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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That toddlin’ town roundup
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Two days ago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced the appointment of Kevin Barszcz as the city’s Director of Veteran Affairs. She also signed an executive order and declared a state of emergency earlier this week. Today, Lightfoot signed several more executive orders, just days before her term ends…
• Executive Order Requiring Recommendation on Continuation of Key Fines and Fees Reform Programs
• Executive Order Establishing the Pension Advance Fund
• Executive Order Establishing the Youth Commission as a Formal Advisory Body to Ensure Youth Voice Remains in City Government
• Executive Order Expanding Access to U/T Visa Certification
• Executive Order Formally Establishing the Office of New Americans
• Executive Order Enhancing Zoning Transparency and Consistency
• Executive Order to Promote LaSalle Street Revitalization
• Executive Order to Operationalize Annual Progress Reporting of City Departments’ Requirement to Create and Maintain Racial Equity Action Plans
• Executive Order to Ensure Implementation of ‘We Will Chicago’ Citywide Plan
• Executive Orders on Procurement and Delegate Contracting Reforms
Crain’s…
The move follows an executive order on Wednesday on environmental justice and another on Tuesday declaring a state of emergency due to a wave of asylum seekers arriving in Chicago.
Similar to those executive orders, the Johnson transition team was caught off guard by the orders and were not briefed in advance. Johnson’s transition team declined further comment until they read through the implications of the orders. […]
Those orders can be rescinded by Johnson, but their issuance forces him into the tough position of publicly doing away with policies, even if they are largely ceremonial. Some of the orders touch on policies Johnson has expressed are priorities of his incoming administration, but would want to craft the specifics of the policy with his own team.
Crain’s has posted the orders on its site.
* From the BGA’s David Greising…
Under Lightfoot, the City Council began to exercise a modicum of independence. There even was talk about appointing a parliamentarian to help the council further assert autonomy. Or perhaps a legislative counsel might supplant the city’s corporation counsel — a mayoral appointee — in ruling on legal matters before the body.
Such talk has mostly gone silent — at least for now. Waguespack was banished to the backbenches, and in case the point wasn’t made, Lightfoot-era heavyweights Aldermen Anthony Beale, 9th; Brendan Reilly, 42nd; Brian Hopkins, 2nd; and Walter Burnett Jr., 27th, were sent there too. They hold not a single committee chairmanship among them.
The guy needs a fact-checker. Hopkins will chair the Committee on Public Safety. And, according to a Brandon Johnson press release today, “Ald. Walter Burnett will make history as the first African-American Vice Mayor.” The current Vice Mayor is Tom Tunney.
Ald. Beale was quoted as saying “The only candidate in this election who has encouraged racial division is Brandon Johnson.” Ald. Reilly worked more closely with Vallas than just about anybody.
* The ILGOP is fundraising off the new mayor-elect…
Incoming Chicago Mayor and avid defund the police advocate Brandon Johnson appeared before the Illinois General Assembly to talk about his agenda for the city.
It’s worse than you’d think…
SEE FOR YOURSELF
It’s such a shame… After the failed policies of Lori Lightfoot, the people of Chicago deserve leadership that would actually combat crime, improve city infrastructure, stand with law enforcement, and reduce the cost of living in America’s third largest city.
Chicago deserves better, and we will work with Republicans and conservatives across Chicago and Cook County to win in future elections and combat this failed agenda.
You can aid us in our efforts to combat the radical agenda of Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Democrats with a contribution of any size today
STOP THE JOHNSON AGENDA IN CHICAGO
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* The Triibe…
In the month leading up to the April 4 mayoral runoff, Tio Hardiman Jr., a native of the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side, was paid to work for former Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Paul Vallas’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor. […]
In the final push for votes ahead of the runoff, Vallas spent more than $600,000 to hire hundreds of people like Hardiman Jr. to get out the vote in the Black community. Payments to such workers were listed under the catchall category “services” on campaign expenditure reports. A TRiiBE analysis found much of what Vallas spent on individual services went to residents of South and West Side wards.
And that doesn’t include the $700K he paid to Chima Enyia. We won’t see his April spending until July.
