student entrepreneurs working after school three days a week. They sold fresh produce and flowers.
When the open-air market had to close for the season, a radiothon helped raise money for a permanent building and ground was broken in May 2022.
Now, 15 students are participating in a 12-week entrepreneurship program. They learn everything about starting a business from architectural design to customer service. They’re also learning banking, money management and budgeting.
* This is the liquor store they bought…
* Wednesday Journal…
The forthcoming building will be 2,500-square-feet and will maintain the look and feel of Austin Harvest’s outdoor pop-up market. Even the design process was youth led, with Austin Harvest staff working with architects to offer input into the building’s design and functionality. The design incorporates the pop-up’s original orange shipping container and will have a retractable roof to give the community gathering space an open feel. The permanent structure will also include dry storage space and state-of-the-art refrigeration units, allowing students to offer a wider array of fruits, vegetables and fresh flowers. […]
During the first two market seasons Austin Harvest was open three afternoons per week. More than 100 shoppers visited the market each week and students rung up more than 2,400 transactions. When Austin Harvest opens in spring 2023, Williams said the team plans to ease into operations and will consider expanding their hours of operation gradually. He pointed out that this is the first year since the market’s inception that it has operated without pandemic-related limitations.
“We don’t want to rob students of their school experience,” said Williams. “It’s all about balance. We want to serve in excellence and don’t want our students to be overwhelmed.”
* Artist rendering…
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* CNBC’s Squawk Box interviewed Gov. Pritzker at Davos today…
Q: Tell us what the message is, because we’ve been hearing from a lot of different business leaders quite publicly, as you know, who’ve been talking about the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and to be quite blunt about it, a lot of them say they want to get out.
Pritzker: Well, that’s not what we’re hearing, in fact, to you, but you saw that Kellogg moved to Chicago just recently. So just another example of corporate headquarters coming to Illinois, and we’re doing a lot to attract business and retain businesses. We had one business that left Citadel because, frankly, he lost a political election, trying to unseat me, and, you know, wanting to get out and made as an excuse that we have high crime but the reality [crosstalk] not about my run for reelection. he just decided he didn’t want me as governor and so he went after me, and spent $50 million trying to take me out. But the reality of Miami where they have a worse [crosstalk]
Q: You’re talking about [crosstalk] Citadel. Tell us about that, though. Did you guys ever have a conversation yourselves about this?
Pritzker: Not about my run for reelection. He just decided he didn’t want me as governor. And so he went after me and spent $50 million trying to take me out. And then another guy rich, Richard Uhlein, who owns Uline, spent another $55 million trying to take me out in the same election. And look, I you know, I’ve talked to Ken Griffin. I’ve known him for a number of years. We still have a major Citadel headquarters in Chicago, and quite a number of people still working there. They haven’t moved jobs. And we’re glad to have them in Illinois, but I’m sorry he left.
Q: But it’s not political to say for example, the CEO of McDonald’s, for example, has raised concerns about the security issues in Chicago.
Pritzker: And I’ve sat down with him to talk to him about that. I think his comments are not inappropriate to talk about the safety and security, public safety of people in the city of Chicago and and what that means for business, and we’re doing actually quite a lot to address that, both in crime prevention dollars applied so that we’re intervening on the street literally providing jobs for young people. And then of course, you know, we just passed the assault weapons ban in the state of Illinois and that’s going to help, but crime is coming down gradually in the city and across the state. It’s going to take a little while, these things don’t come down immediately. But it’s getting better.
Q: Governor, you know the other side would say that it’s, you know, no cash bail and lenient prosecutors. You got to approach it a whole different way. And I guess the mayor, obviously Chicago gets a lot of criticism on that as well. You’re sure that the cure that you’re prescribing is what needs to be done?
