* Gov. Pritzker was asked again today about the Chicago mayor’s race and whether he’d met with the two candidates…
I have. I’ve met with each of them. And I’ve told them that my intention is to work with whoever wins this race. And so I’ve looked forward to hearing even more. I know we’ve got a few weeks left in this campaign, but you know, it’s important that the governor work with the mayor, whoever that is. And so I’m gonna watch. And, of course, I’m a voter, I live in Chicago, I’ll have to make that decision when the time comes.
He was then asked if the candidates had asked him for his endorsement…
They have, and I’ve told them, as I’ve told all of you, I think it’s important for me to stay clear of endorsing, mainly because I want to make sure that we’re able to work together, whoever it is that wins.
* Pritzker made those comments at a bill-signing event…
Governor JB Pritzker today signed SB208 into law, making Illinois the third state in the nation, and the first in the Midwest, to mandate paid time off to be used for any reason. The historic legislation provides employees with up to 40 hours of paid leave during a 12-month period, meaning approximately 1.5 million workers will begin earning paid time off starting in 2024.
“Working families face so many challenges, and it’s been my mission to alleviate those burdens in every way I can. Today, we will become the third state in the nation to require paid time off, and the first among the largest states,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Employers benefit from allowing employees to tend to the urgent personal matters of their lives. Workers’ productivity increases, and they often gain greater passion for their job when they can manage the stresses they face outside work. I’m exceptionally proud that labor and business came together to recognize the value of this requirement to employees and employers alike.” […]
Under existing law, workers are not guaranteed pay when taking time off for sick leave, childcare, mental health reasons, medical appointments, vacation, or any other reason. Starting on March 31st, 2024, or 90 days following commencement of employment, workers can begin using their earned time off for any reason without the requirement of providing documentation to their employer under the Paid Leave for Workers Act.
This new law applies to every employee working for an employer in Illinois, including domestic workers, but does exclude independent contractors. The City of Chicago and Cook County have an existing paid sick leave ordinance in place; employees and employers in those two geographic regions will be subject to those ordinances. The law will also exempt employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement in the construction industry and parcel delivery industry.
The legislation provides that paid leave shall accrue at the rate of one hour for every 40 hours worked. Employees will be paid their full wage while on leave and tipped workers will be paid the minimum wage in their respective locale. An employer cannot require an employee to find their replacement for the leave.
* A state Representative tells me she’s received 500+ emails today opposed to ranked choice voting, with these three minor variations. None of the senders live in her district…
Ranked choice voting turns winners into losers – Do not support it!
Dear Representative xxxx,
I am an Illinois voter and would like your help in fighting against ranked choice voting in our state. This unnecessary, partisan process turns winners into losers and complicates voting. Please don’t let this happen in Illinois and vote against ranked choice voting.
No Ranked Choice Voting in Illinois
As an Illinois voter, I compel you to not let outside influences corrupt the voting process in our state with ranked-choice voting. Ranked choice voting disenfranchises voters and is not needed in Illinois. Please don’t let ranked choice voting become a reality here.
Protect my right to vote and vote NO on HB 2807 & HB 2716
Dear Representative xxxx,
I cherish my sacred right to vote, and I do not want the process in Illinois complicated by ranked-choice voting. This is an unnecessary practice that serves to confuse voters and makes it difficult to count votes. As an Illinois voter, I ask you to vote against Ranked-Choice Voting.
An ongoing shortage of a medicine commonly used to treat people with breathing problems is expected to get worse after a major supplier to U.S. hospitals shut down last week.
Liquid albuterol has been in short supply since last summer, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. It has been on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s shortages list since October. The news of the plant shutdown worries some doctors who work with patients with breathing problems such as asthma. […]
The manufacturer that recently shut down, Akorn Operating Company LLC, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2020.
It was the only company to make certain albuterol products used for continuous nebulizer treatment. It’s a staple in children’s hospitals, but had been out of stock since last fall. Without that particular form of the product, hospitals have had to scramble to find alternatives.
Federal prosecutors plan to call 70 witnesses to prove that four former ComEd employees and lobbyists doled out jobs, contracts and payments to illegally influence one of Illinois’ most powerful politicians.
* Something to keep in mind…
A reminder to everyone, Signature Bank Chicago is not affiliated at all to the now closed Signature Bank New York.
Again, Signature Bank Chicago is completely separate and unaffiliated to Signature Bank New York, and Signature Chicago customers should see no change in service. https://t.co/j5m16F4Yb1
* Joe Cahill |Pritzker’s power plan gets a reality check: Pritzker, for his part, shows no interest in adjusting the schedule for closing carbon-emitting plants. His spokeswoman dismisses the possibility of power shortages, saying “we’ll be able to meet the power needs in Illinois,” provided PJM and MISO “accelerate the interconnection of all the renewable power” that developers have proposed in their regions. She adds that CEJA is just one of many factors contributing to PJM’s concerns about power capacity throughout its service area.
* Arne Duncan and Tim Daly | Illinois can hold rogue actors in gun industry accountable under Consumer Fraud Act: Rogue gun manufacturers and dealers who negligently or recklessly sell firearms in Illinois must be held accountable to more effectively reduce gun violence in our communities. To do so, policymakers need to clarify the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, or Consumer Fraud Act, to ensure that the gun industry is held to the same basic principles of civil justice as everyone else.
* Crain’s | Rivian negotiating end to exclusivity deal with Amazon: report: Electric vehicle maker Rivian and tech giant Amazon are reportedly negotiating to alter their current partnership to allow Rivian to sell its electric vans to others and end its exclusive deal with Amazon. According to The Wall Street Journal, Rivian’s request follows Amazon’s decision to buy around 10,000 vans in 2023, which falls at the lower end of the agreement established in 2019 for 100,000 vans purchased by 2030.
* Patch | LTHS Admits Open Meetings Violations: In a letter to the attorney general Wednesday, the school’s lawyer said officials failed to cite the legal exception for the board to close its doors. This happened a half dozen times for closed meetings from April to November last year. The topic was the plan to sell the school’s land in Willow Springs.
* Reuters | Caterpillar union workers vote in favor of six-year labor agreement: The contract covers roughly 7,000 union workers at plants in central Illinois and a parts distribution center in York, Pennsylvania. In a notice seen by Reuters, 71.5% of union members voted to accept the tentative agreement. The union did not disclose how many workers voted.
* Forbes | What Happened To Signature Bank? The Latest Bank Failure Marks Third Largest In History: State regulators in New York shuttered Signature Bank—a 23-year-old regional bank that had previously focused on digital assets by becoming one of a few banks to accept crypto deposits—after regulators warned the stability of the financial system could be threatened if the bank remained open.
* SJ-R | Grandview municipal building to be named for former Illinois Supreme Court justice: Former Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Carter remembered as a kid growing up in the 2300 block of East Grandview riding his bike over, with his brother, Randy, and neighborhood friend, Dennis Dyson, several blocks to a baseball diamond where neighborhood kids would gather.
* Tribune | Taste of Chicago, Jazz Fest and 2023 summer season announced: Summer festival season has been announced. The big news: Taste of Chicago will have three preview events in Chicago neighborhoods over the summer, then take place in Grant Park Sept. 8-10. Also in the lineup, Chicago Blues Festival in Millennium Park in June, Chicago Air and Water Show Aug. 19-20 and Chicago Jazz Festival at the end of summer.
* WGN | Chicago man files class action suit against Buffalo Wild Wings, says boneless wings are just nuggets: The complaint seeks to challenge what it calls “the false and deceptive marketing and advertising of Buffalo Wild Wings’ Boneless Wings,” and goes on to say, “Specifically, the name and description of the Products (i.e., as “Boneless Wings”) leads reasonable consumers to believe the Products are actually chicken wings.”
