Afternoon roundup
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Herald & Review…
Twelve inmates in the Sangamon County Jail have been declared unfit for trial and ordered to be taken from the jail’s custody and committed to a state approved treatment facility.
But all 12 of them are still in jail, having waited multiple weeks or months to access critical inpatient psychiatric care from the state. […]
Lee Enterprises reporters spoke to seven Central Illinois sheriffs, state’s attorneys and jail administrators about the inmates declared mentally unfit for trial left in their custody pending transfer to Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) approved facilities.
A spokesperson for the department discussed this story in a phone call with a reporter, who provided a detailed list of questions by email at the spokesperson’s request. However, IDHS did not respond to the questions, or to any subsequent attempts to follow up by email and phone.
Some county officials reported inmate wait times of well over 100 days. In Macon County, for example, three inmates are awaiting care. One of them has been waiting for over 140 days. McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane said one inmate has waited since Nov. 3 of last year.
The state simply has to put a bigger effort into building up its psychiatric services. And not just for inmates. The governor has announced a plan, but dollars need to be put into hiring ASAP.
* Crain’s…
A little over a year ago, Gov. J.B. Pritzker extolled the beneficial effect his Climate & Equitable Jobs Act would have on ComEd customer bills thanks to a credit they would get from the owner of Illinois’ nuclear power plants.
“I’m proud that our commitment to hit carbon-free power by 2045 is already bringing consumers savings just months after becoming law,” he said in a press release at the time.
That credit of 3.087 cents per kilowatt-hour, though, quickly turned out to be overly generous — so much so that ComEd customers now owe the utility $1.1 billion for credits it provided them but couldn’t collect from nuclear plant owner Constellation Energy Group when wholesale power prices dropped unexpectedly beginning last year.
* Also Crain’s…
Illinois pharmacists are now allowed to dispense certain types of birth control to patients without a prescription from a doctor thanks to a new order from the state that looks to expand access to contraception.
The order, signed May 10 by the head of the Illinois Department of Public Health, proclaims that with additional training, pharmacists can dispense self-administered hormonal contraceptives, which includes birth control pills, vaginal rings and injections. […]
More than 20 other states, including California and South Carolina, have enacted similar policies that allow residents to receive birth control from pharmacists.
* A couple of Brandon Johnson inauguration excerpts…
It’s true, y’all know we need revenue. We have a structural deficit. And we have to invest in people. And we have to do that without breaking the backs of working people with fines, fees and property taxes.
You can’t make people feel bad because they have a payment plan. [applause]
You can’t stop someone with a payment plan from becoming mayor of the city of Chicago. [massive applause]
And…
We cannot afford to get it wrong, Chicago. We don’t want a Chicago that has been so overwhelmed by the traumatization of violence and despair that our residents felt no hope or no choice but to leave, shrinking our economy and make it difficult for this city to remain a world class city.
* This is just nuts and it’s becoming all too common…
…Adding… Mayor Johnson has signed four new executive orders…
EO 2023-15 — Boost Youth Employment
Mayor Johnson’s youth employment executive order instructs the Office of Budget and Management to prepare an analysis of all resources in the City’s FY2023 budget that are available to fund youth employment and enrichment programs, including any state, county, or federal funds. In addition, the executive order instructs the Deputy Mayor of Education and Health and Human Services to lead all city departments and agencies in identifying additional entry-level jobs that would be suitable for young people. The order instructs the Mayor’s Office staff to coordinate year-round youth employment and enrichment activities among City sister agencies and City Departments, including collaboration with companies and non-profit organizations, for summer internships and community service credit opportunities with Chicago Public Schools and college credit opportunities with City Colleges of Chicago.
EO 2023-16 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights makes the new role responsible for the coordination and communication between all applicable City departments and officials related to the City’s efforts to support newly arrived and established immigrants, refugees, and migrants. In addition, the order instructs all City department heads to take direction from the Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights to assist with efforts to address immediate needs and long-standing policy and programmatic goals to ensure the efficacy of Chicago’s status as a welcoming and sanctuary city.
EO 2023-17 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Community Safety
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Community Safety calls on the new office to focus on eradicating the root causes of crime and violence and advance a comprehensive, healing-centered approach to community safety. In addition, the order instructs all City departments to work with the Deputy Mayor for Community Safety to achieve this goal.
EO 2023-18 — Establish a Deputy Mayor for Labor Relations
Mayor Johnson’s executive order to establish a Deputy Mayor for Labor Relations will allow coordination to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of Chicago, in addition to improving working conditions, advancing new job opportunities for employment, and protecting workers’ rights.
* Isabel’s roundup…
* WAND | Illinois House Democrats pass firearm omnibus bill helping domestic violence survivors: The plan could allow judges to order law enforcement to seize guns while issuing emergency orders of protection. Although, Republicans and gun advocates are worried police will take expensive guns from families.
* Sun-Times | Federal prosecutors urge judge to block defense efforts to contact ComEd jurors, call it a ‘fishing expedition’: Federal prosecutors argued the appropriate response is “not to authorize the defendants to hound this jury — a move that no doubt will send a public message that jury service is something to be avoided.”
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago mayor: ‘Our best and brighter days are ahead of us’: Johnson began his sweeping remarks by shouting out the greatness of Chicago: the “beauty” of Lake Michigan, its “boundary-breaking” arts and cultural scene and even the signature Italian beef. And, ever eager to reference his former profession as a social studies teacher, he shouted out the unique history of Black Chicago, starting from its founder, the Haitian voyager Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, before broadening to the city’s tapestry of immigrants who hail from all corners of the earth.
* Sun-Times | ‘Soul’ searching: Johnson takes office, vows ‘to tell a different story’ for ‘Chicago with its sturdy shoulders’: The inauguration started with the introduction of the newly-elected City Council, which includes 16 fresh faces; a record 14 Hispanics; 18 women, matching a previous all-time high; and nine members who identify as LGBTQ. The average age is 47. That’s nearly four years younger than the average age of the old Council.
