* Background is here if you need it…
* Survey…
The ILSA Town Halls will be a place to discuss what has been going on with ILSA, HB 4148, and give your input on what changes you’d like to see implemented. […]
Which provisional asks would you like to see implemented in the workplace prior to ILSA entering into a collective bargaining contract?
• Minimum monthly salary increase for all positions
• Proposed salary increases would preserve raises included above base pay
• Pay increases would be retroactive to the beginning of Fiscal Year 24 (July 1, 2023)
• Base payroll money for district staff being separate from district allotment funds
• Staff to member ratios increase to accommodate how many members in HDems Caucus
• Annual inflation COLA
• Comp time formula transparency
• Comp time formula changed to 1:1 if no overtime paid
• Comp time be awarded for all sessions (Veto, Lame Duck, Special Session, etc.)
• On non-session periods, minimum remote work 3 days per week without a special reason or additional requirements
• Flex hours (such as summer flex hours offered to Speaker’s Staff this summer) be extended as normal procedure during non-session periods and consistent through all units
• All staff receive one Friday off per month during non-session months without impacting leave balances
• Fully paid parental leave for all parnets (birthing and non-birthing) commensurate with the rest of Illinois state government (12 weeks)
• Rotating staff kept in office after adjournment, rather than arbitrarily keeping everyone in office
• Leaving at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays before a Tuesday session
• No doctor’s notes required for sick days
• Timekeeping be performed through TES only - not worksheets or other methods
• Training for staff is structured, comprehensive, and detailed–including for district staff
Thoughts?
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Afternoon roundup
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From December of 2018…
* The 2018 Golden Horseshoe Award for Best In-House Lobbyist goes to Adrienne Alexander with AFSCME Council 31…
Adrienne is smart and strategic and has great relationships. She understands politics and policy, from numerous angles. She’s been extremely effective as a lobbyist for years at both the state and city level. I wish I could steal her from AFSCME.
Alexander was listed as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ “40 under 40″ today…
Union membership runs in Adrienne Alexander’s blood.
Her grandfather moved to Michigan during the Great Migration to work in a General Motors plant. Her grandmother served as a union steward in a hospital, and her other grandfather joined the ranks of the U.S. Postal Service. Those jobs, and their associated pensions, paved a path toward the middle class for a Black family, Alexander said.
“It was very clear to me the difference that it made for their lives,” she said. “They were able to send many of their kids to college and, in one generation, because of that union, it completely changed the family trajectory.”
It’s no surprise, then, that Alexander’s own career at the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees has focused on pension fight after pension fight in Illinois since she joined the public employee union in 2010. As a lobbyist for AFSCME, Alexander herds elected officials at the city, state and county levels in Illinois. While she describes their work on pensions as a team effort, she emerged as the point person for a Chicago City Council ordinance passed this spring— referred to by supporters as a “labor peace agreement” — requiring labor deals for human services workers.
Congratulations!
* IDFPR…
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (“IDFPR”) announced today that Camile Lindsay will serve as the next Acting Director of Professional Regulation, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate. Appointed by Governor JB Pritzker, Lindsay previously served in the Pritzker Administration as First Assistant Deputy Governor for infrastructure, public safety, environment, and energy. […]
As First Assistant Deputy Governor for infrastructure, public safety, environment, and energy, Lindsay was responsible for overseeing several Illinois state agencies, including the Department of Transportation, State Police, Department of Corrections, Emergency Management Agency, and the Capital Development Board. Prior to joining the Governor’s office, Lindsay served as Chief of Staff and Chief Legal Counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Earlier in her career, she worked as Supervisory Regional Counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Attorney General’s office, and Assistant State’s Attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office.
Lindsay has a big job ahead of her.
* I’m hearing at least two state legislators have tested positive for COVID ahead of veto session…
The Illinois Department of Public Health says that although COVID-19 hospitalizations are at a low level across the state, Illinoisans should not wait to get vaccinated against wintertime respiratory illnesses.
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said Illinois is beginning to see an increase in RSV activity, which will likely be followed by flu and COVID-19 over the coming weeks and months. Dr. Vohra says the best protection against these diseases is having vaccinations up to date.
“We are fortunate to have tools this season to protect Illinois residents from COVID-19, flu, and RSV,” he said.
Last month, the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended newly reformulated COVID-19 shots for everyone over the age of 6 months. The federal agencies have given the green light for updated mRNA vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer that target the currently circulating strains of the COVID-19 virus. They also have recently approved an updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine. These newly approved shots are considered safe when given at the same time as other vaccines for the flu and RSV.
* She reported giving her campaign $15,000 back in June…
* Interesting…
* No mention of the hilarious spat with the Senate in this Fra Noi hagiography…
In a political landscape that’s bitterly divided, Illinois Rep. Anthony DeLuca is an increasingly rare breed of elected official.
“Anthony is a bridge builder. He’s a consensus builder,” Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans President Ron Onesti says. “His fellow legislators know that if their constituents have a need, Anthony will listen to them and do everything in his power to meet that need, regardless of their party, because it’s the right thing to do. As a result, he’s one of the most respected legislators in Springfield.”
Though rooted in principle, DeLuca’s approach has a significant fringe benefit. “When the time comes for him to need help, [his colleagues] are very interested in hearing what it’s all about and how they can be a part of it, even if their positions don’t directly align with his,” Onesti notes.