Pritzker: It’s working. And the reality is that when you talk about no cash bail, you know, people misunderstand that [crosstalk] that doesn’t mean that you’re just letting you double doors [crosstalk]
Q: By the way, the state of New York though we’ve had we have a similar issue. In fact an employee from Goldman Sachs was killed in in the subway, this just earlier this year, after somebody who was let out on bail, probably should not have clearly should not have been [crosstalk]
Pritzker: Exactly the point that is violent criminals shouldn’t be let out, right. But when you’ve got somebody who committed a non-violent offense, and frankly, that would be kept in jail…
Q: That’s a broken windows argument… ,
Pritzker: …because they just don’t have a few hundred dollars. That’s not a [crosstalk] it’s an injustice.
Q: Some people say, when you let the broken windows, that whole idea that if you let minor crimes go without any punishment, that it’s just, the whole environment seems to be more lenient, and it just leads to more serious crimes. You don’t adhere to that.
Pritzker: It’s the serious criminals that are, you know, they’re committing the violent crimes. So, those are the ones, it’s not people who are committing shoplifting that are going out…
Q: If 100 People, what if 100 People go in and steal from stores…
Pritzker: I understand. They should be held accountable. That’s not the suggestion that we’re not holding them accountable. The issue is that it’s violent criminals that need to be [crosstalk] without bail. Because right now, if you’re wealthy enough, you can simply buy your way out. You’re a wealthy drug dealer, you can buy your way out.
And then the video ends.
Lot of Mayor Giuliani hardliners on that network, apparently.
* Related…
* Northeastern University researchers find little evidence for ‘broken windows theory,’ say neighborhood disorder doesn’t cause crime: More than 35 years ago, researchers theorized that graffiti, abandoned buildings, panhandling, and other signs of disorder in neighborhoods create an environment that leads people to commit more crime. In the “broken windows theory,” as it has come to be known, such characteristics convey the message that these places aren’t monitored and crime will go unpunished. The theory has led police to crack down on minor crimes with the idea that this will prevent more serious crimes, and inspired research on how disorder affects people’s health. Now, Northeastern researchers say they have debunked the “broken windows theory.” In research published in the Annual Review of Criminology and in Social Science & Medicine, they have found that disorder in a neighborhood doesn’t cause people to break the law, commit more crimes, have a lower opinion of their neighborhoods, or participate in dangerous or unhealthy behavior. “The body of evidence for the broken windows theory does not stand, in terms of how disorder impacts individuals,” said Daniel T. O’Brien, associate professor in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern.
* ADDED: Is Bail Reform Causing an Increase in Crime?: As jurisdictions throughout the U.S. consider reducing or eliminating the use of pretrial detention and cash bail, criminologists Don Stemen and David Olson of Loyola University Chicago examine whether crime has increased in places that have implemented bail reforms since 2017. In Is Bail Reform Causing an Increase in Crime?, the authors examine eleven jurisdictions that constrained or ended use of these long-established practices and found “no clear or obvious pattern” connecting bail reforms and violent crime. They conclude that “reducing pretrial detention and eliminating money considerations from decisions about detention have had minimal negative effects on public safety” and that, considering the harmful effects of pretrial detention on defendants, bail reforms might, in fact, “improve the well-being of communities most impacted by crime.”
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* December…
A pair of longtime government reform advocates are pushing back against an attempt by Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul to force them to pay the state $1.5 million, alleging they are being punished for opposing Pritzker’s bid to end decades of federal court oversight of corrupt state government hiring practices.
On Dec. 1, attorneys Michael Shakman and Paul Lurie filed a motion in Chicago federal court, opposing Pritzker’s efforts to force them to repay fees the court awarded them from the state as Pritzker argued in court that continued federal oversight of state hiring practices was no longer warranted.
“Granting the Governor’s request … would unjustly punish two civil rights champions who achieved massive reforms,” Shakman and Lurie wrote.
Included in that demand was the return of state money paid to the Special Master. Shakman lost his appeal last August. From the state’s filing…
(U)nder black letter law and binding Seventh Circuit precedent, Plaintiffs no longer are prevailing parties with respect to the competing termination and expansion motions, and must shoulder their own fees for opposing the State’s termination motion and requesting expansion of the special master’s duties.