* ABC Chicago | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago mayor at inauguration ceremony: Later Monday night, Johnson will celebrate at an invitation-only gala at what’s being called the “people’s ball” at 7 p.m. at the UIC Forum.
* Crain’s | In inaugural address, Johnson promises to bring ‘the soul of Chicago’ to City Hall: Delivering his speech with local, state and federal elected officials, labor allies, campaign aides and their guests seated behind him, Johnson said the “soul of Chicago is alive in each and every one of us” and only by working collaboratively would the city fix its “shared challenges.”
* Fox Chicago | Brandon Johnson sworn in as Chicago’s 57th mayor: Andrea Sáenz, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust foundation, said she’s hopeful that Johnson can bring philanthropies, businesses, police and activists together to create a wide-ranging strategy to prevent violence now and chip away at the conditions that let it flourish. “It feels like this is a moment — the moment — to have those conversations, for a mayor to bring everybody to the table,” Sáenz said.
* Joe Cahill | Chicago’s $20 million club shrinks: Belts tightened across corporate America in 2022, and Chicago’s $20 million club was no exception. Membership in the exclusive club for CEOs paid $20 million or more shrank to eight from 10 amid a broader slowdown in CEO pay growth last year.
* Sun-Times | Funeral arrangements set for Chicago police Officer Aréanah Preston: Visitation will be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn, police said. Her funeral will take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Trinity United Church of Christ on the South Side.
* Tribune | Urban Prep’s looming closure concerning for students, parents as CPS takes over: ‘The school was a safe haven for these boys’: Looking ahead to his senior year of high school, Myles Brown isn’t sure what to expect. He’s conflicted, hopeful, sad. “I really thought this would be the school I graduate from,” the Urban Prep Academies junior said last week. “But just the turn of events has been very turbulent, to say the least.”
* Rev. Charles Straight and Rev. Michael P. Russell | Illinois is ready to redefine community safety : During Chicago’s 2023 mayoral race, conservative democrats and the right-wingers supporting Paul Vallas repeatedly claimed that Brandon Johnson wanted to defund the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Millions of dollars were spent trying to convince voters that Johnson would make Chicago less safe because of his association with community organizations leading the charge to redirect money from policing to resources like mental health care, substance use treatment, and violence prevention programs. Vallas’ supporters failed to leverage fear to convince marginalized communities that crime would worsen if Chicago adopted a more holistic approach to public safety — one centered on preventing crime before it happens instead of simply responding afterwards.
* Crain’s | Pharma services giant expands in Fulton Market: Charles River Laboratories, a Wilmington, Mass., pharma services giant, is further expanding its footprint in Chicago as it takes up more space in one of the two buildings that make up Fulton Labs.
* Block Club | Northeastern Illinois University Faculty Avoid Strike As Contract Agreement Reached: The ratified contract adds 3 percent yearly pay raises and bonuses to faculty salaries, better balances workload and brings back awarded merit pay, the union president said.
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A tale of two state budgets
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Associated Press…
April’s plummeting general funds receipts — a drop of $1.84 billion from the previous year — is stunning in anyone’s estimation. But budget-makers at the state Capitol aren’t panicking.
Compared with 2022, revenue fell a whopping 23% last month, driven by a drop of $1.76 billion in personal income tax, according to the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.
On its face, that would seemingly cause jitters and with one week left in the spring legislative session, it might historically be a call for the May money magic from days of yore that led to mountains of debt in the last two decades. […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker pointed out that the budget he proposed last winter for the fiscal year that begins July 1 relies on estimated revenue of $49.94 billion. His Office of Management and Budget currently estimates next year’s revenue increase at $532 million, about 1%, more.
* Now, on to California Public Radio…
California’s expected budget deficit has grown to $31.5 billion, standing in stark contrast to $100 billion surpluses of the past two years. It’s driven largely by lagging tax revenue from high-income earners.
Governor Gavin Newsom is currently presenting his $306.5 billion spending plan. It includes plans for filling the deficit, which has grown from the $22.5 billion shortfall predicted in January.
The deficit is “well within our expectation and well within our capacity to address,” Newsom said. […]
Despite a shortfall, the governor is proposing a 5% increase to higher education budgets and an 8.2% cost of living adjustment for K-12 and community college staff. […]
His revised budget would spend $3.7 billion on homelessness, up from the $3.4 billion he proposed in January.
Jerry Brown brought some much-needed sound management to state government and Newsom has been able to build on that. In Illinois, balanced budgets have not been a normal thing for decades.
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Question of the day
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Associated Press…
Just in time for the summer dining season, the U.S. government has given its blessing to restaurants that want to allow pet dogs in their outdoor spaces.
But even though nearly half of states already allow canine dining outdoors, the issue is far from settled, with many diners and restaurants pushing back against the increasing presence of pooches.
“I’d like to be able to enjoy my meal without having to worry about fleas, pet hair, barking and entitled dogs and their owners,” said Tracy Chiu Parisi, a food blogger in New York, who was once startled by a dog that stuck its head in her lap while she was reading a menu.
Restaurants have been required to allow service dogs for decades. But it wasn’t until the mid-2000’s that a handful of states — including Florida and Illinois — began passing laws allowing dogs in outdoor dining spaces, according to the Animal Legal and Historical Center at Michigan State University. Twenty-three states now have such laws or regulations.
* I’m sure I have a photo of Oscar at a restaurant somewhere, but here’s one from the weekend in a park…
* The Question: Your thoughts on dogs in outdoor areas of restaurants?
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It’s just a bill
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* State Journal-Register…
Legislation granting victims of digital forgeries, commonly known as deepfakes, to take legal action against perpetrators who create and share inauthentic media is now one step closer to becoming law.