DeLuca drew deeply from that reservoir of good will to assure the passage of House Bill 1199, Section 1. The legislation finally achieved the long sought-after goal of permanently recognizing October as Italian American Heritage Month in Illinois.
* I never heard of a Serval until one got loose in Decatur…
Animal Control is aware of a Serval that is loose on the North East side of the City of Decatur. We are working with an…
Posted by Macon County Animal Control and Care Center on Monday, October 16, 2023
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup…
* Sun-Times | Plainfield man fatally stabbed 6-year-old Muslim boy after listening to conservative talk radio, worrying about his safety, prosecutors say: In the 45-minute hearing, prosecutors explained how Czuba became increasingly concerned about his safety while listening to media about the Israel-Hamas war before violently attacking his Muslim tenants. Czuba’s wife told detectives that he “believed he was in danger and she [his tenant, Shaheen] was going to call Palestinian friends to come and harm them,” Michael Fitzgerald, a Will County assistant state’s attorney, said during a detention hearing Monday.
* Tribune | Man accused of fatally stabbing of Palestinian boy ordered detained on murder, hate crime charges: Meanwhile, federal authorities including the FBI and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice have launched an investigation into the attack. A statement released Monday said the FBI “takes the investigation of hate crimes extremely seriously” but did not provide further information, citing the ongoing probe. Federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty for defendants convicted of causing a death related hate crime.
* Daily Herald | Authorities: Landlord who killed 6-year-old boy ‘heavily interested’ in Middle East events: Fitzgerald said Czuba and his wife rented two rooms to the boy’s mother, Hanaan Shahin, for the last two years. Czuba’s wife told authorities that her husband had been listening to conservative news programs and was “heavily interested” in events in the Middle East and reports about the Day of Jihad in the United States on Oct. 13.
* Crain’s | Illinois politicians condemn anti-Muslim hate crime in Plainfield: “To take a six-year-old child’s life in the name of bigotry is nothing short of evil,” Pritzker said. “Wadea should be heading to school in the morning. Instead, his parents will wake up without their son. This wasn’t just a murder — it was a hate crime.” Around 85,000 Palestinians live in the Chicago area, making up 60% of the region’s Arab population, the website Arab America reports. Chicago has drawn Palestinian immigrants since the turn of the century, according to Marquette University sociologist Louise Cainkar.
* WCIA | IDHS agency holding listening session on homelessness in Decatur: The goal of the gathering is to hear feedback on what needs improvements, what is working well, and recommendations people have for homeless services and the Home Illinois Plan. All voices are welcome, especially those who have experienced homelessness themselves. The feedback is intended to help the state better serve the homeless and those who are experiencing housing insecurity.
* Tribune | Trial opens for 2 former Cook County state’s attorneys charged in fallout over infamous Jackie Wilson case: The former assistant state’s attorneys, Nicholas Trutenko and Andrew Horvatare so eager to prove their innocence, their attorneys have said, that they demanded a speedy trial at arraignment despite nearly 290,000 pages of evidence in discovery. The pair were charged in connection with the prosecution of a man who the courts have said was wrongfully convicted — Jackie Wilson — continuing the 40-year chronicle of the case against Wilson, who was charged along with his brother Andrew with killing Officers William Fahey and Richard O’Brien in 1982.
* Crain’s | Johnson’s ‘Treatment Not Trauma’ plans start to take shape: Budget documents show Johnson is allocating $4.8 million to specifically expand mental health services provided under the Chicago Department of Public Health, which includes opening two pilot clinics in existing CDPH buildings and adding mental health workers to support them.
* WCVB | ‘We do not have enough space’ in Massachusetts shelters, Gov. Healey says: Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system is “on the verge of reaching capacity,” and Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is implementing capacity limits while demanding more support from the federal government. Forty families have entered the Massachusetts emergency shelter system in the past 24 hours, according to state data that shows the total number of families in the system is now nearing 7,000.
* Rockford Register Star | Rockford-area official faces more than 100 years in prison on several charges: The indictment alleges that, while serving as county clerk and recorder, Bliss stole money from the county and used a Boone County credit card to pay for personal expenses, including purchasing groceries and tires for her personal vehicle and paying off personal debt.
* WMBD | Students ordered out of unlicensed facilities by Illinois Education Board: An ISBE news release shows that the three facilities are owned by Menta and function as therapeutic day schools for students with social-emotional disabilities. The Menta facilities had applied for ISBE approval in the spring of 2023. However, none had received approval before serving and enrolling students. […] Investigators discovered “troubling” restraint and time-out practices at the Springfield and Centralia locations.
* SJ-R | Dan Wright appointed as Seventh Judicial Circuit associate judge: It will be up to the Sangamon County Board to appoint an interim state’s attorney. There was no immediate word on when Wright was going to be sworn-in as judge. A Republican, Wright was appointed state’s attorney in 2018 succeeding John C. Milhiser, who had been appointed U.S. attorney for the Central District of Illinois by then-President Donald Trump.
* Daily Herald | Donald Trump Jr. to appear at McHenry County GOP committee fundraiser: Karen Tirio, chair of MCGOPAC, a Republican political action committee, said the party is “blessed with a very robust” group of presidential candidates. But the MCGOPAC is endorsing Donald Trump as the Republican for president in next year’s election, she added.