Similarly, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 53 requires the court to allocate payment for a special master’s services based on the “extent to which any party is more responsible than other parties for the reference to a master,” and allows reassessment of the allocation of special master payments between the parties “to reflect a decision on the merits.” The costs of the special master’s expanded duties and monitoring after Rule 60(b) was satisfied should be borne by Plaintiffs who sought the now-reversed order expanding her responsibilities over the State’s objection. In the wake of the Seventh Circuit’s repudiation of Plaintiffs’ arguments, there is no reason in law or equity that the State as opposed to the Plaintiffs should bear the cost of Plaintiffs advancing them and continuing special master monitoring and litigation past when it should have ended.
* Today at the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois…
MINUTE entry before the Honorable Gabriel A. Fuentes: Settlement conference held on 1/17/23 on Governor’s Motion for Order that Plaintiffs Repay Attorneys Fees and Costs of Special Master Monitoring (doc. #[8160]). The parties reached an agreement to settle all of the disputed issues in that motion, with the agreement calling for plaintiffs to pay the sum of $525,000 to the State of Illinois. A further joint written status report is due by noon on 3/31/23 on settlement finalization but will be vacated if the Court is advised before then that the settlement funds have been paid.
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* WTTW’s Paris Schutz interviewed Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard last night about the new assault weapons ban…
Paris Schutz: At the same time, Sheriff, though, I mean, you say that this does violate the Second Amendment. I think there’s still a question of that, even the most conservative Supreme Court justices have said the Second Amendment is not absolute. There is no absolute right to keep and bear arms. There will be limitations and this is sort of the gray area being litigated. You mentioned some case law, but how can you confidently say it’s constitutional when there still are these questions about it?
Sheriff Bullard: Well, the, to answer that, is because I can read the English language and I can read the Constitution. And unfortunately, the Supreme Court justices who have ruled in the matter have stepped outside of their authority. The Constitution does not give the Supreme Court the right to infringe rights either and the Second Amendment states ’shall not be infringed’ and there has been infringements over the years in government and the people have allowed that to a point. And but that’s not something that was ever within my control. But what is in my control since December 1st of 2018, as the Sheriff of Jefferson County, is that if I see a civil rights violation occurring in my county, I’m duty-bound to stop it. And I can say with 100 percent certainty that the Protect Illinois Communities Act is a violation of the Second Amendment. Registering firearms, forcing registry of firearms turns a second amendment from an inalienable right…
Paris Schutz: You’re gonna stop the Illinois State Police from trying to register those firearms?
Sheriff Bullard: I have put out a notice to the people Jefferson County that if they’re being harassed by agents of governments who are violating any civil liberties that they should contact me so I can be aware of it and develop a strategy on how to deal with it.
This is what Sheriff Bullard said on Facebook…
In the meantime, any citizen who’s having a problem with any agent of government that’s trying to enforce this act in my county, you need to contact me so we can make sure that citizens’ rights are protected in this county, because as your sheriff, public safety is my priority, but it must be followed inside the guidelines of the Constitution.
Your local law enforcement leaders are your experts on public safety. And a vast majority of us understand that gun control is not the answer to public safety, that disarms law abiding citizens and makes them less capable of protecting themselves from people who would victimize them, that do not pay attention to laws like the Protect Illinois Communities Act anyway.
Say whatever you want, but this topic has not been litigated through the top court. Everyone on the pro-gun side is so very sure that the US Supremes totally have their backs. But as we’ve seen before, that doesn’t always work out.
* From Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg…
There have been many questions on where I stand regarding the assault weapons ban bill just signed into law. Following the horrifically tragic mass shooting right here in Highland Park, not seven months ago, along with the mass shootings we see on a weekly basis across our nation, I issued a statement, which remains true today.
I said: “As a society, so many have become numb to mass shootings as we read about them nearly every day. Then, on Independence Day, when our families, our children, our friends, were gathered along parade routes to celebrate this nation’s independence a calculated coward unleashed unprecedented terror on our community with a weapon of war. I truly hope this is the last mass shooting we live through before assault-style rifles are banned. Assault-style rifles are nothing more than killing machines, and they have no place in a civilized society. It is time action is taken. While the intent of my message is not meant to be political, I feel the most significant action that can be taken to minimize and prevent further carnage is by enacting a full ban on assault-style rifles.”