House Bill 2123 from Sen. Mary Edly-Allen, D-Libertyville, passed in the Senate unanimously on Thursday. The bill, previously led by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, will return to the House for a concurrence vote where it is expected to pass.
The growing presence of artificial intelligence and it is abilities have made it more challenging to depict fiction from reality, Edly-Allen said. When the technology is used to make deepfakes, often used to make pornographic material, there is not a legal avenue for victims to seek compensation.
* HB1 is on First Reading in the House. Chicago Tribune…
Evanston Councilmember Devon Reid’s hope to decriminalize psilocybin and other entheogenic plants, commonly known as “magic mushrooms,” was shot down when the Human Services Committee instructed city staff not to move forward with his referral earlier this month. […]
Reid’s push for looser psilocybin restrictions may still be granted with a proposal in the Illinois General Assembly brought forth by Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago).
Ford’s legislation, the Compassionate Use and Research of Entheogens (CURE) Act, aims to “establish a new, compassionate, and effective approach to entheogens.” This would create a two-year program development period to adopt rules to eventually implement a regulatory program allowing adults to receive psilocybin services, create the Illinois Psilocybin Advisory Board within the Department of Public Health and examine scientific research on treating mental health conditions with psilocybin, according to the bill.
The CURE Act is currently in the Rules Committee after being taken up by the Executive Committee.
* State Journal Register…
The Illinois House passed a bill Friday that would bar anyone convicted of a felony, bribery, perjury or misuse of public funds while serving as a public official from ever being elected to a state or local office again.
That measure was introduced as an amendment to House Bill 351 on Thursday and moved quickly through the House Ethics and Elections Committee Friday morning with bipartisan support. It then went to the House floor where it passed 106-0.
Current law bars anyone convicted of a felony from holding a state office until they’ve completed their sentence. And a provision of the Illinois Municipal Code bars anyone who has ever been convicted of a felony from holding an elected municipal office.
But those people are free to run for the General Assembly, governor or any other constitutional office once they’ve completed their sentence.
* Press release…
The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence and our partners across the gender-based violence (GBV) services community commend the Illinois House of Representatives and the House Firearms Working Group and lead sponsor Representative Hirschauer, on the passage of HB676 on Friday, May 12, 2023. This common-sense firearms package includes important provisions to ensure the timely removal of firearms from respondents in emergency orders of protection.
“The data shows that 70 women are killed by an intimate partner every month in this county. Ensuring removal of firearms is happening in a timely fashion and that the weapons are kept with our trusted law enforcement is commonsense policy that will make a huge impact in ensuring survivor safety” Amanda Pyron, Executive Director of The Network, stated in the wake of its passage.
This bill was drafted in partnership with Legal Action Chicago, an attorney-led organization with expertise in orders of protection. Focusing on justice and equity through policy, advocacy and litigation, they know the risks associated with leaving and filing an order of protection.
“This bill recognizes the often-terrifying risk that survivors of domestic violence must face when seeking safety and takes a real step forward in addressing those risks” John Bouman, Executive Director of Legal Action Chicago.
The Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, a membership driven organization representing direct service providers in the domestic violence community across the state has been a strong proponent of this legislation.
With the legislative session ending this week, The Network, including more than forty direct service providers across the state, urges the Senate to pass HB676 promptly to send to the Governor’s desk for signature. Survivors experiencing gun-involved domestic violence have a 500% greater likelihood of being murdered. Survivor safety during the highest time of lethality cannot wait.
* WAND…
Illinois House Democrats approved a sweeping gun control bill Friday morning despite concerns from Republicans, the Illinois State Rifle Association, and law enforcement.
The plan could allow judges to order law enforcement to seize guns while issuing emergency orders of protection. Although, Republicans and gun advocates are worried police will take expensive guns from families.
House Democrats say the firearms should go directly to trusted law enforcement to keep domestic violence survivors and their families safe.
“We are adding penalty enhancements to the law which as disfavored by the majority party unless it suits them,” said Rep. Patrick Windhorst (R-Metropolis). “And we are putting additional burdens on law enforcement when they have not requested those burdens.” […]
The legislation passed out of the House on a 70-36 vote. This plan now heads to the Senate for further consideration next week. The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 19.
* SB2261 is on First Reading in the Senate. Block Club Chicago…
Youth advocates are pushing for more investment in jobs programs following a new study by the University of Illinois at Chicago that shows a dramatic increase in unemployment among Black youth in Chicago — and especially young Black women — during the pandemic. […]
The Alternative Schools Network commissioned the study as part of a push for a bill currently moving through the state Legislature that would provide $300 million in funding for a statewide youth jobs program. […]
Howell was a part of a group of students who testified before the state’s appropriations committee and the Illinois Senate in support of the bill that would provide $300 million in funding for 80,000 jobs for youth across the state.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Robert Peters and Rep. Kam Buckner, both Chicago Democrats. If passed, students could work five to 15 hours a week, earning $15 an hour during the school year. The bill also provides for an eight-week summer program in which students could work 25 hours a week.
* AP…
Holed up at home during the pandemic lockdown three years ago, 13-year-old Shreya Nallamothu was scrolling through social media when she noticed a pattern: Children even younger than her were the stars — dancing, cracking one-liners and being generally adorable. […]
But as she watched more and more posts of kids pushing products or their mishaps going viral, she started to wonder: Who is looking out for them? […]
Illinois lawmakers aim to change that by making their state what they say will be the first in the country to create protections for child social media influencers. Nallamothu, now 15, raised her concerns to Illinois state Sen. David Koehler of Peoria, who then set the legislation in motion. […]
The bill passed the state Senate unanimously in March, and is scheduled to be considered by the House this week. If it wins approval, the bill will go back to the Senate for a final vote before it makes its way to Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who said he intends to sign it in the coming months.
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It’s almost a law
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Crain’s…
Among the moves by the General Assembly last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker hailed the Illinois House’s passage of House Bill 579, which would allow Illinois to set up its own insurance marketplace similar to Obamacare.