* A few more…
* ADDED: Sun-Times | Chicago cops’ racist social media posts detailed in new COPA report: Among the cops’ posts: Sgt. Keith Olson described Chicago teenagers as “little animal f—-” but expressed encouragement that “the ghetto building” hadn’t gotten approval yet. Officer Dallas Englehart responded to a post endorsing then-President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico and proposed shooting down what he called “undocumented Planes” with anti-aircraft blasts. Sgt. Anargyros Kereakes equated the Black Lives Matter movement, the NFL and Black entertainers to the Ku Klux Klan and asked, “do Black Lives really Matter to black people?” Officer Angel Avalos Jr. used the social media platform to write “Work will set you free!” — a variation of a phrase that appeared on the gates to the Nazis’ Auschwitz concentration camp. Officer Scott Kniaz predicted, when a police officer was reported to have been injured after video was released showing the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald by a Chicago cop: “It will not be long until the war starts.”
* Tribune | Incoming City Hall chief of staff was suspended for role in free United Center parking ‘scheme’: The city suspended Richard Guidice for 30 days in 2017 after a report from the Chicago Office of Inspector General found he and several other city employees participated in a “scheme” in which they set aside free street parking for friends and family during Blackhawks playoff games and Bulls games in 2015 and 2016.
* Sun-Times: NASCAR to use mufflers in Chicago, keep lakefront accessible: “Given the information provided from NASCAR related to their noise-reducing mufflers, we do not anticipate any negative noise or vibration impacts on our facility or to our animals,” Shedd Aquarium spokesman Johnny Ford said in an email Thursday.
* CBS Chicago | Lightfoot going on bus tour as part of final send-off as Chicago mayor: Today, Lightfoot will visit the Bronzeville Winery as part of a bus tour around the mayor’s INVEST Southwest and Chicago Works community development programs. Then at 4:30 p.m., a final sendoff as she leaves City Hall for the last time.
* Greg Hinz | As Mayor Lightfoot becomes Citizen Lightfoot, a look back at the good — and the bad: Mayor Lori Lightfoot had some choice words earlier this week when she declared a city emergency over a renewed wave of immigrants and asylum seekers now flooding the city, many of them on buses and planes dispatched from Texas.
* Tribune | Meet ‘Chonkosaurus,’ the Chicago River’s massive, fat snapping turtle: Scoot over Chance the Snapper: There’s a new famous critter in town. Its name is “Chonkosaurus” and it likes to bask in the sun. The massive snapping turtle was caught on camera by botanist Joey Santore as it lorded over a Chicago River pylon Saturday. In a widely shared video, the turtle suns itself as its fat, leathery legs burst beyond its shell.
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The state needs to step in
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune has a story about often-shady smoke shops…
On a recent school day, a student at Uplift Community High School in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood began vomiting multiple times and became unresponsive.
A short time later, other students alerted security that they had taken cannabis gummies from a classmate and felt sick, the school incident report showed. Another student who’d taken a gummy was “extremely paranoid and delusional.”
Five students were transported to hospitals, one classified as code red, suggesting a potentially serious condition, though all recovered. The Chicago Fire Department tweeted that the gummies came from a “dispensary” — but those involved indicate that’s not the case.
The gummies came not from a licensed cannabis dispensary, but from a neighborhood smoke shop, according to the school report of the incident and one of the parents of the teens involved. […]
Uptown Smokes is located within 1,000 feet of Uplift school and would not be allowed to be a licensed dispensary. The store, according to its Instagram account, advertises delta-8 and delta-10-THC, tobacco, and another drug called kratom, sold alongside potato chips, pop, candy and other items popular with high schoolers. […]
Uptown Smokes was shut down by the city the day after the incident — not for the overdoses, but for building code violations. Chicago officials say they generally have no authority to regulate the sale of delta-8, but can use code citations to temporarily address problem sites. The store was to remain closed until violations were corrected. The registered agent for Uptown Smokes, Zeyad Abughoush, could not be reached for comment.
The state has no authority to regulate the gray-market stores, either.
According to an online archived copy of the now-defunct website CBD At Work, there were an eye-popping 9,712 CBD shops in Illinois alone two years ago. And that doesn’t include the gas stations which sell it everywhere you look.
So far, the legislature hasn’t stepped up to do anything about it, although Rep. Bob Morgan tried a couple of years ago. There is no bill in the hopper right now, but the subject is being addressed by Rep. La Shawn Ford’s cannabis working group. Morgan ran the state’s medical cannabis program under Pat Quinn.