A new bill being proposed in the legislature would bring Illinois into the 21st century by modernizing its virtual car dealer laws. […]
Existing Illinois law is vague about whether new and used car dealers can sell their products online, and get electronic signatures for purchase.
“This bill is designed to modernize Illinois law regulating the home-delivery of purchased vehicles, to ensure customers don’t have to go to a physical facility just to sign some paperwork,” Will Munsil, Senior Corporate Counsel for Carvana told WAND News. […]
The bill has been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is now set for a third reading in the full Senate later this month. It still needs approval in both the Senate and House before becoming law.
State Rep. Kam Buckner (D-26th) is concerned about turnout in Chicago municipal elections after concluding his campaign for mayor. […]
Buckner nevertheless suggested working with organizations like Chicago Votes and the League of Women Voters to have “a more intentional and streamlined approach” to boost turnout.
He also has some legislative changes in mind, including lowering the voting age for state and local elections from 18 to 16. […]
Buckner has also filed legislation to allow municipalities to adopt ranked-choice voting without an affirmative ballot referendum.
Illinois lawmakers advanced a bill last week that would effectively abolish life sentences for any incarcerated individual who was under the age of 21 when they received their sentence.
In January, Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law that makes any individual who was under the age of 21 when sentenced to life in prison eligible for parole review after they served 40 years or more of their sentence. But the measure only applied to those sentenced on or after June 1, 2019.
Senate Bill 2073, carried by Republican Sen. Seth Lewis, of Bartlett, would extend the measure retroactively to apply to any currently incarcerated individual who was sentenced before turning 21. The law signed by Pritzker in January takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, and SB 2073 would be effective July 1, 2024.
“The 3,251 current inmates who were sentenced prior to June 1, 2019, or Jan. 1, 2024, should have the opportunity (for parole review),” Lewis said in committee. “That is the essence of this bill.”
The measure passed out of committee on a 7-3 vote and awaits action from the full House.
* HB 1568 was re-referred to Rules Committee on Friday. WCBU…
A bill intended to protect the public’s right to access navigable waters — first introduced in the Illinois House in January — is under consideration again.
The bill’s language explains that while the amendment would not change any actual law, it would protect the public’s right to access and use any waters that are currently, or have been in the past, used for recreational and commercial purposes.
The Prairie Rivers Network is promoting the bill. Robert Hirschfeld, senior water policy specialist, said it is disappointing to hear of the initial denial of the amendment. He said the issue stems from events in U.S. history that protect the public’s right to waterways.
“So, the Northwest Ordinance, right at the end of the 1700s, which brought new territory in the United States, the federal navigation, servitude, and other bodies of federal law grant the public rights to use navigable waters,” he said, “and our position is that the state of Illinois and state agencies have improperly restricted that right.” […]
Hirschfeld and the Prairie Rivers Network intend to return the bill to the General Assembly in the next legislative session.
House Bill 2910 provides that a person who holds an animal in the person’s lap while operating a motor vehicle is guilty of a petty offense. The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Jawaharial Williams, D-Chicago, said pets aren’t covered under distracted driving laws.
“The new law would allow police officers to pull you over if they see that you are driving with an animal in your lap, whatever the animal may be,” Williams said.
Williams cited a AAA survey that showed that 31% of drivers with pets said they have been distracted by their pets while driving, and 20% of drivers who have admitted to driving with the pet on their lap have been involved in accidents.
Offenders would be subject to a $50 fine. The measure moved out of the transportation committee and is headed to the House floor.
Violence on public transit in Illinois and around the country remains near the highest levels seen in the past decade.
State Rep. Eva-Dina Delgado, D-Chicago, said House Bill 1342 would suspend the riding privileges of those responsible for abusive behavior.
“Transit officials have found that the same folks keep repeatedly abusing their riding privileges by harassing folks or outright harming folks, and those folks could include our transit workers, and/or their fellow riders,” Delgado said.
Supporters of the legislation say the dangerous working conditions have led to a shortage of public transit workers statewide.
The measure moved out of the transportation committee and is headed to the House floor.
Chicago is in a public safety crisis, and the last thing we need is a candidate who wants to defund the police. I’m running for Mayor to put crime reduction and public safety first. pic.twitter.com/cIt0F5tsfu
* The public sector union vs. private sector union split is fully on display in the Chicago mayoral race…
AFSCME, union that represents more than 11,000 active and retired public service workers who live in the city of Chicago, endorses Brandon Johnson, first time they’ve weighed in since Harold Washington.
This morning, three large construction unions announced their endorsement of Paul Vallas in the upcoming runoff election for Mayor of Chicago. The unions were joined by former Secretary of State Jesse White, who endorsed Vallas earlier this month.
Among the unions were the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 9. In total, the unions represent about 40,000 workers. These endorsements come only days after the Plumbers Local 130, which represents more than 6,000 members, announced its endorsement of Vallas.
In addition to its endorsement, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150 committed $1 million to the effort to elect Paul Vallas.
“The men and women here today built Chicago,” said White, who has been an influential voice in Illinois politics for nearly fifty years. “These unions are committed to a bright future for this city, and their unity on this endorsement symbolizes the vital role that Vallas will play in shaping that future.”
* Think about the framing of this policy idea for a moment…
The centerpiece of mayoral candidate Paul Vallas’ plan to reverse decades of disinvestment on the South and West sides of Chicago is the creation of an independent community development authority that would limit the ability of Chicago City Council members to have final say on ward-level issues.
What the idea boils down to is wanting to help Black wards by disempowering Black alderpersons and then handing over control to an unelected “independent community development authority.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in favor of drastically reducing aldermanic prerogative. It just feels a bit too “on-brand” to sell it this way.
* Counting the same money twice is also on-brand for Vallas…
Vallas also proposes creating a municipal bank, which would hold the authority’s funds, which would come from “a dedicated portion of all new revenues from [tax-increment financing districts] and all developer fees, future casino, sports betting and gaming revenues” that would be earmarked for investments on the South and West sides. […]
However, state law requires Chicago to use all casino revenues to fund its police and fire pensions.
* This policy idea reminds me of candidate Bruce Rauner’s empty pledge to prosecute corruption out of his own office…
Even more unproven is Vallas’ plan to establish a “Law Department Municipal Prosecution Unit” to try the city’s cases itself, which likely would require a change in state law.
Christened the “Anjanette Young Ordinance” as a nod to the Black social worker who was forced to stand naked in her home as several Chicago officers in 2019 executed a search warrant at the wrong location, the legislation is opposed by Lightfoot, who has said it was not grounded in the reality of policing. Young has endorsed Johnson for mayor.
The latest proposed version would add a provision that mandates officers seeking warrants to first conduct at least a week of surveillance on the location.
A week?
* Also…
Hard to imagine cops being more amenable to reform, no matter who is pushing it.
But it's pretty easy to imagine the guy endorsed by the FOP who negotiated their last contract wouldn't actually push for reform. https://t.co/n4v6BrhTdV
Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson said he will not raise property taxes if elected. … Johnson is proposing a slew of new revenues, mostly in new taxes on big businesses.
The CTU always opposes property tax hikes, relying instead on “tax the rich” proposals, many of which would require state legislative approval or even constitutional change or a strong belief in unicorns.
Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas said he would cap the city’s property tax levy, but has been less clear about whether that means we would not raise property taxes at all. A spokesperson said Vallas is “committed to not raising city property taxes.” … Vallas, meanwhile, promises to use budgetary acumen to work within the existing budget’s bounds.
He claims to be a unicorn wizard. I’d beg to differ.
* Vallas constantly heaps praise on private and charter schools, but his own words on 60 Minutes when he was running the New Orleans school district undercuts his arguments. Most of the schools are simply too small to accommodate kids with special needs, and there are lot of those kids in Chicago…
We don't applaud Paul Vallas opening up new charter schools in New Orleans, and then putting a gate on them to keep SPED students out. 😡
A new poll of more than 800 likely Chicago mayoral election voters found that former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas is holding a lead over Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, and several key voting blocs could play a significant role in determining the outcome of the race.