* Patch | McHenry Co. State’s Attorney Responds To ‘Marijuana Moms’ Claims: McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally announced in September that cannabis dispensaries in McHenry County would be required to warn customers of potential side effects of the use of cannabis.
* Crain’s | A French meat alternative startup chooses Chicago for its U.S. headquarters: The announcement comes as the company said it raised $34.7 million, bringing its total The U.S. headquarters here is expected to open in early 2024 with expansions over the year, according to John Hatto, managing director of Umiami and former vice president of strategy for PepsiCo. Hatto will oversee the company’s North American operations. to $107 million in three years.
* Daily Herald | Nonprofit SCARCE gives trash a useful future: The nonprofit is called SCARCE, which stands for School & Community Assistance for Recycling and Composting Education. There, things many people would toss in the garbage without a second thought are given another chance at a useful future. Plastic bread chips are sent to Indianapolis to be melted down and remade into hangers. Pill bottles go to an emergency relief organization near Cincinnati. Plastic bags go to the local Jewel-Osco for recycling.
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* As we’ve discussed before, a financial transaction tax has been off the table at least since May, when the governor, the House Speaker and the Senate President all turned a big thumbs down. Once again, here’s Bloomberg on September 18th…
The letters are stamped all over the hallways of Chicago’s giant skyscrapers and grand office buildings. DRW, IMC, CME, Cboe.
These are some of the derivatives firms that collectively handle trillions of dollars a year in trades, greasing the wheels of global markets with everything from stock options to corn futures. Most of them have called Chicago home for decades — providing thousands of jobs within the city’s $75 billion finance industry.
Now, the firms’ commitment to the Windy City is being tested by some $800 million in taxes proposed by a new mayor staring down a budget gap that’s swelled to half a billion dollars. One idea is a levy on financial transactions, which has alarmed companies already worried about a jump in crime that shows few signs of abating.
Behind the scenes, market makers and exchanges are working together to press their case with policymakers, with firms that typically compete with each other sharing data to help explain their economic benefits to Chicago. While executives haven’t explicitly threatened to leave, in private conversations it’s clear they will consider quitting the city if crime remains an issue and the financial transaction tax passes.
* Bloomberg on September 27…
Abbott’s remarks follow reports that CME and other financial firms in Chicago, including CBOE Global Markets Inc. and IMC, are alarmed by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s idea for $800 million in taxes, including a levy on financial transactions.
* Another article from Bloomberg on September 27…
Trading firms currently occupy more than 3.5 million square feet in the city, equivalent to 60 football fields. In the past three years, they’ve added about 700,000 square feet, and that doesn’t include the trading divisions of large banks such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. […]
[Johnson’s] administration has proposed new levies, including higher real estate transfer taxes and a financial transaction tax, prompting a reaction from Chicago’s trading community to push their case to the city.
* Bloomberg on October 6…
CME Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy’S] commitment to Chicago is being tested as stubbornly high crime rates and a slew of taxes — including a financial-transaction levy proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson — have him considering his options.
* Johnson, as expected, did not propose a transaction tax. So Bloomberg found another way to get at the issue today…
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said he would veto any legislation to impose a financial transaction tax that could harm Chicago’s storied exchanges and cause them to leave the state.
“Let me be clear, there is no financial transactions tax on the table, period,” the Democratic governor said in an interview with Bloomberg News. “There will not be support. I would veto it.” […]
At a press conference last week, the mayor dodged Bloomberg questions about what taxes proposed during his campaign are still on the table, limiting his comments to what has been presented in the budget.
“What I presented on Wednesday is what’s actually on the table,” he said. “There’s nothing new that I’m hiding. That’s what’s on the table.”
Still, he is setting up a subcommittee in City Council to find new sources of revenue.
Johnson dodged the question? *Facepalm*
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Do The Right Thing – Extend The Tax Credit Scholarship
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
If the General Assembly fails to take action to save the Tax Credit Scholarship Program, then over 9,500 students from low-income families will lose their scholarships, causing many to leave their best-fit schools.
The kids who stand to lose opportunities are 20% Black and 30% Hispanic – proportions considerably higher than demographic populations in Illinois — and 100% of these students are from families with demonstrated financial need. Additionally, 26,000 more students from low-income and working-class families sit anxiously on the waitlist hoping to receive the same opportunities as some of their peers.
This program is an investment in poverty reduction and economic acceleration, so lawmakers should do the right thing: Extend the Tax Credit Scholarship Program.
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* Bailey is a different sort of candidate, so he doesn’t need to keep pace with a seasoned fundraiser like Bost, but this is still not great. Sorensen and Budzinski did well…
* From Bost…
U.S. Representative Mike Bost (IL-12) today announced that his campaign has raised $517,000 in the quarter ending on September 30th and is approaching $1.2 million cash-on-hand. Bost outraised his primary opponent Darren Bailey by nearly $400,000 over the last 90 days and has nearly 12 times more money cash-on-hand.
“The scale of our fundraising advantage and the strength of our grassroots operation prove we have the momentum heading into the final quarter of 2023,” said Bost. “Southern Illinois voters understand how important it is that we have a proven, conservative leader at the helm for the battles ahead in Washington. There is still a lot of work left to be done, but I am confident that our campaign has the resources and experience to win a competitive primary.”