While I am a believer in our Constitution and our 2nd Amendment, I firmly support the ban on assault-style rifles and I truly hope our federal government follows to ban them nationwide. Since our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment were formed, firearms have become much more sophisticated and much more deadly. Our Founding Fathers were not loading .223 rounds into their muskets. They were not using firearms designed to disintegrate human bodies. As I said following the Highland Park mass shooting, these weapons of war do not belong on our streets. They’re used to kill our police, used to kill innocent people, and used to inflict maximum carnage on their victims.
Our Illinois legislators discussed and created a bill, which was amended several times, after input from law-enforcement and other stakeholders. The bill was voted on and passed. It was then signed by the governor, which makes the bill law. I, as your Sheriff, am sworn to enforce the law. It’s incredibly dangerous for me to cherry-pick and enforce only laws I agree with, or only laws I feel are important. That is not what our Constitution of the State or Illinois intends for law-enforcement. That is not what the people of Lake County or Illinois deserve.
It’s important to note, unfortunately many remain very divided in this country, which leads to mudslinging, hate, rumors, false information, and innuendo being spread, instead of fact. I ask everyone to take a deep breath. I encourage those who haven’t read the law to give it a read for themselves, instead of listening to others who might be spreading misleading or false information.
This law does not mean our deputies will be going door to door, asking for documentation on weapons. It does not mean we are forming a team to search your home for weapons. Like everything else we do in our profession, we will use discretion and common sense.
I, along with other Lake County leaders have heard from thousands of people who support this legislation. I stand with the people of Lake County, and I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe.
* Meanwhile, from ISRA…
Lawful gun owners from around the State of Illinois, along with the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA), the Firearms Policy Coalition, Inc., and the Second Amendment Foundation, have filed a federal lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, the Director of the Illinois State Police Brendan Reilly, and numerous Illinois States Attorneys challenging Illinois’ new law.
On January 10, 2023, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed legislation that enacted an extensive ban on firearms and high-capacity magazines in the state. Plaintiffs say the new law infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear commonly possessed firearms and ammunition magazines for the defense of self and family and other lawful purposes.
“Governor Pritzker and the legislators who voted for this law did this for self-serving political purposes and are not upholding the United States Constitution,” said Richard Pearson, Executive Director of the ISRA. “The 2nd Amendment is fundamentally about self-defense, and the 14th Amendment is about not having our rights infringed. This new law makes criminals out of law-abiding citizens.”
“The real problem is that there are existing gun laws that do not work because they are not enforced,” Pearson added. “We would all be much safer if the police had the resources they need, and there were stronger consequences for the non-law-abiding citizens.”
A resident of St. Clair County and two Illinois gun stores join the three non-profit organizations seeking declaratory and injunctive relief.
Click here for the lawsuit.
…Adding… I missed the funny little typo. Brendan Reilly is a Chicago alderman. Brendan Kelly is ISP director.
*** UPDATE 1 *** “U.S. Supreme Court declines to block New York gun restrictions,” from Reuters…
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday turned away a challenge by a group of firearms dealers in New York to numerous Democratic-backed measures adopted by the state last year regulating gun purchases that the businesses said hurt their businesses.
The justices, with no public dissents, denied a request by the dealers to block the laws, some of which imposed gun safety requirements on retailers, while their appeal of a lower court’s decision in favor of New York proceeds.
The state’s Democratic-led legislature passed some of the laws last June. Others were adopted in July after the Supreme Court the prior month struck down New York’s limits on carrying concealed handguns outside the home in a landmark ruling expanding gun rights.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The federal case is far more important, but “friendly” county judges can easily muck up the works…
*** UPDATE 3 *** AG Raoul press release…
Over the last few years, my office has become accustomed to facing a barrage of challenges to newly-enacted state statutes and executive orders. As we have done previously, we are prepared to defend the Protect Illinois Communities Act in courtrooms around Illinois. As in other actions, we recognize that the act’s constitutionality will ultimately be decided by a higher court, and we will continue to defend it throughout the appellate process. This law is an important tool in our fight to protect Illinois residents from gun violence, and in the event that a court stays the statute’s effective date pending appellate review, we are committed to pushing for a quick resolution.