The poll, conducted by Victory Research, asked 806 likely runoff voters about their preferences in the upcoming election, with Vallas collecting 44.9% of the vote. Johnson grabbed 39.1% of the vote, with 16% of respondents saying they are still undecided for the April 4 runoff.
The margin of error in the poll was 3.45%, with a mix of respondents on land lines and cell phones, according to the polling company.
Adding some intrigue to the proceedings was the number of voters who said that their choices could change. According to the poll, 18% of respondents said they could change their minds prior to Election Day, meaning that one-third of the voters either haven’t settled on a candidate or could move to the other in the two-man race.
Victory Research also cited demographic data that showed two key groups that could help determine the outcome of the race. Voters living near the city’s lakefront, normally a key constituency in the race, are narrowly favoring Vallas by a 44-to-41 margin.
Spurred by the fatal shooting of Rekia Boyd by then-Chicago police officer Dante Servin in 2012, they organized a movement that led to the creation of elected civilian councils and a civilian commission with police oversight powers—the first such bodies in the city’s, and the nation’s, history. By the end of election night, the [Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression ] candidates and organizers in the ballroom had won 62 percent of the council seats.
The Chicago City Council passed the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, which created the district councils and CCPSA, following not only years of grassroots organizing by CAARPR and its allies in the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA), but also months of negotiations with Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who tried to block giving any police oversight powers to elected civilians, despite supporting it during her 2019 campaign. What came out of those negotiations was a compromise that gave some oversight powers to the CCPSA and kept some in the mayor’s office.
Each of the city’s 22 police districts will have a three-member elected PDC that interacts with the community and can make recommendations to local police commanders. Those district-level councils also nominate members of the citywide CCPSA and make reports and recommendations to them. They also are in charge of nominating people to fill vacancies on the district councils themselves (which may be necessary immediately after this election in at least one district).
* Tribune | Crime is a top issue for Chicago voters. Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson offer sharp contrasts to public safety: Johnson represents some of the city’s most violent neighborhoods and repeatedly discusses crime in personal terms. He talks about shielding his children from gunfire on his block that sometimes has pierced his home’s windows and a classmate of his oldest son who died in a shooting this school year. “I have more incentive than Paul Vallas for a safer, stronger Chicago,” he’s argues. “I’m living it, just like families are all over the city. We have to get it right.”
* WBEZ | Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have vastly different visions for Chicago’s taxes and finances: Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson said he will not raise property taxes if elected. Former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas said he would cap the city’s property tax levy, but has been less clear about whether that means we would not raise property taxes at all. A spokesperson said Vallas is “committed to not raising city property taxes.”
* Laura Washington | Chicago mayoral race is a job interview. Voters should ask: Who is more experienced?: We have heard much about how the runoff candidates, Paul Vallas, a former Chicago Public Schools CEO, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, are polar opposites on issues, policy and ideology. Yet throughout these months of campaign debates, forums and news conferences, not so much about experience.
* Crain’s | As mayor, Johnson would revive push for anti-homelessness ‘mansion tax’: The Bring Chicago Home proposal spearheaded by homeless advocates would more than triple the transfer tax that a buyer of a residential or commercial property at $1 million or more would pay. The transfer tax is a one-time payment at the time of purchase, not a recurring expense like property taxes.
* Sun-Times | City must push forward in holding businesses, residential buildings responsible for recycling: The Streets and Sanitation Department has corrected “two problems” and partly fixed another since the IG’s audit in late 2020 revealed that it “makes no attempt to identify noncompliant commercial or high-density residential buildings.” But it has a way to go, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said in her follow-up report earlier this month.
* Tribune | Smoke detectors save lives, but Chicago has slow-walked efforts to toughen rules: Illinois policymakers have been straining in recent years to catch up with national trends in safety standards to make sure modern, reliable smoke alarms are installed in every home so that tragedies like the Humboldt Park fire are not repeated. But their efforts have been repeatedly undermined by real estate interests, by Chicago Fire Department officials who have lobbied to delay and weaken regulations, and by lackluster outreach and spotty enforcement on the part of city officials, an investigation by the Illinois Answers Project and the Tribune found.
* Crain’s | Juul settles with Chicago for nearly $24 million: Since 2018, Chicago has filed nine lawsuits against 45 online vaping retailers, reaching settlements with 50 companies in exchange for agreements to change their business practices and pay almost $27 million in fines, the statement said. It has also won about $2 million in fines from default judgments against seven online vaping businesses, it said.
* Crain’s | A Chicagoan to know: Sammy Dorf of cannabis firm Verano: Sammy Dorf is co-founder of Chicago-based Verano Holdings, one of the largest cannabis companies in the nation, boasting more than 120 dispensaries in 13 states, 14 cultivation and production facilities, and nearly 4,000 employees. Dorf, 38, and his wife live in the Gold Coast neighborhood and just had their first child, a boy, in late February.
Springfield mayoral candidate Misty Buscher is calling for revitalizing the dormant beach house at Lake Springfield and making it a haven for food trucks, concerts and outdoor activities. […]
In the wake of a 2007 drowning at Lake Springfield, the beach house has only been used for planned events such as weddings. Swimming is no longer allowed at the beach. […]
She has worked with an architectural firm to create renderings for what such a park might look like.
“We would just take a small bite of the apple each year,” she said. “The most expensive phase would be the dock. But everything – the picnic tables, the building, the renovations, the dock – would be a total of $1 million.”
If Springfield ever hopes to attract people to and keep people in this town, it needs to do lots more stuff like this, especially since the law requiring new state jobs be located in Springfield was heavily watered down not long ago.
And good on the candidate for coming up with this idea and putting in some actual work.
I am writing to you to talk about the elephant in the room, Vote By Mail. Each election cycle, we see that the general public is choosing to vote by mail in increasing numbers. This phenomenon is consistent across all types of voters, as the chart below illustrates. And of course, Democrats utilize Vote By Mail at a much higher rate than Republicans. Democrats have won many close elections on the strength of their Vote By Mail programs. Quite simply, Republicans will have an uphill battle in every election moving forward if we do not start utilizing Vote By Mail to our advantage — especially now that Illinois authorizes permanent Vote By Mail lists, which will disproportionately impact the results of our municipal elections, especially our local school boards.
We are acutely aware of problems with the Vote By Mail process. However, the harsh reality is that until we have the numbers in the legislature to change it, we have to play to win under the existing rules and we must increase Republican voter turnout by greater use of Vote By Mail. In contrast to our genuine concerns about how certain aspects of voting by mail undermine fair and honest elections, there is relatively little increased risk of fraudulent abuse of your ballot when you vote by mail as opposed to voting in person. In a sense, voting by mail can actually decrease the possibility of a bad actor voting your ballot for you.
Even for voters who prefer not to vote by mail, participating in the Vote By Mail process has advantages. Our partners at the Illinois Conservative Union speak about a “claim your name, secure your vote” strategy to Vote By Mail voting that was used with success in Virginia in 2021, and their viewpoint bears repeating here.
First, we encourage our voters to request a Vote By Mail ballot as early in the process as possible. Once that ballot arrives, the voter has “claimed their name, and secured their vote.” With that ballot in hand, there is no possibility that anyone else can cast that ballot, or request a ballot in that voter’s name.
At this point, if that voter wants to cast a ballot by mail, he or she may obviously do so. However, if that voter wants to vote in person – whether through Early Voting or on Election Day – that voter simply takes the Vote By Mail ballot with them to their polling place, and surrenders it to the election judges.
We’d want our voters to be sure to watch the election judge write “SPOILED” on the Vote By Mail ballot and secure it in a “Spoiled Ballot” envelope. After this, the voter may proceed to vote in-person at the polling place.