“Through the adoption of a state-based insurance marketplace, we can expand health care access by effectively identifying traditionally underinsured communities, conducting effective outreach to them and assisting in the enrollment process,” Pritzker said in a statement, adding that he looks forward to following the bill’s progress in the Illinois Senate.
A bill that’s already heading to Pritzker’s desk for a signature would require health insurers to cover preventative liver screenings and other diagnostics. The bill, championed by state Rep. Hoan Huynh, D-Chicago, will expand access to tests that may detect forms of cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.
“People shouldn’t have to choose between buying their next meal or their medication,” Huynh said in a statement. “Rising costs of health care and general inflation are suffocating our working families and seniors. I remain committed to working to find ways to implement real relief for those who need it most.”
* The Intelligencer…
A bill by state Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, to help alleviate the teacher shortage across the state by providing flexibility and incentives for established educators now awaits Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s signature.
House Bill 1297 would extend the current statute in the pension code to allow teachers the ability to buy up to two years of service credit at a private or parochial school from the Teachers Retirement System. It passed in the Senate on May 4; it was approved in the House on March 23.
“Our teachers are incredibly important and with the teacher shortage still a persistent and serious issue across our state, we must look at collaborative ways to address the issue,” said Harriss. “This bill is a good step in allowing teachers the flexibility to move from the private sector into public schools and buy back their time in the retirement system.
“With the current law set to expire June 30th, this legislation is merely an extension of a sunset now set for 2028 if signed into law.”
* WAND…
State lawmakers have passed a plan to improve drug overdose education standards in K-12 schools to help students understand substance use and overdose trends.
The bill will require education on the history of drugs and health policy in Illinois and the United States, the impact of zero tolerance, and restorative justice practices.
House and Senate Democrats filed the bill in memory of Louie Miceli who died from an overdose in 2012. Louie’s mother and other advocates say young people haven’t properly learned about healthy coping mechanisms, the truth about drugs, or potential risks they could face. […]
Senate Bill 2223 passed unanimously out of the House Friday. It previously received unanimous approve in the Senate on March 30.
Louie’s Law now moves to Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk for his signature of approval.
* Chicago Tribune…
All state-funded affordable housing would be required to have air conditioning under a bill sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker by legislators spurred to action by the heat exposure deaths last year of three seniors in their apartments on Chicago’s Far North Side.
The bill on Pritzker’s desk will require housing financed under the Illinois Affordable Housing Program to have cooling and dehumidification systems capable of operating independently from heating systems. There is also a requirement that newly constructed buildings that fall under the state program include permanent cooling.
* Capitol News Illinois…
Illinois would become one of the first states to make so-called crisis pregnancy centers subject to the same consumer fraud standards as car dealerships, retailers and service-based businesses under a bill that will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker.
Upon the measure becoming law, crisis pregnancy centers could be sued under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act if they engage in “unfair methods of competition” or “deceptive acts or practices.”
Crisis pregnancy centers are facilities affiliated with anti-abortion, often religious, organizations designed to deter newly pregnant women from seeking an abortion.
Democrats working to expand Illinois’ role as a “haven” for abortion-seekers in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last summer overturning Roe v. Wade say CPCs often intentionally deceive those who are trying to end their pregnancies.
* WMBD…
The Illinois Senate passed House Bill 3224 on Thursday, highlighting future opportunities for children with disabilities.
Championed by Senator Dave Koehler (D – Peoria), House Bill 3224 will grant students with individualized education plans (IEP) and their parents would be provided information on the school district’s career and technical education and dual credit opportunities.
“This measure helps families and children with disabilities see the career options that are available to them,” said Koehler (D – Peoria). “Every child deserves additional opportunities outside the classroom.”
* WICS…
A new bill is now headed to Governor Pritzker’s desk that would require judges to consider a different set of circumstances when determining criminal sentences for juveniles.
HB3414 would amend the Juvenile Court Act of 1987 by requiring judges to consider factors such as home environment and childhood trauma when sentencing juveniles.
“Many people don’t want to see our children locked up and basically put into solitary confinement when some of our resources in our jails and our juvenile system are not there to protect children in a way that they absolutely need it,” Sen. Rachel Ventura, (D) Joliet, said.
If signed, judges would be required to consider additional factors when determining a sentence for a person under the age of 18, including home environment, childhood trauma, peer pressure, and the results of a comprehensive mental evaluation.
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Civic Federation: Look before you leap
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Alex Nitkin has a solid piece on the future of Tier 2…
An influential state legislator is digging up what he calls a fiscal time bomb his predecessors buried more than a decade ago, arguing the General Assembly can’t wait any longer to defuse it. But experts and city officials are warning of collateral damage if he doesn’t slow down.
State Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) is proposing legislation he says would “fix” a 2010 law that aimed to stem Illinois’ pension crisis by cutting back retirement benefits for future public employees. Researchers have since warned that the measure likely went too far, potentially depriving workers of benefits they’re entitled to under federal law. […]
The 2010 [Tier 2] law dramatically narrowed retirement benefits for public workers who would come on the job after Jan. 1, 2011. Instead of reaping compounded interest on their pension payouts every year from retirement until death, as older workers had, pensioners in the new “tier” would only see nominal annual bumps. It also placed a cap on how high benefits could reach and lowered the standard for how annual payouts are calculated.
The result was a significantly smaller cost outlay for governments once “Tier 2” pensioners start to fully vest their pensions and retire. That hope is why many actuarial projections show Chicago and Illinois starting to make real progress toward shoring up their pension funds starting about 2030.
Even as they crafted the pension rollback legislation in 2010, lawmakers heard warnings that the Tier 2 calculus could someday invite costly legal challenges. If pension payments are too small, public workers could sue their employers on the back of a federal rule that pension payments must exceed the income that workers would otherwise earn from Social Security payments.