* Bailey…
Darren Bailey: Woke corporations like Bud Light fueling Mike Bost’s campaign
Xenia, IL – Darren Bailey, candidate for Congress in the 12th District, is calling on Mike Bost to stop taking money from woke companies and to return the donations, or donate them to a 12th District charity.
“Mike Bost claims to be a conservative, but he is taking thousands of dollars from companies that are going out of their way to promote woke ideology and attack conservative values,” Bailey said. “He has accepted campaign donations from JPMorgan Chase & Co., which has publicly stated they will pay their employees’ travel expenses to go out of state to have an abortion if they live in a state with more restrictive abortion laws. He even took money from Bud Light! Mike Bost continues to demonstrate his most sacred ‘value’ is his own re-election.”
According to the newest FEC quarterly filing report, Mike Bost has recently received upwards of $50,000 from woke companies and prominent Joe Biden donors in just the 2023 third quarter alone. Bailey is calling on Rep. Bost to either give the money back or give it to charity.
“How are we ever going to restore our nation if our own leaders continue to do the bidding of companies and organizations committed to undermining the values and principles that have made our nation great?” Bailey said. “Mike Bost may claim he is not going to be influenced by his donors, but we all know he is aware of who is donating to his campaign. There is a price that comes with donations from these woke corporations. I am not willing to pay that price even if it costs me this election. Mike Bost apparently is willing to sell his values to the highest bidder. He should give the money back or give it to charity.”
View Mike Bost’s latest report here.
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The CCS Opportunity In Illinois
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Carbon capture and storage, or “CCS,” is a technology that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at their source and stores them deep underground. CCS is a proven and safe process and the Illinois State Geologic Survey has confirmed that our state’s geology is perfectly suited for this technology. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) enforces federal requirements to regulate the safety of the pipelines that will support CCS.
In addition to delivering a cleaner environment, CCS will generate $3.3 billion in value for the region and could spur 14,440 jobs. Now is the time to bring carbon capture technology and its environmental and economic benefits to Illinois. Policymakers must pass legislation to advance CCS and bring this opportunity to Illinois.
Learn more about the CCS opportunity in Illinois.
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* The pollster only surveyed 468 registered voters. Among those, just 108 were college graduates (excluding postgraduates), so we can probably ignore the subgroups right off the bat…
The full Emerson College poll is here. Biden won Illinois by 17 points, and when the pollster asked respondents for whom they voted in 2020, Biden led by 17 points. But, again, this is a small sample size. Grain of salt, etc.
* From the pollster…
An Emerson College Polling survey of Illinois residents finds President Joe Biden with a 35% approval rating, while 44% disapprove of the job the president is doing in the Oval Office. Governor J. B. Pritzker carries a 41% approval rating, while 35% disapprove of the job he is doing as governor.
President Biden leads former President Trump by nine points in a hypothetical 2024 general election matchup, 43% to 34%. Fourteen percent support someone else and 9% are undecided. […]
Illinois residents were asked how much of a problem, in terms of affordability, is it to rent or buy a home in their area. Housing affordability is a ‘big problem’ for 41% of Illinois residents, while 31% say it is a ‘medium problem.’ Seventeen percent say housing affordability is a slight problem, and 11% say it is not a problem at all. Idaho residents were asked the same question this October, and 67% of residents described renting or buying to be a ‘big’ problem, while 23% considered it a medium problem, and 7% considered it to be a slight problem.
* Methodology…
The Emerson College Polling Illinois poll was conducted October 1-4, 2023. The sample consisted of 468 Illinois voters with a credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points; the sample of Illinois residents is n=489 with a credibility interval of 4.4 percentage points. The data sets were weighted by gender, age, race, party, and education based on the general population using a sample of n=489 participants and allowing the natural fallout to create the sample of n=468 voters. Turnout modeling is based on US Census parameters, and Illinois voter registration and voter turnout data by regions (IL SOS). Data was collected by contacting a list of emails provided by Aristotle, along with an online panel of voters provided by Alchemer.
Emerson has an A- rating from 538.
* Meanwhile…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker deposited another $12 million into his J.B. for Governor campaign fund earlier this month, his first personal cash infusion into the account since he won election to another term last November over Republican Darren Bailey.
Pritzker has put $335.55 million into his own campaign fund since March 2017, close to four times the amount that Bruce Rauner, his predecessor who briefly was the state’s top self-funding candidate, spent on his gubernatorial campaigns in 2014 and 2018.
There’s plenty more Pritzker money available, according to Forbes, which recently placed the governor’s net worth at $3.4 billion.
Thoughts?
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Chicago Bears open thread
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sigh…
Fighter jets practicing for a routine flyover at Sunday’s Chicago Bears game caused alarm for many on Friday.
Four jets were spotted flying over the city just after 1 p.m., causing confusion and concern among residents.
Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications confirmed in a statement Friday afternoon that the city “has not received any actionable threats” related to the latest war between Israel and Hamas, and the fighter jets reported along the lakefront and over downtown were practicing for the flyover before the start of the Bears game against the Minnesota Vikings.
* Hard sigh…
* Hard, hard sigh…
…Adding… Shaw Local…
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that quarterback Justin Fields is doubtful to play against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday after dislocating the thumb of his throwing hand.