The wisdom of this approach is that it provides our voters with flexibility. Under this approach, if something comes up at the last minute, and a voter cannot vote in person, they can still vote using a Vote By Mail ballot. An executed Vote By Mail ballot can be delivered using the mail, in-person OR by a trusted friend or family member, using the affidavit on the Vote By Mail envelope. Whether it is in-person voting or voting by mail, we can protect our vote by claiming our name and ensuring that our ballot is cast. Whether you are a fan of voting by mail or not, it is the law of the land in Illinois. Until we elect enough Republicans to change it, we must use this system to the greatest extent possible so that we can do just that: elect more Republicans.
The included chart…
Thoughts?
…Adding… A buddy of mine with access to an Illinois Policy Institute private Facebook group just sent me this text…
The IPI guys have been trying to convince their private group members to vote by mail for months.
Every time they post its just a stream of comments decrying fraud, etc.
Almost two months into his term in the General Assembly, Republican St. Rep. Jed Davis says Republicans are sometimes part of the problem. He says a few have the attitude that they can put lobbyist interests over those of constituents because the lobbyists will protect them. Davis isn’t naming them but says only a few have made those comments, so he’s holding on to hope. That’s one of three things he calls his most shocking discoveries since taking office.
Davis also isn’t happy that nothing starts on time. He says it’s not unusual to wait 40 to 50 minutes for a session to start. He says a Republican caucus on Tuesday lasted until 2:50pm, even though six committees were scheduled to start meetings at 2:00. He says a meeting is considered to be on time if it’s 20 minutes late.
The Newark Republican did tell the station that he feels “beyond blessed” to serve. Go read the rest. Rep. Davis defeated incumbent Rep. David Welter in the GOP primary last year.
* I strongly encouraged subscribers to read the Chicago Tribune’s preview of the “ComEd 4″ trial earlier today, and now I’ll do the same for everyone else. Click here.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared last week when announcing the formation of the Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center that the state was building “the best behavioral health system in the nation.”
It was quite a bold thing to say. So, my associate Isabel Miller and I asked a couple of follow-up questions: How long will this take, and how much will it cost?
The response from a spokesperson was kinda underwhelming: “Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, the state has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild our behavioral health infrastructure and the Governor is committed to continuing these critical investments year after year to build the best system in the nation. Illinois has climbed in the national rankings by putting our people first and we’re on the right path if we continue to make generational change. With our statewide partnerships and continued investment Illinois will soon serve as the national standard for a behavioral health system that prioritizes workers and provides the best possible care for those who need it.”
That obviously didn’t answer either of our questions. And no Brownie Points for brevity, either. Sorry to make you read it.
Also, the background information the governor’s office sent about the administration’s progress didn’t quite match up with the governor’s flowery rhetoric.
Recent national rankings issued by Mental Health America, a group founded more than a century ago, show Illinois has moved from an 11th-place overall mental health back in 2018 to 9th place this year. An overall ranking of 1-13, according to the organization, “indicates lower prevalence of mental illness and higher rates of access to care.”
However, the state’s ranking for adults actually slipped during that time period, from 8th to 9th, and the ranking for youth remained at 13th. This despite spending hundreds of millions of additional dollars since the start of 2019 on mental health initiatives.
Even so, a key stakeholder heaped praise on the governor’s plan to use the new Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center to lead the revamp of the long-troubled Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in deep southern Illinois.
Equip for Equality issued an investigative report back in 2005 that documented numerous horrors at Choate. The group called for the facility’s closure at the time. “Nearly two decades later,” the group claimed last week via press release, “enhanced monitoring activities show little has changed.”
The group says Choate residents continue to be “segregated” from their community “without receiving the necessary services to actually address why they ended up there.” Residents, the group said, continue to be “afraid of staff and peers, and afraid of retaliation if they report staff abuse.”
“Many of the recent news stories are about incidents that happened a year or more ago,” said Stacey Aschemann, Equip for Equality’s vice president in charge of monitoring the conditions at Choate. “Based on our recent monitoring, we can say without a doubt that these continue to be ongoing issues.”
So, why has it taken so long for the state to act? The governor told reporters the state simply hadn’t had the financial resources to do enough about the problem. The new Behavioral Health Workforce Education Center has been in the works for five years and will hopefully help the state increase the workforce size enough to deal with the issues, not only at Choate, but throughout the state. With more tax revenues coming in, the state can start getting a handle on things.
And, make no mistake, the problems are severe, despite what national rankings may show. Currently, 15,000 people are on a waiting list for community-based intellectual and developmental disabilities placement, according to a report last week by Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises and ProPublica Illinois.
Those outlets’ reporting on Choate, by the way, sparked the recent intense interest in the facility’s many problems and helped push the administration into action, a fact that Pritzker himself has acknowledged.
There are, of course, parochial concerns about any changes at Choate. Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro), who represents the area, claimed the central problem is with facility management (a good point) and said she opposed moving residents out of the facility (not so good). AFSCME, of course, is worried about the future of its members at Choate.
The bottom line is the state just has to get smarter. These problems have existed for decades and decades, and the folks at Choate and thousands of others across this state deserve care and help, not physical abuse and neglect. The people in charge need to be better than this, so this attempt to bring new workers into the system and keep them there cannot fail.
* Sun-Times | It’s not Madigan’s trial, but the feds’ big upcoming case is all about the former speaker: The trial will give jurors a close-up view of how Springfield operated in the last decade. They’ll hear talk of an “old-fashioned patronage system.” And they’ll learn how an apparent obsession with pleasing Madigan might have prompted four officials to cross a legal line as ComEd sought to pass legislation it valued at more than $150 million.
* Jeff Epton | An open letter to Paul Vallas: Learn from my dad, Bernard Epton, and pivot to a different message: In 1950, my father ran for Congress in the Republican primary against Richard Vail, then a former congressman and a red-baiting, race-baiting echo of the notorious Wisconsin senator, Joseph McCarthy. Among Bernie’s supporters in that race were leading South Side Black ministers such as Archibald Carey Sr.. Dad also received the endorsement of the Chicago Defender, perhaps the country’s most prominent Black newspaper at the time. But he lost that race.
* WBEZ | Five things to know as the Safe-T Act goes to the Illinois Supreme Court: The state’s attorneys who are trying to overturn portions of the Safe-T act argue that when the constitution says people “shall be bailable by sufficient sureties”— that includes cash bail. So lawmakers can’t get rid of monetary bail without going through the difficult and cumbersome process of changing the constitution first.
* WTTW | Bulldozers Arrived at Bell Bowl at Dawn: At 6 a.m. Thursday, bulldozer headlights appeared at the top of a small hill and in that moment, the 18-month fight to save ancient Bell Bowl Prairie ended.
* Sun-Times | Write-in ballots could threaten 29th Ward Ald. Chris Taliaferro’s bid for reelection: The votes released Sunday showed Taliaferro’s total number of votes at 4,868, but added six write-in votes for Walter Adamczyk and 106 for Lisa Ann Brown Newman. Taliaferro holds 49.76% of the vote and could be headed for a runoff with second-place finisher CB Johnson unless mail-in ballots counted in the next few days shift the results yet again.
* Kam Buckner | Next police superintendent should have 21st century view of policing: There has been a lot of talk about noncompliance with the court-mandated consent decree, but the truth is that while consent decree compliance is a requirement, it should be the floor and not the ceiling. True reform has to be the goal of the next superintendent.
* Tribune | St. Patrick’s Day parade in Chicago’s Loop wraps up after bagpipes, politicians and revelry: The theme of the 68th annual parade — sponsored by Chicago Plumbers Local 130 UA — was “Recognizing Workers Rights.” Union groups, high schools, and corporations made up a majority of the floats and displays, but the tiny ponies, Big Idaho Potato, and Oscar Meyer Wiener car garnered the biggest applause.