* From Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago)…
Incidents like what happened in the high school in Uptown are exactly why we need regulatory controls over these products. We regularly hear from people confused by storefronts calling themselves dispensaries, parents upset that their minor children have been able to purchase from these stores who are frustrated that there’s no recourse, and people who’ve purchased these products believing them to be tested and regulated. Regulation is about protecting consumers and ensuring the safety of the products being sold.
This reminds me of the taverns and other places offering the shady “sweepstakes” games that have never truly been addressed by the state.
* If the General Assembly is looking at reforms, maybe addressing this kind of stuff would be a good place to start. After all, the gray-market sweepstakes game industry was behind the former Rep. Luis Arroyo bribery scandal which resulted in the indictment of his alleged bribery paymaster James Weiss.
I doubt it will be too long before this delta thing attracts similar federal interest.
Either legalize, tax and regulate it or ban it. The status quo is not acceptable.
…Adding… Mark Peysakhovich…
Hi Rich –
I am one of the lobbyists who represents some Illinois companies involved in various aspects of Illinois’ hemp industry, including cultivation, research, processing, and retail of products like delta-8. They have invested years of our lives and millions of dollars to build hemp businesses, which, by the way, was legal before adult use applications even started. The industry includes hundreds of demographically and geographically diverse companies and a lot of jobs in Illinois.
The honest, legitimate companies in this space have been advocating for strict regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids for almost two years. (Fact sheet attached.) Unfortunately, the insatiable cannabis companies see delta products as competition and they really do not just want regulation, which is part of why there is no regulation. They want to take the hemp businesses away for themselves by putting the hemp products (like the deltas) under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA.) If they can’t do that, they will push for a ban. They went as low as hiring a retired DEA agent to spy on Illinois hemp businesses and presenting the cherry-picked information to the House Cannabis Work Group a few weeks ago.
The Illinois General Assembly acknowledged that hemp products, such as delta-8, are legal when it passed the Industrial Hemp Act in 2018. But now, even though their products remain federally illegal, Big Cannabis is advocating a hostile takeover of the hemp industry by moving hemp regulation under the CRTA rather than amending the Hemp Act. This step would put us out of business and give control of our industry to the huge cannabis corporations.
While my clients already carefully test and label products and restrict sales to consumers who are 21 or older, we know there are irresponsible people out there cutting corners to make a fast buck. That’s why we have been advocating for age restrictions as well as robust state licensing and regulation of hemp consumer products for years. This approach will protect consumers by ensuring they get fairly taxed, carefully tested, quality hemp products that are professionally made in local state-of-the-art facilities, rather than dangerous, potentially tainted, and mislabeled or unlabeled products made by shoddy operators in basements and garages.
At the same time, hemp and cannabis cannot be put under the same regulatory structure, which is what Big Cannabis wants. Hemp is federally legal. Cannabis is not. Giving control of the hemp industry to Big Cannabis is neither fair nor viable. It would disenfranchise those in the hemp industry and give away our businesses to the few hundred wealthy individuals who already own the licensed cannabis industry.
In short, we hope the Illinois General Assembly will protect consumers by enacting a strong hemp licensing and regulatory network. At the same time, we hope the General Assembly to resist Big Cannabis’ cynical scaremongering and to protect Illinois’ legal and legitimate hemp industry.
I am attaching a fact sheet we’ve been sharing widely. Please let me know if you have questions.
The fact sheet is here.
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Dems take yet another swing at DeSantis
Friday, May 12, 2023 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This attack has been sustained for much of the week. DPI…
Democrats from Peoria to Florida know just how dangerous Ron DeSantis’ “Florida blueprint” really is. Ahead of his visit to Illinois, Party leaders are speaking out against the spread of his extreme agenda:
“Ron DeSantis’ policies have no place in Illinois, and we won’t let him spread his ‘blueprint’ without accountability. From stripping reproductive rights to attacking members of the LGBTQ+ community and restricting civil rights across Florida, DeSantis has shown us that his vision for our nation contradicts everything that we stand for in Illinois,” said DPI Chair Lisa Hernandez. “Illinoisans have repeatedly rejected extremism, both in races up and down the ballot last November and just last month in school and library board races across the state. It’s clear that DeSantis’ hateful agenda is antithetical to our values and priorities in Illinois. While DeSantis callously enacts his dangerous platform in Florida, we’re lucky to have leaders here who respect the dignity of all Illinoisans, especially the most marginalized among us.”