Fields suffered the injury in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. X-rays came back negative and Eberflus didn’t have results from a MRI done Monday.
The Bears will know more by the end of the week.
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* AP on the legal front…
A federal judge on Friday denied a bid by immigration advocates to prohibit U.S. officials from turning away asylum-seekers at border crossings with Mexico if they don’t have appointments on a mobile phone app.
The ruling is a victory for the Biden administration and its approach to creating new pathways to enter the United States, while, at the same time, making it more difficult for those who don’t follow prescribed methods to seek asylum. […]
The government appealed a decision to block a new rule that makes it more difficult to claim asylum for anyone who travels through another country, like Mexico, and enters the U.S. illegally. That rule remains in effect while under appeal.
Another closely watched case challenges a policy to grant a two-year stay for up to 30,000 people a month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela if they apply online with a financial sponsor and arrive at an airport. Texas is leading 21 states to argue that Biden overreached, saying it “amounts to the creation of a new visa program that allows hundreds of thousands of aliens to enter the United States who otherwise have no basis for doing so.”
* ABC7 on the local politics front …
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will visit the southern border with multiple alderpeople this week.
Johnson said earlier this month that he will be making a trip to the border to see the migrant crisis first-hand.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The mayor changed his mind…
*** UPDATE 2 *** Johnson is still sending a delegation…
[ *** End Of Updates *** ]
* CBS2 showed video of city trucks clearing out the parking lot last week, so I’m thinking the city might be doing more than just considering this site…
City officials are considering building a massive tent to house the more than 3,500 migrants now living at police stations and O’Hare International Airport on a vacant, privately-owned lot in Brighton Park, Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th Ward) said Sunday.
In a statement posted to her official social media accounts, Ramirez said she was working to gather information from the mayor’s office about the city’s plan to open a temporary shelter on a vacant lot near 38th Street and California Avenue.
A spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson did not respond to two requests for comment from WTTW News. Cristina Pacione Zayas, Johnson’s first deputy chief of staff, told reporters Thursday that an announcement of the location of what city leaders call “winterized base camps” was “imminent.” […]
More than 3,567 migrants are living in police stations across the city and at O’Hare International Airport with another 11,043 migrants living in city shelters as of Friday, according to city data. Johnson has said the crisis was caused by “right-wing extremists bent on sowing chaos and division in our city.”
Still curious how the asylum-seekers are gonna stay warm in those tents. Chicago isn’t exactly known for mild winters.
* The Tribune has a story entitled “Democrats welcome mat for migrants is also fraying party’s base”…
From almost the moment he took office, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has championed the state as a sanctuary for immigrants. But in his quest to keep Illinois a “welcoming state,” the welcome mat is becoming politically frayed as Chicago tries to cope with an influx of more than 18,000 asylum-seekers.
What was once altruistic idealism delivered 1,200 miles away from the nation’s southern border is now colliding with realism in how to temporarily house, provide for and resettle thousands of asylum-seekers in a crisis largely orchestrated by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to use his state’s long-standing border issues to paint leaders in Democratic cities and states as hypocrites.
As each new bus arrives here from Texas and other locales, more political pressure mounts on Pritzker and on Chicago’s new progressive Democratic leadership under Mayor Brandon Johnson.
With no firm plans in place and the only concrete advice to incoming migrants being Pritzker’s warning that “it’s gonna get cold in Chicago and New York very soon,” cracks among the Democratic base, particularly among key ethnic and racial blocs, have emerged over spending taxpayer dollars and housing for migrants.
It’s definitely worth a full read.
* Cold weather is definitely a theme right now…
Even as temperatures drop, Yaritsa Leal and a dozen of her family members are sleeping outside the Town Hall District police station. There isn’t enough room for them inside.
They’ve jury-rigged a tent to shield them from the elements, but it’s not enough to keep out Chicago weather.
“We huddle under there and give each other warmth,” said Leal, 43. “I feel cold, I feel uncomfortable, and I feel scared, but I know that I can’t come here and demand too much.” […]
The North Side police station is one of the few where migrants have recently found some relief inside a city warming bus overnight, but that’s not offered at all stations, and those with little protection are facing a precarious situation advocates worry could become disastrous.
* Sun-Times…
A judge said Friday he was “horribly disturbed” by accusations that a man opened fire at a group of migrants outside a South Side police station, wounding a man from Colombia and a Venezuelan woman holding her child.
Anthony Evans, 25, then led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash with serious injuries to an officer that may require amputation, according to prosecutors.
Judge Joseph Gump ordered Evans held in jail while awaiting trial on counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated driving under the influence and unlawful use of weapon.
* More from Isabel…
* CBS Chicago | More than 11,000 migrants are staying in Chicago shelters, census figures show: Just over 3,700 are waiting for placement with just over 3,200 at Chicago Police Department Districts. Nearly 500 are at O’Hare and Midway airports.
* Crain’s | Chicago and Illinois call for faster work authorizations to alleviate migrant crisis: On Sept. 20, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would extend the work authorizations for 18 months to migrants who arrived in the United States from Venezuela before July 31. The extension would only apply to Venezuelan migrants, who make up the majority of those crossing the border, although immigrants have arrived from other countries in South America and Central America, as well as Africa.