* Center Square | As Illinois gaming hits highs, so has gambling debt: In Illinois, 400,000 people have a gambling problem and another 700,000 are at risk for developing a problem. It is almost too easy to gamble these days, Miller said. People play the lottery on their phones. People bet on video games like “Call of Duty.”
* Tribune | Plan for south suburban airport near Peotone rises again, now focused on cargo: Proponents envision an airport that could take advantage of demand for quick delivery and the proliferation of Amazon warehouses, train facilities and highways in Will County. At least one developer is already interested in building out the airport and nearby warehouses, a project that would mark the culmination of the decadeslong effort to get an airport built near Peotone.
* SJ-R | Crowds turn out for St. Patrick’s Day Parade through downtown Springfield: The 37th edition of one of the city’s most famed traditions brought out families and others of all ages and backgrounds to watch 94 different groups wind their way through the parade route that stretched from Jefferson Street and eventually ended at Ninth Street.
* USA Today | ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ rules at Oscars: The multiverse-hopping sensation, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” ruled the night at Sunday’s Academy Awards, winning seven honors including best picture, best actress (Michelle Yeoh), supporting actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), supporting actor (Ke Huy Quan), directing and original screenplay.
With the passage of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) 18 months ago, electric utilities were forced to accept additional consumer rate protections enforced by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), but unfortunately gas utilities were left untouched.
Now, the skyrocketing and unpredictable natural gas market will cause well-resourced consumers to install electric heat pumps or build electric heated homes. Those who make the switch will be protected by the regulatory authority of the ICC, which can require transparency and accountability when it comes to prices consumers pay for electricity.
But those who cannot afford to make the shift and remain reliant on natural gas — most of whom are lower-income Black and Brown people and rural residents in Illinois — will have almost no regulation on prices charged by their utilities. The cost to consumers will continue to rise if we leave unchecked the gas utilities’ desire to charge consumers an ever increasing amount for expansion of their natural gas infrastructure. […]
To hold gas utilities accountable and protect consumers, we should enact new laws requiring:
• An audit of the gas distribution infrastructure, so we know how our money has been spent in the last decade;
• Gas distribution planning, so the ICC can better rule on which expenses are necessary;
• Safety standards for gas pipes and distribution, so we can accurately determine what must be replaced and we don’t end up replacing infrastructure unnecessarily.
• An end to the qualified Infrastructure Plant (QIP) charge on consumer bills, which is costing customers as much as $40 per month even with little or no gas usage;
• Energy efficiency programs must be adopted for gas utilities, as they are on electric utilities;
• Require utilities to offer lower rates for low-income customers, so they can get additional relief;
• Allow the ICC to require gas companies to maximize federal funds, so we can minimize the burden on Illinois ratepayers;
• Have performance-based regulations for gas utilities, as we have for the electric utilities, so we can ensure the gas companies’ profits are as promised in the rate making process;
• Pay for the system using volumetric rates, not customer charges — so those who use more gas pay more;
• Improve compensation for intervenors (those who advocate on behalf of consumers in rate cases);
• Initiate new protections against shut-offs and additional payment plan mechanisms.
* After the Gannett/Gatehouse merger, the company got rid of 59 percent of its employees, according to Nieman Lab…
At the end of 2018 — the last full pre-merger year — the two companies had a total of 27,600 employees, according to a Gannett spokesperson. The merger closed in mid-November 2019, by which time it had about 25,000 and was diving headlong into a hunt for “inefficiencies.”
By December 31, 2019, the combined company was down to 21,255. By the end of 2020, that had dropped to 18,141. A year later: 13,800. And its most recent SEC filing reports that, as of the end of 2022, Gannett had just 11,200 employees remaining.
In other words, Gannett has eliminated 59% of its jobs in four years. It’s as if, instead of merging America’s two largest newspaper chains, one of them was simply wiped off the face of the earth.
* Whoever is running this Twitter account has better political investigatory skills than most if not all political reporters in Chicago. Their oppo is almost always the goods…
Perhaps one of our favorite Vallas quotes comes here, "If I have to break the law, I'll break the law."
Recently Mayor Lightfoot took fire for asking teachers to recruit students for political work. It seems Vallas also previously "used children as pawns" for politics. pic.twitter.com/1JH5W7J4bI
The diversity/equity/inclusion mandate remains in place at the University of Illinois. But it’s been repealed at the University of North Carolina system.
This week, the UNC system board removed the compelled speech requirement because it was advised that requiring salutes to the DEI ideology as a condition of hiring and admissions is at odds with free speech. […]
Colleges and universities across the country, including the UI, have embraced the DEI loyalty tests as a means of ensuring either complete political conformity or silence on controversial issues inside and outside the university.
I reached out to UIUC and heard back today from Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Sean Garrick…
Dear Rich,
I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what the “diversity/equity/inclusion mandate” to which Mr. Dey refers to in his column. At the University of Illinois we have no “loyalty tests” of any nature. As a university, we encourage open, robust and wide-ranging debate, discussion and exploration of ideas and concepts – some of which are certainly considered controversial.
The idea that our university encourages conformity whether through formal policies or through informal avenues is absolutely false. Academic freedom is fundamentally about guaranteeing faculty members the freedom to explore “dangerous” ideas and ask difficult questions – the exact opposite of conformity. Mr. Tripp’s statements speak to the actions by the University of North Carolina and it is not appropriate for me/us to comment on governance decisions of another university.
Sincerely,
Sean
* IDPH…
IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra warned that cases of group A strep throat leading to severe complications are on the rise in Illinois, with more cases reported in 2023 than in any of the past five years.
“As COVID-19 cases and community levels remain stable, I want to share my concern about the growing number of strep throat cases in Illinois that are leading to severe complications,” Director Vohra said. “These cases, known as invasive Group A strep, are the result of disease spreading from the throat to blood, muscle and lungs. I urge parents to contact their health providers when their children start showing early symptoms. These symptoms include sudden onset of sore throat, pain when swallowing and fever. Early detection is critical as strep can be diagnosed with a simple test and treated with antibiotics. If able, please make sure everyone in the house is up to date with flu and chickenpox vaccines. Having either the flu or chickenpox can increase your risk of contracting invasive Group A strep.”
Parents and others can get more information about Group A strep at this CDC resource page.
* Press release…
U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the decision by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to temporarily convert United States Penitentiary (USP) Thomson into a low-security prison and enhance training for the hundreds of Thomson staff who will all remain employed at the institution:
“Today’s announcement is good news for the Thomson facility—it remains part of the Federal prison system, with no elimination of staffing positions, and it will help relieve some of the current overpopulation pressures BOP is experiencing at low-security facilities nationwide.
“When Thomson was purchased by the Federal government more than ten years ago, one of our goals was to help address the urgent overcrowding problem at our nation’s Federal prisons, as well as make it the safest prison in the nation—for both incarcerated people and staff. As part of these reforms and improvements, Thomson staff will have the opportunity to participate in intensive training to promote a more positive culture and ensure that Thomson is a safe and secure facility with a focus on rehabilitation and reentry. I look forward to seeing Thomson reach its full potential with this temporary conversion.”
BOP moved all remaining individuals in the Special Management Unit (SMU) and Reintegration Unit (RU) from Thomson in February 2023. Thomson will now house approximately 1,178 low-security adults, which will relieve some of the current overpopulation pressures BOP is experiencing at low-security facilities nationwide. Thomson plans to begin receiving inmates the week of April 10, starting with one unit a month. The adjacent Minimum Security Satellite Camp will be unaffected throughout the transition of the institution.
Beginning in 2009, Durbin was instrumental in the acquisition and activation of Thomson Prison—converting it from a state correctional facility to a Federal prison.