The story then goes on to talk about a bump to Downstate first responder pensions when the pension funds were consolidated, and efforts to pass similar legislation for Chicago first responders (who were promised the change years ago when the casino bill was passed) and for Cook County workers.
* Conclusion…
Legislators will seek out further analysis as they explore “fixes” for other Tier 2 pensioners, like teachers and department staffers, all across the state, Martwick said.
“I would posit that they all need to get done,” he said.
* But it’s difficult to argue with this warning from the Civic Federation…
Benefit enhancements are likely necessary to meet Safe Harbor requirements, but the solution should be thoroughly vetted, actuarially sound and the most cost effective of all possible options. The Civic Federation urges legislators and the Governor to demonstrate the need for the specific Tier 2 enhancements before taking any binding legislative action. The State cannot afford to take a step backward by unnecessarily increasing Tier 2 pension benefits. The Illinois General Assembly must ensure that the financial impact of any proposed Tier 2 changes is fully evaluated by pension actuaries and publicly disclosed before any action is taken. Until a complete analysis is done, there should be no urgency to pass these supposed Safe Harbor “fixes.”
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* The Peoria Journal-Star covered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ trip to the area…
DeSantis brought a crowd of roughly 1,150 Republicans to the event at the Peoria Civic Center, plus protesters and the New York Times. While he did not announce an anticipated run for president while in Peoria, he did use a roughly 42-minute speech to take shots at Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and levy a barrage of verbal jabs at Democrats, while also lauding his accomplishments as governor of Florida.
“I’m a little disappointed your governor said I wasn’t welcome in Illinois,” DeSantis said in response to remarks made by Pritzker ahead of his arrival. “Because I seem to remember when he was locking down this state, he sent his family to live in my state and live in our freedom.”
We talked about this months ago…
Um, they were in Florida before the stay at home order was issued and then sheltered in place (his kid goes to college there). Did they know what was coming? Probably. Not saying it was the case with them, but I had friends down there who were miserable during the spring. The beaches and pools were closed. The restaurants and taverns were shuttered. And then summer hit and COVID zoomed as people retreated indoors to avoid the Florida heat and humidity. I put off visiting the Sunshine State to the fall, when cases were rising in Springfield as people went back inside and Florida’s dropped because people could enjoy the outdoors again.
Natalie Edelstein from the Pritzker campaign…
The governor and his family live in Illinois. As you know, they have one daughter who attends the University of Miami. If this pathetic, repeated lie about someone’s child is the best thing the GOP can come up with to campaign on, then it tells you everything you need to know about their ideas for the future.
* Back to the PJ-Star…
Peoria Congressman Darin LaHood cracked a similar joke at Pritzker’s expense saying, “you know it’s a sign we’re having a good Lincoln Day when J.B. Pritzker is tweeting and crying that Ron DeSantis is not welcome in Illinois.” […]
During his speech, DeSantis frequently criticized Illinois laws and policies, including the state’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois tax rates, and criminal justice reform. DeSantis specifically mentioned Florida’s lack of an income tax and said “you should try it sometime.”
“We have to reject the weaponization of the criminal justice system, this is being driven by woke ideology,” DeSantis said. “We reject the idea that you defund law enforcement, we reject the idea that you tolerate rioting and looting and disorder. We reject soft on crime policies like abolishing cash bail and releasing prisoners from jail early.”
Back to Edelstein…
“Inviting a failed governor who is at war with Donald Trump to keynote one of your largest events is emblematic of today’s Illinois GOP,” said JB For Governor spokesperson Natalie Edelstein.
“Republicans are too busy fighting each other to get out of their own way and solve the issues facing working families. While they celebrate banning books and picking on LGBTQ+ kids, Illinois Democrats will continue to win elections and build a state where everyone is free to be who they are.”
* Dave Dahl…
State Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) was part of a private pre-event with DeSantis.
“He set his agenda out when he first ran for office, and he has accomplished everything,” Rezin said. “So now he is on his second set of accomplishments. He works to govern. I think that is what’s missing in politics today: leaders who really appreciate and work on governing for their state.”
* Meanwhile, the Florida legislature passed a bill to allow DeSantis to run for president…
In addition, the bill would amend Florida’s resign-to-run law to resolve legal ambiguity surrounding DeSantis’ expected presidential run. Currently, Florida law requires public officials running for another office that overlaps with their current term to submit a resignation from their current office before running. This resignation is irrevocable, meaning even if a candidate were to run and lose, they would still have to resign their office. The bill would instead explicitly exempt candidates running for president from this requirement, a change that would allow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to run against former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2024 without resigning his governorship.
The bill passed and was enrolled on April 28, but hasn’t yet been sent to the governor’s desk for whatever reason.
* More…
* Tribune | Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tells Peoria crowd that Biden’s reelection would leave U.S. ‘unrecognizable’: More than 1,100 tickets were sold for the event at various levels, starting at $85, and an estimated $240,000 was raised by the two county organizations, organizers said. The ticket sales eclipsed last year’s event, when 700 people attended a speech by another potential 2024 presidential contender, former Vice President Mike Pence.
* Politico | DeSantis takes anti-woke show to Illinois: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday doubled down on his attacks against “woke” policies in big business, saying he will soon sign legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion language “from all our public institutions.” … A large portion of his speech zeroed in on business policies: Along with attacking DEI language, he criticized the investment strategy that addresses environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG), calling it an effort to “weaponize corporate power.” And he poked at Walt Disney Co., which opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law last year. “They don’t run the state of Florida. We run the state of Florida.”
* WCBU | Progressive groups protest Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Peoria visit: As of 4 p.m. Friday, the protest saw between 60 and 70 people spread between both locations. No counter-protesters appeared throughout the day.