* NBC Chicago | Chicago charged $7.2M to staff migrant shelters during four-week period, invoices show: As we previously reported, Favorite Healthcare Staffing billed the city $20,000 for a single nurse during one week last December. The new invoices show that despite hourly rates being reduced this spring, Favorite Healthcare Staffing still billed the city for $16,536 for that same nurse to work seven days in April. All told, in the four weeks we examined, the company charged Chicago more than $64,000 for the services of one nurse, who was working at the YMCA High Ridge shelter.
* Reuters | No shade, no water, and record heat: More migrants die in U.S. desert: In the last 12 months through September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) logged 60 migrant deaths due to heat in the El Paso Sector, triple the same period a year ago.
* Teen Vogue | A Day in the Life of a Teenage Asylum Seeker: I first met Christopher two days earlier, when his family visited my apartment for a video call with an immigration judge — their first meeting through New York City’s court system since they arrived earlier this year. They couldn’t rely on the shelter’s spotty Wi-Fi for such an important call, so the family of four piled into my studio apartment for their morning appointment.
* Block Club | How To Help Migrants In Chicago As Winter Approaches: City officials and community groups said they need temperature-appropriate clothing for the colder months. Also, some groups are trying to help people furnish new apartments as they transition out of city-run shelters and free up space for others.
* WBEZ | What does it mean for Chicago to be a sanctuary city?: But one expert says the term “sanctuary city” has been misused, and that lawmakers, the public and the media conflate the term with policies that provide public benefits and resources.
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* We talked about the new Illinois Economic Policy Institute study the other day. From the Tribune’s coverage…
From 2013 to 2022, Illinois saw significant growth in its number of higher-paid taxpayers, including a 52% increase in those earning $100,000 to $500,000 per year, and an 80% surge in taxpayers earning more than $500,000 per year.
Inflation may have helped drive some of that increase. Raises in the minimum wage also may have helped reduce the number of people claiming the earned income tax credit by 11%.
People who moved into Illinois were better educated and more likely to come to attend college than those who moved out. In census surveys, the most common reasons people cited for leaving were work, such as a new job or transfer, along with shorter commutes, better schools, housing and family ties. The main reason most stayed was to be near family.
Those who left Illinois earned 16% lower incomes, were less than half as likely to be homeowners, and less likely to be married than those who stayed. Pandemic-related business closures may have driven some lower-income workers to leave, creating further inequalities between high- and low-income residents.
* I reached out to IEPI economist Frank Manzo to ask him about an Illinois Policy Institute examination of IRS data this past June…
Data from the Internal Revenue Service shows Illinois in 2021 lost residents of every age and income level, with the majority of them prime working-age adults and earning more than $100,000.
Of the residents who left, 51% made more than $100,000 per year, 25% made less than $50,000 and 24% made $50,000 to $100,000.
The IPI ran a similar analysis in 2022.
* What explains the discrepancy between the two looks at tax and other data? Here is Manzo’s response…
The short answer to your question is that the Illinois Policy Institute’s analysis is incomplete, leading to a distorted picture of migration changes in Illinois.
Professor Robert Bruno from the Project for Middle Class Renewal (PMCR) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and I examined a decade of Illinois Department of Revenue tax statistics and a decade of household survey data from the Current Population Survey to assess broad migration patterns (1). With this data, we are able to assess who is moving out of and into Illinois. Importantly, we also look at who chooses to stay. To ensure robustness, our report looks at multiple sources, looks over a long period of time, and includes more observations rather than fewer. I’ve bulleted a few methodological distinctions below.
• First, by focusing exclusively on “net domestic migration,” or people moving within the U.S., the IPI omits people from abroad—which includes active-duty military, students, and expatriates as well as highly-skilled immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees, and the undocumented. Illinois is an importer of people from abroad, 62% of whom are foreign-born.
• Second, a missing group in IRS tax data is those who do not file taxes. People who don’t earn incomes are not included (but are in surveys). If those individuals are more likely to move out, then the average household income of leavers is lower than a reliance on IRS data would indicate.
• Third, tax return data can be somewhat misleading without understanding what happened to people who stay. As a simple example, let’s say a cook quits an Illinois restaurant and moves to Florida. Illinois loses that tax return. However, if a formerly unemployed resident is hired to fill that position, then there is no net loss in tax returns to the state. The restaurant may even increase the wage to attract a new cook, producing a higher income and more tax revenue. But in the net migration data from the IRS, all that shows up is the lost resident and lost taxes. It is worth noting that the total number of Illinois-resident tax returns grew by 200,000 between 2010 and 2020 and increased in 8 out of the 10 years.
• Similarly, the survey data—considered with economic data—dispels the mythology around why people stay or leave Illinois. The data show increases in taxpayers, lower incomes and disproportionate reliance on government assistance among those who leave, and that migrants tend to be younger (others find that “young people move more” as well) and move for job-related reasons—not because of estate taxes or state and local taxes.
• Finally, in reporting income changes, a focus on 2020 and 2021 is a potentially selective use of data during a once-in-a-century pandemic. We note in our study that post-pandemic dynamics may have resulted in new migration patterns that diverge from earlier trends, but recent data appears to show migration returning to pre-pandemic trends and levels.
Overall, complete datasets and additional context are required for a sound understanding of Illinois’ economy, migration patterns, and the likely impact of public policies.