…Adding… US Sen. Tammy Duckworth was interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter. Lots of talk about pop culture and then…
There’s been so much debate about identity politics and its role in defining our political discourse. What’s your take?
I wasn’t a mom when I was first elected to Congress, but I thought I was pretty progressive. Then I became a mom and I was traveling back and forth from Chicago to D.C. twice a week trying to express breastmilk to feed my baby and I was told, “Oh you want to pump breast milk, go do it in the handicap stall of the bathroom,” or worse, “Go plug your breast pump in at that outlet where everyone else is charging their cell phone.” So I passed legislation called the FAM Act (Friendly Airports for Mothers) which now means every airport in America has to have a lactation room. And I’m really proud that I wrote that law which I would never have had if I had not been a mom. I also wrote legislation to force airlines to report how many times they break medical-assisted devices because about every third time I get on an airplane some part of my wheelchair gets broken. Before I used a wheelchair it never occurred to me. So yeah, identity is important. Identity does matter. Lived experience matters. You have to look at it not as something that puts us in categories but that makes life better for all of us. So it’s important to have greater diversity and sometimes you’ve got to be conscious of that diversity which is why I fought so hard to have an Asian American nominated as a cabinet secretary. It’s important for the rest of the world to look and see and go, “Oh wow, that’s a really diverse cabinet. That’s America.”
* WAND | Pritzker announces personnel transitions at Illinois Commerce Commission: Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Carrie Zalewski is stepping down from her position in June. As the commission continues implementation of the Climate and Equitable Job Act and prepares for cases later this year, Pritzker also announced plans to nominate former ICC Chair Doug Scott to replace Zalewski.
* Crain’s | New York joins the Walgreens-abortion pill fray: New York state has stepped into the fray surrounding national retail pharmacies and abortion pills. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James are asking Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid to commit to dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone in their state.
* Chicago Tribune | Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas clash at latest forum: ‘Race is an issue’: The contentious exchanges happened during a 90-minute forum hosted by the My Community Plan Foundation at the DuSable Black History Museum. For the first hour, the session was largely cordial until the two contenders, who just last week made the April 4 runoff election, were asked if they support a third airport in the Chicago area. Both said yes.
* WCIA | EIU faculty and staff vote ‘yes’ to authorize strike: In a news release, EIU UPI President Jennifer Stringfellow said: “This vote sends a clear message to EIU administration that we’re all in. Our members resoundingly reject what they are offering at the table. We don’t want to strike, but we’re willing to do this to ensure EIU students get the high-quality education they deserve and that our members get a fair contract.”
* Crain’s | In rebuilding Ryan Field, Northwestern needs to protect local businesses: Northwestern’s slick public relations campaign claims the new Ryan Field will “build generational wealth for Black and Brown families.” As the owner of one Central Street’s few black-owned businesses, I have my doubts. What I see, instead, is a university that wants to run a for-profit concert business at the expense of one of the country’s nicest business districts. I see powerful Evanstonians coalescing behind the plan and cynically using artificial promises of Black wealth as cover.
* Center Square | Illinois again takes top spot in pumpkin production: It’s been many years since any other pumpkin growing state has beaten Illinois in pumpkin production. Raghela Scavuzzo, executive director of Illinois Specialty Growers, said Illinois produced 651.9 million pounds of pumpkins in 2021, 39% of all the pumpkins produced in the U.S.
* Sun-Times | How and why Chicago dyes the Chicago River emerald green: In the last 61 years, dyeing the river has become a world-renowned tradition, despite some pushback from environmental groups . And it’s happening again this weekend, a few hours before the start of the downtown Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade, sponsored by Chicago Plumbers Local 130.
OK, take aside the bill in question. South Dakota governors can literally veto a bill using a branding iron that's shaped like the word "VETO?" https://t.co/diNcJo0DN0
Governor Kristi Noem is issuing her first veto of this legislative session. Noem rejected a measure yesterday that would have allowed municipalities to charge a higher tax on people staying at lodging places. The governor announced the veto with a picture of her using a branding iron to stamp her rejection onto the measure. The original House and Senate votes fell short of short the two-thirds majority that will be needed to override the veto.
Last month, [Rep.] Hernandez introduced legislation that would allow DACA recipients to be considered for law enforcement positions statewide. […]
With a vote of 9 to 4 Thursday, the bill moves out of committee to the full House floor. […]
Representative John Cabello is a police officer who voted against the bill for several reasons, chiefly the concern for officers’ safety as a DACA officer could not legally have firearm when not on duty.
[From Rich: The Chicago FOP slipped in favor of this bill, believe it or not. The Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police slipped in opposition. Blue Island’s police recently hired a DACA recipient.]
A proposal at the Illinois Statehouse would legalize and regulate “natural organic reduction,” a process in which human remains are rapidly decomposed into compost. The process is also known as human composting or terramation.
That process turns human remains into dirt over the course of several weeks. Companies that offer this service place a person’s remains in a vessel with wood chips, straw and other organic material and heat it to accelerate the growth of microbes that break down the body. This is distinct from “natural burial,” in which a body is buried with no casket or in a biodegradable container.
The measure, House Bill 3158, passed in the House Energy and Environment Committee on Tuesday on a 16-10 vote. It now goes to the House for consideration, although its sponsor, Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said an amendment to the bill is likely. […]
“Turning the mortal remains of a human person into compost for the purpose of fertilization, as one would with vegetable trimmings or eggshells, degrades the human person and dishonors the life that was lived by that person,” [Daniel Welter, the recently retired chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago] said during the committee hearing.
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is trying to help more Illinoisans get access to fentanyl testing strips.
The Illinois Department of Public Health reported more than 3,717 drug overdoses involving fentanyl during 2021. IDPH explained that is equivalent to losing 10 Illinoisans each day.
House Republican Leader Tony McCombie (R-Savanna) told the House Public Health Committee Thursday that her bill could allow pharmacists and retail stores to sell fentanyl test strips over the counter. County health departments could also distribute the test strips to the public for free. […]
House Bill 3203 passed unanimously out of the House Public Health Committee. All committee members signed on as co-sponsors with McCombie.
Rep. Curtis Tarver II (D-Chicago) said Wednesday that the state should separate soda from liquor that looks like soda. His proposal could prohibit retailers from displaying alcopop drinks next to soft drinks, juice, bottled water, or snacks catered to young customers.
Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet) said this could also be helpful for adults who don’t realize what they’re buying or drinking because they think it is carbonated water. […]
The Illinois Retail Merchants Association is working with Tarver to ensure the plan can be properly implemented at stores of all sizes. Members of the House Executive Committee unanimously approved the plan and it now heads to the House floor for second reading.
* Change IL…
In an effort to strengthen Illinois’ ethics laws and take on corruption, Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid and the CHANGE Illinois Action Fund call on Illinoisans to support and lawmakers to advance legislation that would fully empower the Legislative Inspector General who investigates allegations of wrongdoing in the state’s legislative branch.
HB 2892, introduced by Rashid, would build on previous ethics successes by the Illinois General Assembly that allowed the Legislative Inspector General to start investigations without approval by strengthening the tools available to the Office of Legislative Inspector General to fully investigate claims of corruption, harassment and other wrongdoing in the legislative branch, making it as empowered and independent as other inspectors general in government. […]
The office of the Legislative Inspector General should be given the full, independent authority it needs to conduct investigations and to publish all results of founded investigations without roadblocks. The following, specific changes in HB2892 would bring the Legislative Inspector General’s authority more in line with the authorities of other investigative offices, such as the Offices of the Executive Inspectors General.
A measure that would make it easier for Chicago’s first responders to acquire full disability benefits if they were sickened by COVID-19 gained traction Thursday when it passed through a state legislative committee.