* Press Release | ACLU of Florida Statement on 2023 Legislative Session: These bills included banning abortions after six weeks, creating an unaccountable private police force for the governor, reintroducing unconstitutional non-unanimous juries for death penalty recommendations, censoring and intimidating students and faculty for engaging in speech with which lawmakers personally disagree, further prohibiting conversations related to LGBTQ+ people and their lives in schools, limiting immigrants’ ability to live safely in Florida, suppressing free speech, and allowing medical professionals to deny medical services due to personal beliefs. … “All Floridians and all Americans should be outraged by how easily the legislature stripped people of their rights, focusing their efforts on censoring our classrooms, controlling people’s bodies, limiting our right to vote, and creating the Governor’s own personal army by diverting over $100 million in taxpayer dollars to build, equip, and train a Florida State Guard of 1,500 people to serve at the sole discretion and direction of the governor, including an armed specialized unit with the authority to apprehend and make arrests.”
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* Daily Herald, Thursday, May 11…
The Chicago Bears and three Arlington Heights-area school districts are millions apart on what they think the team’s new Arlington Park property is worth and how much the team should pay in taxes, according to documents obtained by the Daily Herald.
During the parties’ closed-door negotiations after Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s reassessment of the 326-acre site, the schools suggested a $95 million value for the land, for which the Bears would be responsible for paying $7.9 million in annual property taxes for the next two years.
But new Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren called that proposed settlement a “nonstarter” and not “viable,” especially considering where negotiations began in January, according to a May 4 letter he sent to the superintendents of Palatine Township Elementary District 15, Northwest Suburban High School District 214 and Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211. […]
The Bears countered with a land value of $52.5 million and annual tax payments of $4.3 million.
Kaegi’s reassessment would hike the property value from $33.5 million to $197 million, which is just below the $197.2 million the Bears paid Churchill Downs Inc. for the old racetrack.
* Daily Herald, Friday, May 12…
After new Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren called the property tax and assessment settlement proposed by three school districts a “nonstarter,” the superintendents fired back with a letter of their own Friday that doubles down on their offer. […]
But given a “substantial gulf” between the two sides, the school district superintendents told Warren Friday they don’t see the need to make a counteroffer. […]
The school districts said they now intend to proceed with resolution of the 2022 assessment year on its own, which will help inform both the schools and the Bears on an “appropriate” assessment for tax years 2023 and 2024, when the Bears will have full responsibility for the taxes.
* Tribune…
With one week remaining in the Illinois legislature’s spring session, a revised version of proposed legislation to aid the Chicago Bears’ move to Arlington Heights has surfaced in Springfield.
Like the previous proposal, the new bill would freeze the property tax assessment on the former Arlington International Racecourse, where the Bears have proposed a new stadium as part of a $5 billion mixed-use development, and create a $3 admission tax to help pay off debt incurred to fund renovations of Soldier Field two decades ago. […]
Democratic state Rep. Marty Moylan of Des Plaines said the new bill, filed Wednesday, reflects negotiations that have taken place since he filed a measure last month. That proposal caught some local officials and fellow lawmakers off guard. […]
Joining Moylan as a co-sponsor on the measure is freshman state Rep. Mary Beth Canty, a fellow Democrat who just completed a term as an Arlington Heights village trustee.
Rep. Canty’s full statement…
Throughout negotiation on a new Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights, my focus has been on the impact on our communities – the Village of Arlington Heights itself as well as neighboring communities that would be affected just as much. Every affected community needs a seat at the table. The latest proposal is a step forward, but by no means final. My sponsorship of this legislation reflects my support for continued discussions with all stakeholders engaged. I hope to continue these conversations in the months ahead.
Subscribers know more.
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* Isabel wrote this week’s syndicated newspaper column…
My associate Isabel Miller recently interviewed Sen. Robert Peters (D-Chicago) about the national controversy he found himself in after posting a statement on Twitter. I thought I’d share it with you this week. Here’s Isabel…
A few weeks ago, Sen. Robert Peters posted a tweet that he knew would generate backlash. What he didn’t know was that it would go national.
The tweet was in response to teens converging on downtown Chicago. The Chicago Tribune reported three teenagers were wounded in two shootings and 16 were arrested during the violence: “I would look at the behavior of young people as a political act and statement. It’s a mass protest against poverty and segregation.”
Now-former Fox News host Tucker Carlson jumped in, telling his millions of viewers: “So, what happens if you encourage this kind of behavior, if you cheer the mob rather than restraining the mob? Well, ugly and totally inevitable things will happen. Productive people will flee, innocents will die and ultimately you will get from this mob racial attacks. All of that is happening in Chicago right now. All of it.”
Peters said he was paraphrasing a 1966 quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “A riot is the language of the unheard.”
“If I actually said what Dr. King said, I think… [people] could’ve responded even more harshly,” Peters said. “I don’t want anybody to ever get hurt. I have a district where there’s a lot of violence, particularly in a lot of working class areas. And I think everybody deserves to have their fair share of safety and comfort and I think we seem to be caught up responding to the same questions in relatively the same way. And I think a lot of people are sick and tired of it.
“And we have to look at it from both the historical context and the present context about what are we going to do to change things. If a kid has had their school closed, or healthcare institution closed, or they’ve had their housing foreclosed or they’ve been evicted, or they’re living cooped up in housing too small, mismanaged, then we have to do whatever we can to change that. And it’s clear that we need to push back on what has been a terrible, terrible status quo for people.”
Despite receiving hate and threats for his comments, Peters said he remains committed to his stance. “I do not believe in violence, that needs to be clear. I just want a good-faith discussion about what it means to have safety in every zip code. Instead, I was met with a person [Carlson] who defended terrible people and far-right extremism and thought it would be good to come after me.”
Peters said he struggles with whether speaking out is worth the threats. “I don’t want to have to worry about not only my well-being, but the well-being of the people I care and love.”