“We here in Florida have seen firsthand the devastating effects of Ron DeSantis’s failed ‘Florida blueprint’. DeSantis spent Florida’s legislative session pushing through extreme legislation—including a more extreme abortion ban and a law that could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons—while ignoring the growing cost-of-living crisis that working Floridians are facing,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “Ron DeSantis is shadow campaigning for president with an extreme MAGA agenda built on the backs of Floridians, and we will make sure that people in every state know how devastating DeSantis has been for Florida, and how devastating he would be in the White House.”
“The differences between Illinois and Florida under Ron DeSantis’ leadership could not be more clear. I am proud and grateful that our state’s leaders have never stopped working to uplift working families, defend women’s rights, and make Illinois a place where all are welcome and have opportunities to thrive,” said Illinois Senator Dave Koehler. “In Peoria, we believe in access to quality education, equitable economic opportunities, and the freedom to make our own decisions about how we live and who we love. While DeSantis seeks to divide us in pursuit of his own ambitions, I have no intention of ceasing our efforts to build a more inclusive, accepting, and supportive community for all.”
“Ron DeSantis is waging a self-serving culture war at the expense of Floridians, decimating access to health care, childcare, affordable housing, and educational resources. I hope that in visiting Peoria, DeSantis can learn that in Illinois we trust women, we say gay, and we will never allow extremists like him to intimidate us into turning back the clock on freedom and progress,” said Peoria County Democrats Chair Rick Fox.
Illinois Democrats have a successful record of progress that continues to serve working families across the state. Illinoisans have made it abundantly clear: hate and extremism are not welcome in Illinois
* Pritzker campaign…
It is no coincidence that the party that was unable to make any statewide gains in the last Midterm election would invite failed governor Ron DeSantis to keynote one of their largest dinners. DeSantis, who is trailing Donald Trump in the polls and has yet to show he is ready for primetime, will keynote tonight’s Peoria-Tazewell Lincoln Day Dinner and share the policies he has implemented that has made Florida one of the most restrictive states when it comes to exercising reproductive freedom, one of the worst states for health care access, and one of the worst states for teacher pay––with one of the largest number of banned books.
DeSantis has repeatedly failed to lead Florida, passing draconian abortion bans, overseeing the collapse of the state’s unemployment insurance system, delaying needed evacuations during a devastating natural disaster, and even running campaign ads during the state’s latest crisis.
“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.”
DeSantis has shown time and time again he is an authoritarian career politician who has no business being in public office. From passing a harsh abortion ban in the dead of night to erasing Black history from textbooks, it is clear the only direction he wants the country to go is backwards. The Illinois GOP would be better off putting their resources into helping families across the state instead of playing footsie with an extremist who will forget all about central Illinois the minute his plane takes off.
Your thoughts on this?
…Adding… A DPI fundraising pitch just landed in my inbox…
Hey Richard, JB here.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in Illinois. Today, DeSantis will give a speech to GOP donors in Peoria about how Illinois needs to be more like Florida.
He’ll try to pass off his racism, homophobia, and misogyny as protecting your freedoms.
I’m calling BS.
It’s up to us to show Americans there is a better way forward than DeSantis’ campaign of hate. Here in Illinois, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.
DeSantis tried to force the AP to revise an African American studies course. I announced that Illinois will reject a water-downed course that censors the contributions of Black and queer Americans.
DeSantis signed a 6-week abortion ban into law. I’ve made Illinois one of the strongest states in America for protecting reproductive care.
And while Governor DeSantis is pushing to lower the age to buy an assault weapon, I’ve already signed legislation to ban assault weapons altogether.
Richard, if you agree we should keep being ILLINOIS and not Florida, will you chip in $10 or more today to the Democratic Party of Illinois so we can keep electing real leaders to block the GOP’s attacks on our freedom and rights?
If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately […]
Illinois will not be pushed around. We value our diverse history, we defend our rights, and we know the path forward.
In solidarity,
JB Pritzker
Governor of Illinois
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