State Rep. Jay Hoffman, the chief House sponsor of the bill, said under the measure it would automatically be assumed that working conditions for Chicago police officers and firefighters directly led to them contracting COVID-19 that led to a disability. […]
The bill was inspired by the brother of Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, whose brother, Chicago police Sgt. Joaquin Mendoza, was infected with COVID-19 and fell badly ill, but was denied full disability benefits by the Policemen’s Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago.
For months, we have been exposing how in Illinois, a dangerous criminal record may not stop people from becoming licensed massage therapists. […]
Two bills have been introduced in the Illinois state House of Representatives. The possible changes to state law are now being discussed by lawmakers – following our months of reporting, exposing issues with how massage therapy licenses, and more, are handled in Illinois. […]
One bill, HB3584, would ensure the state’s licensing office has all records of felony convictions, and make sure a crime victim knows they have a right to file a formal complaint with the state against someone licensed by them.
The other, HB3583, would require a worker such as a state licensed massage therapist to undergo the same checks and reviews as other health care workers - like a certified nursing assistant.
Paul Vallas’ Facebook account liked a series of comments that attacked Democrats, referred to Chicago as a “hell hole” and “S—cago” and labeled Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker “the king of full term abortion,” a Tribune review of his social media found.
How long before he changes his tune and claims this account, like his Twitter account, was hacked?
Vallas’ account also criticized a state law that establishes health and sex education standards starting from kindergarten and is condemned by some conservative and anti-LGBTQ groups — including Awake Illinois, a suburban group that has taken extreme positions and called Pritzker a “groomer.”
A couple months before the governor’s signed that measure into law, a June 2021 post on Vallas’ Facebook account opened with “THE BEGINNINGS OF A PARENT LED REVOLUTION?” and praised his fellow critics of teachers unions in the fight over in-person schooling during the pandemic.
“Despite those successes, SB 818, which clearly transforms sex education into sexuality education beginning at a very young age, sits on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature,” Vallas’ post wrote. “Parents should tell the Governor to veto that legislation.”
That “sexuality education” phrase sounds very similar to what the Awake Illinois types are saying. If he was running for a Palos school board seat, Gov. Pritzker might be targeting him for defeat. /s
* Last night’s mayoral debate wasn’t televised, but you can click here for some live coverage.
Both mayoral candidates are calling on the City Council to wait for the new administration and council before acting on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s proposed franchise agreement with Commonwealth Edison.
Paul Vallas had a suggestion on how to improve the deal, which Lightfoot unveiled last month in hopes of a quick vote before the election that took place Feb. 28. In a brief interview, he said a new deal with ComEd “has to deal with the outstanding bills people have.”
Echoing former Gov. Pat Quinn, with whom Vallas ran alongside as lieutenant governor nominee in his unsuccessful re-election bid, Vallas said a new franchise agreement with the scandal-tarred utility should have provisions to provide relief to customers behind on their bills in the form of amnesty or something similar.
Johnson essentially punted the question.
* The Chicago Teachers Union just transferred $500,000 in union dues to one of its political action committees. Since the day after the election, their mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson has reported raising almost $1.8 million, while Paul Vallas has reported raising a bit over $2.2 million. That CTU money could bring at least some temporary parity between the candidates.
*** UPDATE *** Vallas just reported receiving about $960K in contributions. So much for parity. IBEW Illinois gave him $100K.
To: Interested Parties
From: Celinda Lake, Daniel Gotoff and McCauley Pugh, Lake Research Partners
RE: New Poll in Chicago Shows Brandon Johnson Leading Paul Vallas in Mayoral Runoff
Date: March 9th, 2023
A recently conducted survey of 800 likely mayoral runoff voters in Chicago reveals public school teacher and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson leading Paul Vallas in the race for mayor with less than four weeks till election day. As long as he has the resources to mount robust communications and field efforts over the coming days, Brandon Johnson begins the runoff sprint well-positioned for victory.
● Brandon Johnson takes 45% of the vote to Vallas’ 40%, while 14% of voters are undecided and 1% support someone else. Johnson not only starts out with an 5-point overall lead Vallas, in a survey with a margin of error of +/-3.46%, but he boasts an even larger lead in strong support, as 37% of voters are strong Johnson supporters compared to just 30% who feel similarly about their support for Vallas.
In sum, the race for Mayor of Chicago is highly competitive. Brandon Johnson has a notable lead, but it is small enough that he could fall behind if he is substantially out-communicated. Brandon will need to launch vigorous media and voter contact campaigns to expand on his early lead—especially in the face of such a well-heeled opponent.
—————-
Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey via phone using professional interviewers. The survey reached 800 likely 2023 runoff voters in Chicago. The survey was conducted March 2-7, 2023. The margin of error for the base sample is +/-3.46% and larger for subgroups.
That “he could fall behind” bit is basically the pollster’s way of pleading with supporters to pony up harder for their client.
* We’ve talked more than once about how Brandon Johnson’s radio show produced a treasure trove of oppo. It’s now Vallas’ turn in the barrel…
A year before he became one of two Democrats left standing in the race for Chicago mayor, Paul Vallas went on a conservative radio show and mocked the last two Democratic presidents.
Appearing on Chicago’s Morning Answer (AM 560) program, Vallas rolled his eyes at former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama as they spoke about their new library in Hyde Park and laughed about them living in Martha’s Vineyard. Vallas, in a separate appearance a few months later, questioned whether President Joe Biden actually was the one running the White House. […]
On the Morning Answer program, Vallas was a regular substitute for co-host Dan Proft, a conservative political activist who lives in Florida but is a former Illinois resident. Proft ran a political action committee that spent more than $14.5 million last year trying to elect Trump-allied Republican Darren Bailey against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
At least he didn’t claim he was hacked or that somebody else impersonated him.
Also, setting aside what he said on the show, people who regularly substitute for Dan Proft are not generally considered liberals or moderates.
Keith Thornton was apparently a protester. More on him here. The Northwest Side has some weird political groups, and they’re all-in for Vallas.
* Isabel’s Chicago roundup…
* Block Club | Elizabeth Warren Endorses Brandon Johnson For Chicago Mayor: “Commissioner Brandon Johnson and I are both former public school teachers, and I can tell you that he understands what it takes to build a stronger Chicago for everyone. From education to public safety to housing, Brandon has a bold, forward-looking, progressive plan to move Chicago forward, and he has the experience to make those plans real,” Warren said in a statement.
* Streets Blog Chicago | Asked about CTA at debate, Johnson focuses on reliability, Vallas calls for more cops: Johnson’s response mostly focused on strategies to make transit operate more efficiently and keep CTA staffing at full strength so as to avoid service gaps. “Right now our public transit system is unreliable and it’s unsafe,” he said. “This is why I’m committed to making sure we’re making critical investments, particularly for working people who overwhelmingly rely on public transportation. So we’re going to increase the number of bus-only lanes… We’re going to make sure that there are traffic signals that give preference to [buses.]” […] In contrast, Vallas’s answer focused on addressing crime through more policing. “The CTA is on the verge of financial crisis,” he accurately noted. Vallas cited a stat (apparently solely reported by the conservative website Wirepoints, in an article that called for cutting CTA service) that CTA farebox revenue is only currently accounting for 18 percent of the operating budget when, under state law, it’s normally supposed to account for 50 percent.
* Block Club | Paul Vallas’ Facebook Page ‘Liked’ Comments Calling Chicago A ‘Hell Hole’ And ‘S—cago’ : The page also liked controversial comments about education, including one from Aug. 15 that said, “Shame on the ctu they don’t care about the kids lets get rid of all teachers and start from scratch.” In that same post, Vallas’ page also liked a comment in which a person wrote that “a parochial education is far superior to a public education.”
* ABC Chicago | Chicago alderman candidate for 21st ward claims opponent was untruthful on resume: Dantzler, who is a Navy veteran and retired Chicago firefighter, said while cleaning up the ward is his priority, his biggest concern is his opponent’s resume. “He told some lies about graduating from Morehouse College a lie that didn’t need to be told and when you tell lies what else are you going to lie about,” he said.