“Everyone’s ‘tough on crime’ until they want to send dangerously violent, anonymous emails,” Peters said. “There was a massive contradiction and hypocrisy by some people, and it just goes to show some people authentically want to bring safety to every community and make sure that every kid and every parent and every person, whether they’re struggling with housing and health care, there are people who really want to do that. I think I belong to those people.”
Peters is known for carrying a heavy workload in Springfield, and he also served on Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson’s transition team. Asked how he balances all of his tasks, Peters said, “Well, I mean, I have the unfortunate thing of having been born with ADHD. And, you know, it has its ups and downs. But it’s almost sometimes this work is kinetic; you know what I mean? It’s moving quickly. And you have to make quick assessments and you need to power map what you can and cannot do, and you need to know… what is an immediate thing you can make happen and what is something that might be longer term.”
“When I was younger, I was told I would amount to very little. After my dad passed away, I struggled with what the meaning of the world was and sort of figured that out and you combine all the sort of kinetic sort of ADHD energy with a drive that the meaning of my existence is to show that nobody has to go through the things that myself or my family, or the people I love around me had to go through.”
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Pre-inauguration coverage roundup
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Chicago mayoral inauguration ceremony begins at 10:30 this morning. Click here for more info and to watch it live…
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson: His rise from union organizer to Chicago’s new progressive mayor, and the challenges he inherits: To get here, Johnson took an unconventional route compared with previous mayors. Having cut his teeth politically as a top Chicago Teachers Union organizer a decade ago, Johnson brings with him a labor-friendly resume that has galvanized the city’s political left. That coalition of progressive unions and grassroots organizations propelled Johnson to victory after their chosen candidates suffered mayoral runoff losses in 2015 and 2019.
* Tribune | Facing CPD remake, Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson promises new approach, including adding police detectives: When Johnson is sworn in as the city’s 57th mayor Monday, he inherits a Chicago Police Department in a swirl of transition. Along with his promise to add detectives, Johnson needs to choose a permanent CPD superintendent, and he has promised to eliminate controversial recent additions to the city’s police landscape, including the ShotSpotter system.
* WGN | A decade before his election, Brandon Johnson foreshadowed his own rise to power: Johnson spoke about how Emanuel’s decision to close 50 Chicago Public Schools a year after the strike became a personal issue for him – as a teacher, CPS parent, and a union member. Then CTU-president Karen Lewis viewed the school closures as proof the CTU would have to have its own candidates run for government offices.
* Sun-Times | Migrant crisis ‘one of the most challenging’ problems facing Chicago’s new mayor, chief of staff says: Rich Guidice spent nearly 20 years running the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Emergency response is his forte. But Guidice said he has never seen an emergency quite like the more than 8,000 asylum-seekers who have poured into Chicago since September, with scores more on the way.
* Crain’s | It’s inauguration day for Chicago’s next mayor. Here’s what you need to know.: A full guest roster hasn’t yet been announced, but we already know it’ll be pretty crowded onstage. Gov. J.B. Pritzker; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton; both Illinois U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth; and a long list of other local and state elected officials are listed as inauguration co-chairs, so there’s a good chance they’ll be in attendance.
* Sun-Times | Brandon Johnson fleshes out senior staff, shows continued influence of Toni Preckwinkle, Chicago Teachers Union: Annette Guzman, Preckwinkle’s county budget director, will be Johnson’s city budget director. Jennifer Johnson, chief of staff for the CTU, where Brandon Johnson has been a paid organizer, will be deputy mayor for education.
* Daily Herald | When it comes to transportation, there’s a lot riding on Chicago’s new mayor: Inexplicably to those of us obsessed with things that move, the O’Hare 21 expansion, which involves building a new Global Terminal plus two concourses costing $7 billion, was a nonfactor in the mayoral election. But aviation expert Joseph Schwieterman expects Johnson will support the plan. “The need for a better O’Hare is pretty obvious,” he said. “The new mayor will need to champion O’Hare 21 to keep the mega-project moving at maximum speed. Delays will both hamper the airport’s revenue potential and hurt our image as a premier convention town.”
* The New Yorker | Chicago’s Unlikeliest Mayor, Brandon Johnson: The attention from powerful Democrats indicates the importance of the race not just to those who live in the city of Chicago but to national politics. In the aftermath of the 2020 uprisings and Presidential contest, the Republican Party went all in on two issues: opposing crime and what they describe as “woke intolerance.” In doing so, they conflated the rise of crime rates during the height of the pandemic with the political outcry throughout that summer. Within this recriminating narrative, Chicago loomed large. For years now, Chicago has been described by Republicans as the quintessential example of big-city chaos. As former President Donald Trump once said, “All over the world they’re talking about Chicago. Afghanistan is a safe place by comparison.”
* Fox Chicago | Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shares message for incoming Mayor Brandon Johnson: Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shared a message on Sunday for incoming Mayor Brandon Johnson: “I’m rooting hard for your success.” Emanuel shared the message via Twitter from Japan, where he serves as the U.S. Ambassador. Emanuel was Chicago’s mayor from 2011 to 2019.
* Block Club | Brandon Johnson And All 50 Alderpeople Will Be Inaugurated Monday.: Clerk Anna Valencia will be the first official sworn in, followed by all 50 alderpeople and Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, according to the meeting agenda. Johnson will take his oath of office last and then deliver an inaugural address.
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Open thread
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* I hope you all had a relaxing weekend! I’m not gonna jinx it by counting down the days. What’s going on in your part of Illinois?…
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Isabel’s morning briefing
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* Here you go…
* Tribune | Budget, Bears, Chicago school board and ethics: Illinois legislators face busy agenda in spring session’s final week: The Illinois General Assembly heads into the final scheduled week of its spring session facing unresolved issues from the budget to a proposal to help the Chicago Bears move to the suburbs, while also coming under pressure to toughen government ethics laws in the wake of the “ComEd Four” corruption case convictions. Also on the table is the possibility of additional funding to help Chicago address its growing influx of migrants and asylum-seekers, and the need to finalize a map for the city’s new elected school board.