Here’s the state’s outline. We’ve seen most of these tired arguments fail over the years in various suits, but click here for the whole thing…
I. Plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claims.
A. Plaintiffs’ single-subject challenge fails because the Act’s provisions all relate to the regulation of firearms.
B. The Illinois Supreme Court’s enrolled billed doctrine forecloses Plaintiffs’ challenge under the three-readings clause.
C. Plaintiffs’ attempt to recycle their single-subject and three-readings challenges as a procedural due process claim fails as a matter of law.
D. Plaintiffs’ equal protection challenge fails because the Act’s exceptions draw a rational distinction based on military and law enforcement training and experience.
II. CONCLUSION
Plaintiffs have not shown they will suffer irreparable harm without a TRO.
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A quick, but sincere note of thanks
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A comment last night on our Afternoon roundup nearly floored me…
That commenter gets a lot of grief on this-here blog, but I did want to express my thanks. I’ve received some very positive feedback from several others about our morning/afternoon roundup posts as well. Multi-topic posts don’t normally generate a lot of online comments, but I think the roundups are a service. Before I brought Isabel into the fold, I wasn’t posting some stories because they weren’t quite worthy of their own stand-alone posts.
So, thanks to all!
* As an aside, some groupchat friends and I were discussing the name “Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch” the other day. The House Speaker talked about the origin of his first name during his inaugural address. We moved on to joking about what our “names” would be.
After attending several inauguration-week events with my new associate last week, I decided my new name is “Rich ‘Oh my goodness, is that Isabel?’ Miller.”
Heh.
My niece is really quite something. Here we are at the governor’s ball…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* People Who Play by the Rules PAC ended the year with -$1.2 million…
* Here’s your roundup…
* Crain’s | Illinois AG opens new front in Illinois’ gun wars: In an amicus brief filed today on behalf of attorneys general from 17 states and the District of Columbia, Raoul strongly defends a New York state statute that allows some gun dealers and makers to be sued for negligence if they fail to take “reasonable” steps to prevent guns’ misuse.
* Daily Herald | County board members assail DuPage sheriff over weapons ban remarks: Committee members echoed calls for Mendrick to retract his statement, with some suggesting the board should censure the sheriff if he does not. It was unclear Tuesday if the board has the authority to censure a sheriff. Committee members asked a representative from the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office to research the matter.
* The Southern | Legislators focus on gun law during town hall meeting in Marion: Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Diederich asked the crowd if they believed in the Second Amendment, which was answered with loud cheers. “We’re targeting the wrong people with this legislation,” Diederich said, adding that the police have no business getting behind an unconstitutional law.
* Sun-Times | State’s assault weapons ban challenged by two lawsuits — with others on the way: A suit filed Jan. 13 in southern Illinois marked the beginning of the legal battle to overturn the law Gov. J.B Pritzker has called “one of the strongest assault weapons bans in the nation.” Another complaint was filed Tuesday by former Republican Illinois attorney general candidate Tom DeVore.
* Block Club | Chicagoans Are Worried About Gun Violence. How Are Mayoral Candidates Responding?: With Chicago’s mayoral election less than two months away, Williams is worried that no one among the slate of candidates has a feasible plan to quell the violence hurting the people she cares about. Eight candidates are running against incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot on February 28. If none receives over half of the votes, the top two candidates will face off in a runoff election on April 4. Williams is disappointed, she said, that she hasn’t seen the candidates talk in any depth about the underlying causes of gun violence.
* Press Release | Didech Appointed Chairman of House Gaming Committee: Today, Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced that State Rep. Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) will be appointed to serve as Chairman of the House Gaming Committee for the 103rd General Assembly. The Gaming Committee will exercise oversight and consider legislation that impacts Illinois’ casinos, racetracks, lottery, sports betting, and video gaming establishments.