People should remain wary about Census population estimates going forward. Unfortunately, the Census projections continue to rely on a mix of the official 2020 Census count (which likely undercounted Illinois by 2%), the “Vintage 2020 Population Estimates” (which only thought we were going to have 12.59 million residents, itself a 2% undercount from the official count), and net domestic migration data that led to the “wildly erroneous” projections last decade (2).
To be sure, our report supports a finding that the economy is in transition. As Illinois became a $1 trillion economy, its migration patterns made the state more urban and suburban, more educated, and higher paid. But we also detail how those who are being left behind in under-resourced areas are disproportionately leaving the state. It is for this reason that Professor Bruno and I include potential policy options to suggest how Illinois could better attract and retain people, based on a review of the data on who leaves, who arrives, and who stays—instead of relying on an incomplete picture with key pieces of the puzzle missing.
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1) The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) often partners with academic institutions to ensure that our approaches are methodologically sound and that we are calling balls and strikes in our analyses.
2) The Census’ net domestic migration numbers suggested Illinois lost 966,000 residents from 2011-2020. This means Illinois added at least 948,000 more people from births minus deaths and from net immigration in order to get to a minimum of -18,000 between the two Census counts. Where did these extra 948,000 people come from? Those who assume 100% accuracy of the net domestic migration data should be asked to answer that.
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Mayor finally accepts Statehouse reality
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Chris Welch both threw cold water on the idea of a veto session supplemental appropriations bill to help Chicago handle the increasing influx of asylum seekers from Venezuela.
Speaker Welch told reporters last Thursday he had “made it clear” to Mayor Brandon Johnson that “we were not expecting to do a supplemental budget in the veto session,” while the governor told reporters the week before that he hadn’t heard about any plans for a supplemental. Governors always know about supplementals because their office writes them.
There is simply no appetite in the General Assembly to tackle any super controversial issues during the veto session, which runs from Oct. 24 through Nov. 9.
A big part of the reason for wanting a delay until the spring session is that veto session falls smack dab in the middle of petition-gathering season. The migrant issue is super divisive, legislators are getting an angry earful at the doors as they gather petition signatures, and a public vote on spending more tax dollars could very well cause some irate constituents to run against them.
It’s the same basic situation with extending the Invest in Kids Act, a $75 million income tax credit for contributing to groups that then pay for private and religious school scholarships. Teachers unions and progressives hotly oppose extending the program beyond its Dec. 31 expiration date, but some Democrats would still like to see it extended. Unless a reasonable compromise can be found, it’ll likely be kicked to next spring as well.
Plus, Johnson’s recent budget proposal cut the city’s earlier projected spending on the new arrivals by $50 million while increasing spending on other items. That didn’t go over too well with legislators, either.
The message did not seem to get through to City Hall, however. Members of the Johnson administration continued trying to negotiate their case through the news media, before ultimately abandoning their quest.
“Just because there isn’t necessarily a supplemental (appropriation) on the horizon — and I mean, I think those discussions are still happening — there’s ways that there can be funds redirected to the city,” Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, told reporters, according to the Chicago Tribune. She also said the city wanted the state to look at “reapplication” of certain state funds.
According to the article, CPZ, a former state senator, pointed to state funding of official Welcoming Centers, which she said could be repurposed to help the migrants. Among many other things last fiscal year, the Illinois General Assembly appropriated $31 million in additional funds for the city and more than $50 million for the state to help deal with the asylum seekers out of the Welcoming Centers program.
“Welcoming Centers are not for asylum seekers exclusively,” Pritzker spokesperson Jordan Abudayyeh emphasized to me. “There are other costs that appropriation has to account for.”
The legislature did approve appropriations for the city’s and state’s migrant responses in the current fiscal year, which will bring total state spending since the crisis began to close to half a billion dollars, the governor’s office says.
And since the city has not done a good job of standing up shelters and then moving people into housing, handing it money intended for the state’s response probably would likely not accomplish all that much. The situation is so bad that migrants are camped in tents outside of police stations now.
But it’s true that not every reallocation of state funding requires a supplemental appropriation bill. Budget items “like rental assistance, support for community-based organizations doing case work and HOME IL lines are increasingly funding services for the asylum seeker response,” Abudayyeh said. The HOME IL program is designed to alleviate homelessness.
This is a very tricky topic. Reallocating money to help asylum seekers only validates complaints by Black and Latino political leaders, including legislators, that their own constituents are being short shrifted by state government in favor of the new arrivals.
Finally, on Friday, Johnson got the message, telling reporters he would wait until next spring to ask for more state money. “When they pass their budget in May, we’ll have some very intentional asks about how we can align our levels of government to meet this demand,” he told reporters, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
That should help lower the temperature a little by ending the lobbying via news media, which usually doesn’t work in this business anyway. Hopefully, everybody can now get together on the same page and find some actual solutions.
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Open thread
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* What’s going on in Illinois today?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* ICYMI: Governor Pritzker released his tax returns on Friday. Dan Petrella from the Tribune…
- Pritzker and his wife, M.K., reported $2.2 million in taxable income.
- His trusts paid $7.2 million in state taxes and 42.3 million in federal taxes.