* Capitol News Illinois | Illinois Supreme Court considers whether a fetus can be a ‘victim’ of murder: In 2007, Reginald Lane shot and killed Jwonda Thurston, his pregnant girlfriend. For the murder, he was sentenced to life in prison, following state statute for someone who is found guilty of killing “more than one victim.”
* Daily Herald | ‘My kids will have to live with the decisions that I make’: How parenthood affects moms in office: When Kara Lambert first ran for Mundelein trustee in 2019, a man cornered her in a local Walgreens and asked how she effectively could serve while also being a mom to her then-2-year-old son, Theo. It’s not the kind of question a father running for office likely would face.
* Sun-Times | Former red-light camera exec who helped feds gets his bribery case dismissed: During a telephone hearing that lasted around a minute, federal prosecutors dismissed the single count of conspiracy to bribe a public official that had hung over businessman Omar Maani’s head since he was charged in 2020.
* Tribune | Brandon Johnson: His rise from union organizer to Chicago’s new progressive mayor, and the challenges he inherits: The mayor-elect, 47, will enter his inauguration ceremony on a mission to uplift the working class after campaigning on an anti-establishment platform that denounced what he called “the tale of two cities.” A former Cook County commissioner and teachers union organizer, Johnson will succeed Lori Lightfoot after her tumultuous term, which saw widespread discontent following the pandemic and civil unrest.
* Sun-Times | Migrant crisis ‘one of the most challenging’ problems facing Chicago’s new mayor, chief of staff says: Rich Guidice, who spent nearly 20 years running the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, said he has never seen an emergency quite like the thousands of asylum-seekers who have poured into Chicago since September, with scores more on the way.
* WTTW | Brandon Johnson Commits to Reopening Chicago’s Public Mental Health Clinics Closed 11 Years Ago: “We are going to reopen the mental health clinics,” Johnson said, putting it first in a list of his top priorities, which he said included fully funding Chicago’s schools, making sure Chicago’s public transportation system is clean, safe and efficient and Chicagoans have access to clean water and fresh food.
* WBEZ | Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to Illinois lawmakers: Fund gun enforcement: Dart, who has an annual budget of more than $500 million, set up a task force to go after guns in 2013. However, he said with the other demands on his office he couldn’t devote enough officers to go after the thousands of licenses revoked in Cook County every year.
* Sun-Times | Chicago man accused of selling fake Cubs hats while on probation for selling fake White Sox tickets: Bruce Lee was arrested Wednesday after undercover officers purchased the counterfeit Cubs bucket hats from Lee on two separate occasions in Wrigleyville, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a news release.
* Crain’s | Groupon terminating HQ lease early: Groupon is ending its lease for its River North headquarters two years early as it risks running out of cash, creating a big leasing challenge for Chicago developer Sterling Bay much sooner than expected. The struggling online-deal company recently executed an option to terminate its lease at 600 W. Chicago Ave. as of Jan. 31, 2024, according to a regulatory disclosure filed earlier this month. Groupon’s lease for nearly 300,000 square feet was due to expire in January 2026, but the company paid a termination fee of $9.6 million to end its commitment early. The imminent exit is not surprising, given the company’s warning to investors this week that there is substantial doubt it can remain a “going concern.”
* Daily Herald | Campton Hills trustee-elect Timothy Morgan vows to be seated despite 2002 Michigan DUI conviction: Morgan previously deferred taking his oath of office at the May 2 Campton Hills Village Board meeting because Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser had warned him that a 2002 felony DUI conviction in Michigan made him ineligible.
* NBC | Migrants say rumors encouraged crossing before Title 42 ended: In total, Border Patrol apprehended just over 6,200 undocumented migrants crossing the border on Friday, the first day after Title 42 was lifted, two Homeland Security officials told NBC News on Saturday. That figure was lower than the 11,000 apprehended each day on Tuesday and Wednesday, as well as the 10,000 apprehended on Thursday.
* CNN | Border crossings down 50% after Title 42: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas tells CNN’s Dana Bash that only 4,200 migrants were encountered at the border on Saturday, down from more than 10,000 per day earlier in the week.
* Tribune | These mothers sell flowers on the streets of Chicago for Mother’s Day: Every Mother’s Day, Minerva Garcia is surrounded by hundreds of bouquets of roses. The red ones are her favorites. They remind her of love, she said as she softly touched a petal. There are also dozens of white and pink roses, but none of them are for her.
* Sun-Times | Giant snapping turtle ‘Chonkosaurus’ evidence of a much cleaner Chicago River: Everything about the video screams Chicago, from the previously polluted stream of water to Santore’s recognizable accent as he marvels at the turtle’s size. “That’s a Chicago river snapper,” Santore’s friend comments from the background. “Are you kidding me?”
* Daily Beast | There Are 2 AI Booms Happening. We’re Caught in the Middle.: In December, the Princeton student used his holiday break to create GPTZero, a tool for educators to help them determine whether student essays were written with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Buoyed by growing concerns about the emerging technology and the nascent AI boom, Tian’s tool went viral—garnering more than 6 million users in just a few months.
* AP | ‘Robo umps’ reach Triple-A, but MLB rollout is uncertain: ‘You’re losing some of the human emotion of the game’: “Nobody complains about anything anymore with the strike zone because there’s nothing to complain about,” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said after his first series with the so-called “robo-ump.” “You take that as good and bad. It’s kind of entertaining to watch a guy argue.”
* Sun-Times | White Sox drop another series, lose 4-3 to Astros: Lucas Giolito was strong after the first inning. Luis Robert Jr. continued his torrid May by hitting a home run in his third consecutive game. And Jake Burger returned from the injured list with a two-run homer of his own. But those are just details for a White Sox team that has a major hole to escape, one that got deeper with their 4-3 loss Sunday to the Astros.
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Live coverage
Monday, May 15, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
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