* WCIA | Giannoulias releases final transition report: Some of his goals his transition team highlighted include expanding library access, release public education campaigns about fraud prevention, improving marketing for the organ donation program, and shorten wait times at Secretary of State facilities.
* Tribune | State police execute search warrant at Waukegan City Hall: Kirkwood was indicted by a Lake County grand jury in July on 26 counts of forgery, two counts of wire fraud, two counts of official misconduct — all Class 3 felonies — and one count of theft by deception, a Class 1 felony.
* Sun-Times | Striking UIC faculty pickets, rallies with local, national leaders: ‘Without you, this place would not run’: The union is demanding higher minimum salaries, bigger pay raises that match inflation, mental health support for students, better job security for non-tenure track faculty, learning disability assessments for students and more.
* WSJ | Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Faces Tough Re-Election Bid: Ms. Lightfoot, a 60-year-old former federal prosecutor, was the first Black woman and first gay person elected mayor of the nation’s third-largest city, winning every city ward in a 2019 runoff against Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Now, early polls show the mayor as an underdog in the Feb. 28 election, with the top two vote-getters expected to face off in an April runoff if no candidate wins a majority in the first round.
* Sun-Times | Chuy Garcia outlines ‘Women’s Agenda’: On Tuesday, Garcia outlined a “Women’s Agenda” that includes everything from free City Colleges tuition and student loan forgiveness for “women, immigrants, trades, veterans and adult learners” to advocating for “legislative solutions” that, he claims, would “make child care universal and affordable.”
* Pew | More States Are Doing What They Can to Cap Insulin Costs: In response to the steep rise in out-of-pocket costs for insulin over the past two decades — enough to compel many diabetic patients, like Hunt, to ration their use of the medicine — nearly two dozen states have passed measures in the past few years capping the out-of-pocket costs for some patients.
* Crain’s | U of I uses money from COVID-test spinout to fund DPI talent effort: Here’s one good thing that came out the pandemic: The University of Illinois is using $3.5 million from its COVID-testing spinout to fund tech-education efforts at the Discovery Partners Institute. U of I is using funds from Shield T3, the company that’s commercializing the saliva-based test developed by the university’s researchers to screen students on campus for COVID-19, to seed an endowment that it hopes to grow to $50 million with additional donations.
* CBS Chicago | CPS teachers say disinfecting wipes were removed with no notice over safety concerns: As CBS 2 Political Investigator Dana Kozlov reported Tuesday, teachers are upset because CPS never flagged teachers, or parents, to inform them that there were concerns about the wipes.
* Daily Herald | LGBTQ advocates blast upcoming conservative gathering at city-owned Des Plaines Theatre: Awake Illinois’ website describes the event as “a diverse group of advocates (gathering) together to transform the conversation on issues affecting children.” Speakers are set to include Jaimee Michell, founder of a group called Gays Against Groomers; Stephanie Trussell, recent Republican candidate for lieutenant governor; Shannon Adcock, founder of Awake Illinois and a leader of Moms for Liberty DuPage; and former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dubiel.
* Sun-Times | City sells bonds to the masses: It’s a program that sounds tailor-made for die-hard city boosters. No longer do you have to just lobby for or cheer on municipal efforts to rehab dumpy buildings, increase supportive housing or bring something productive to vacant lots. Now you can earn a return from presumably good works, maybe in your neighborhood.
* Jstor | When Uptown Chicago was “Hillbilly Heaven”: After World War II, Guy writes, tens of thousands of white Appalachians moved to Midwestern cities. In Chicago, they generally settled in Uptown. Soon, this became a neighborhood of rundown housing and honky-tonk bars known either affectionately as “Hillbilly Heaven” or disparagingly as the “Hillbilly Ghetto.”
* Commercial-News | Bennett’s socks drive ‘most successful’: For seven years, the late state Sen. Scott Bennett hosted a Warm Socks Drive in the Danville community during the winter. The donations are given to Danville Rescue Mission, Fair Hope Children’s Ministry and Crosspoint at the Y Homeless Program.
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Open thread
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Good morning! What’s up? Keep it Illinois-centric, please…
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Live coverage
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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