* Tribune | Fires continue to kill people in unsafe buildings as Chicago ignores problems with its inspection system: Chicago’s deeply flawed system for identifying and responding to life-threatening safety issues in residential buildings was exposed in a 2021 investigation by the Better Government Association and the Chicago Tribune. Reporters documented dozens of fire deaths in buildings where city regulators had been warned of potential fire hazards but failed to crack down on property owners in time.
* Adam Selzer | Conspiracy theories have long been part of Chicago politics. Consider the 1899 mayoral election: That spring, the incumbent Carter Henry Harrison Jr. squared off against Sanitary Board member Zina Carter, with former Gov. John Altgeld as a third-party spoiler. The Chicago Daily Inter Ocean’s coverage made Harrison sound like a regular Batman villain, with daily stories accusing him of fraud, blackmail, kidnapping and even murder, all aided by men with names like Nobby Clark, Cocoanut Morrisey, and Tommy the Clock. For a week, their pages were dominated by headlines that screamed “Murder For Harrison,” “Mayor’s Thugs Riot,” “Vice and Crime Reign” and “Shall the Scum Triumph?”
Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and three others set to stand trial starting next week for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scheme today won a few victories in advance of the proceedings.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, ruling on a raft of motions before the trial begins on Tuesday, agreed that the deferred prosecution agreement ComEd struck with the U.S. attorney’s office in 2020 — containing ComEd’s admissions to the feds — shouldn’t be part of the government’s case. […]
Another win for the defense was Leinenweber’s denial of prosecutors’ attempt to bar defense lawyers from arguing that the conduct in evidence represented “politics as usual” and wasn’t illegal. That argument is one that’s central not just to this case, but to the trial scheduled for next year of Madigan in connection with the ComEd bribery scheme and other acts.
As a former Illinois state legislator himself, Leinenweber saw “politics as usual” up close. From the defense motion against barring that argument…
(T)he Government seeks to preclude evidence “regarding similar ‘political’ acts engaged in by others or suggesting that defendants’ conduct was simply part of politics or ‘politics as usual.’” But what counts as a similar political act? The Government does not say. If the motion is granted, the parties will undoubtedly have further disputes concerning whether certain acts are “similar” or “political.” Granting the Government’s motions to exclude these vague categories of information would thus replace the clear guidance of the Federal Rules of Evidence with murky boundaries, which is the exact opposite of what motions in limine are intended to do.
(T)he judge presiding over the upcoming trial of the four has ruled that secret recordings forming the backbone of the federal government’s case will not be widely released to the public once they are admitted at trial. Such release is standard practice in Chicago’s federal court. […]
The judge said transcripts of the recordings could be released — though much of what is said in the recordings has previously been divulged. […]
Leinenweber also ruled on several motions during Thursday’s hearing that will govern the trial. And he told attorneys that roughly half of jurors who have already filled out questionnaires could be ruled out of the case based primarily on their answers to three questions.
The questions centered on whether the jurors had already heard anything about the case, and whether they had any preconceived notions about lobbying, the state legislature, ComEd — or Madigan.
All that money spent ruining Madigan’s political brand is apparently getting some jurors booted.
McClain’s Agreed Motion by all defendants jointly to bar evidence or argument concerning an alleged rape in Champaign and the ATT Illinois [Deferred Prosecution Agreement] is GRANTED. […]
McClain’s Sealed Motion 1 in which Defendants McClain and Hooker seek to prohibit the Government from arguing that, as part of the conspiracy and to conceal the nature and purpose of their conduct, the Defendants often referred to Madigan as “our friend” or “a friend of ours,” rather than using Madigan’s true name is DENIED. While this evidence has less relevance in light of Defendant McClain’s prior cooperation with law enforcement, is still relevant as a desire of secrecy. […]
Pramaggiore’s Motion 5 in which Defendants Pramaggiore & Hooker jointly move to exclude any evidence, testimony, or argument concerning the draft introductory remarks written by Keisha Parker about Madigan for Pramaggiore to present at a fundraiser is DENIED. It is allowed for limited purpose of context regarding Madigan’s perceived value to ComEd. […]
Pramaggiore’s Motion 7 in which Defendants Pramaggiore, McClain, & Hooker jointly move to exclude evidence or argument concerning campaign contributions from ComEd, Exelon, or personnel of ComEd or Exelon to Michael J. Madigan, Friends of Michael J. Madigan, or the Democratic Party of Illinois is DENIED. While campaign contributions may be protected by the First Amendment, they may constitute illegal conduct under certain circumstances. It is illegal, for example, to tie a campaign contribution to a promise to vote in a certain way. […]
Doherty’s Motion 3-B to bar references or parallels between this case and gang cases or organized crime cases that use coded language to accomplish its criminal objectives and avoid detection by law enforcement is GRANTED.
Doherty’s Motion 3-C to bar argument that the JDDA contract was paid from the CEO budget as suspicious or a means to conceal the alleged crime is DENIED. The evidence is relevant for intent. […]
The Government’s Motion 3 to exclude argument or evidence designed to elicit jury nullification is GRANTED IN PART.
• 3-A: “Politics as Usual” is DENIED. Defendants may argue that their actions were lawful, constitutionally- protected activity.
• 3-B: Penalties Faced by the Defendants if Convicted is GRANTED.
• 3-C: Allegations of Outrageous Government Conduct is GRANTED.
• 3-D: “Golden Rule” Arguments is GRANTED.
The Government’s Motion 4 to exclude opinion evidence regarding legality is GRANTED There may be instances on cross-examination where such opinions may be relevant, but permission should be sought from the Court.
The Government’s Motion 5 to preclude evidence of, or making reference to, lawfulness, non-corrupt conduct, and prior good acts, except reputation or opinion evidence offered by character witnesses strictly in accord with Rule 405(a) is DENIED IN PART. Defendants may argue that their specific acts were lawful, but the motion is GRANTED as to conduct not alleged as corrupt (e.g., contributions to charitable organizations). […]
The Government’s uncontested Sealed Motion to preclude questioning of a witness concerning a sealed 1991 conviction, etc. is GRANTED.
* We used to have a regular feature at the dawn of this blog called “Friday Topinka blogging.” I’d post an image of our then-state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka and the far-right trolls would come out of the woodwork to fight with the normies. The far-right hated her because she was a pro-choice woman who favored gay rights and they lost their ever-loving minds when she took over the Illinois Republican Party.
Good times.
But the game got old after the trolls scurried elsewhere and I literally ran out of online photos to post (the Internet wasn’t as all-encompassing back then). The cameras loved her and she always obliged…
* I bring this up because Rep. Jackie Haas delivered a speech on the House floor this week to commemorate International Women’s Day and honor Judy Baar. It’s worth a watch, even for you newbies who never had the opportunity to meet JBT…
* Gov. Pritzker | Make natural gas utilities more accountable to customers and the state: It’s unfair and costly to consumers to allow gas companies to get away with not providing basic transparency and safety information to consumers and regulators. During this legislative session we need to adopt a number of measures that will protect gas customers.
* Crain’s | Score a few for the defense as the ‘ComEd Four’ trial looms: Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore and three others set to stand trial starting next week for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scheme today won a few victories in advance of the proceedings. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber, ruling on a raft of motions before the trial begins on Tuesday, agreed that the deferred prosecution agreement ComEd struck with the U.S. attorney’s office in 2020 — containing ComEd’s admissions to the feds — shouldn’t be part of the government’s case.
* Chalkbeat | Illinois school funding formula is closing funding gaps for students of color, says report: That formula calculates a target funding level for every district based on the characteristics of the students they serve. For example, districts get additional money for English language learners, which can be used to hire bilingual teachers. The goal was to get each district “adequately funded” by 2027.