* Related stories…
* Isabel’s top picks…
* Here’s the rest of your morning roundup…
* Herald-Whig | Cass County Board member announces candidacy for Frese seat: Republican Eric Snellgrove will run for the seat in the 99th District, which covers parts of Adams, Brown, Cass, Morgan and Schuyler counties. In a statement released Friday, Snellgrove said residents need someone “that relates to us all and will represent all of us in Springfield.”
* Tribune | In what may be state’s first conviction of its kind, ex-DCFS worker guilty of endangerment in death of AJ Freund; supervisor not guilty: “We hope it’s a shift in the landscape,” he said. “We’ve been running across — at least as long as I’ve been here — a significant deficit in the ability of DCFS to investigate these cases, to get us accurate information and to help us keep children safe. … We hope that it is a conclusion where some minor good has come from that unspeakable tragedy.”
* Tribune | Democrats welcome mat for migrants is also fraying party’s base: With no firm plans in place and the only concrete advice to incoming migrants being Pritzker’s warning that “it’s gonna get cold in Chicago and New York very soon,” cracks among the Democratic base, particularly among key ethnic and racial blocs, have emerged over spending taxpayer dollars and housing for migrants.
* Center for Illinois Politics | Illinois Schools: Trying to Maximize on AI Promise Without Falling Prey to its Pitfalls: The Illinois Principals Association (IPA) has created a draft of a student handbook policy regarding the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), defining it as “intelligence demonstrated by computers, as opposed to human intelligence.” It provides examples of AI technology such as “ChatGPT and other chatbots and large language models.” The policy asserts that AI is not a substitute for schoolwork that requires “original thought,” and that using AI to “take tests, complete assignments, create multimedia projects, write papers, or complete schoolwork without permission of a teacher or administrator is strictly prohibited,” and “constitutes cheating or plagiarism.”
* Sun-Times | Burke’s lawyers now say they plan to call Danny Solis to the stand as trial of ex-City Council dean nears: Burke’s lawyers have also been clear about other potential defenses in recent court filings. For example, they’ve written that Solis was “singularly corrupt” and “untruthful.” Meanwhile, Kendall had ordered Burke’s lawyers to disclose by Monday whether they intended to present an entrapment defense. In their filing Friday, Burke’s lawyers said that is not their plan.
* Tribune | First month of bail reform: Challenges, benefits and a reduced jail population in Cook County: “When you implement an entirely new system, there’s obviously going to be a learning curve,” said Scott Schultz, the chief public defender in Calhoun and Jersey counties, two of Illinois’ smallest. Though early days, one anticipated result of bond reform appears to be taking hold: Cook County’s jail population has shrunk by more than 500 inmates, according to data maintained by the sheriff’s office.
* Daily Herald | Tornados in Illinois are increasing, and climate change may play a role, weather experts say: Climatologists say the concept of a tornado “alley,” or lane where the storms are most common, is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more like “tornado country,” they say, historically encompassing Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and northern Texas and reaching east to the Appalachian Mountains. That area itself, weather experts say, isn’t shifting, but they are seeing more tornadic activity in the more populated states to the east, and that means an increased risk of injury, death and property damage.
* Tribune | Farmers in Illinois and around the country seek more protections under new farm bill as climate change threatens livelihoods, health and crops: If the federal government shuts down, something that was only barely averted at the end of September, it could further delay work on the new bill between mid-November and possibly the rest of the calendar year. The removal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has created turmoil in the U.S. House and is also likely to put any action on hold for the foreseeable future.
* Crain’s | Johnson begins playing defense after unveiling $16.6 billion budget: Johnson’s plan to close a $538 million budget deficit relies heavily on an increase of $187 million more in revenue projections over what the city projected when it put out its budget forecast just a month ago.
* Tribune | City considers Brighton Park vacant lot as a possible site for migrant tent encampment: The city of Chicago is evaluating a plot of land in Brighton Park as a possible site for winterized tents to house recently arrived migrants, Ald. Julia Ramirez, 12th, confirmed. “This is all very preliminary,” Ramirez said Saturday when asked about the site at 38th Street and California Avenue. “They’re assessing the lot to prepare for winterized tents.”
* SJ-R | Sangamon Link: A look back at racism Springfield’s hotels in 1881: Springfield hotels refused to house America’s best-known Black choral group in 1881. The result was nationwide condemnation, a rebuke from President James A. Garfield, and a scramble by embarrassed local residents to repair the city’s reputation.
* Tribune | Four months later, DuPage County mass shooting puts spotlight on ‘lost community’: Some question why DuPage County Sheriff James Mendrick has made no public comments about the investigation, which thus far has yielded only one arrest. Others wonder why they haven’t received the same outpouring of support typically seen after mass shootings.
* WTTW | First Measles Case in Illinois Since 2019 Identified in Cook County, State Public Health Department Confirms: The Cook County Department of Public Health reported a suspected case of measles to IDPH on Tuesday. The measles case was then confirmed by the IDPH laboratory a day later, according to the department.
* Shaw Local | Marijuana cultivation center coming to Fulton: Ground was broken this week on a marijuana grow operation in the Fulton Industrial Park.
Davenport, Iowa-based developer and Fulton Industrial LLC owner Dan Dolan, owner of The Dispensary and Rec Room, paid the city $814,750 for slightly less than 60 acres of vacant land at 31st Avenue and Fourth Street, according to Whiteside County property records.
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Live coverage
Monday, Oct 16, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Click here or here to follow breaking news.
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