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Presented by Protect West Chicago: Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | |  | | By Shia Kapos | Presented by Protect West Chicago | With help from Olivia Olander Good Thursday morning, Illinois. Fifty years ago today in 1972, a United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while trying to land at Midway, killing 43 people aboard and two on the ground. Among the dead were Democratic Congressman George W. Collins, CBS News correspondent Michele Clark, who was a Chicago native, and Dorothy Hunt, the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt. WBEZ reports
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Gov. JB Pritzker wants legislation to ban assault weapons on his desk by July 4. | WTTW screen shot | Gov. JB Pritzker says he wants the newly introduced legislation that would ban assault weapons to be passed by the Illinois General Assembly and on his desk so he can sign it before July 4, 2023 — exactly a year after the horrific mass shooting in Highland Park. And a new nonprofit hopes to help rally support to make that happen. Lighting a fire under lawmakers: “Whether it happens during the lame-duck session [in early January] or regular session … it’s important that we do it as fast as possible, there’s no doubt,” Pritzker told reporters at an unrelated event Wednesday. “I just want to be clear that our aim is to get it done in the first half of the year.” The legislation calls for banning assault weapons in Illinois and raising the state’s minimum age for purchasing a gun from 18 to 21 (in most cases, since military work and supervised hunting are exceptions, according to the bill). First test: A subject matter hearing is set for Monday in Chicago on the legislation that’s sponsored by state Reps. Bob Morgan and La Shawn Ford . Morgan picked up the gun-ban banner after the Highland Park mass shooting — he and his family were there. And Ford, who has long advocated for tougher gun laws, was in the White House earlier this week to discuss public safety. The challenge for supporters of an assault weapons ban will be convincing 2nd Amendment advocates. A nonprofit has been formed to help inform lawmakers and the public about the nuts and bolts of the legislation. Leading that effort: Public affairs consultant Becky Carroll, a well-known player in Democratic politics, has started Protect Illinois Communities, which will work with gun safety and advocacy groups to help get the assault-ban message out. The goal: “This legislation is designed to keep guns out of the wrong hands, and our campaign will communicate how the bill gets that done,” Carroll told Playbook. Bracing for a fight: Pritzker is hoping for bipartisan support. “I think there are Republicans, particularly in the suburbs, who should vote for this,” he told reporters. But the Illinois State Rifle Association is already threatening to sue, reports NBC 5’s Mary Ann Ahern. Battle tested: Carroll worked on Barack Obama's first presidential campaign and then in former Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration before starting her C-Strategies public affairs firm. She’s also been an adviser to Gov. JB Pritzker — Carroll was part of Think Big Illinois, the campaign to promote the governor’s first-term agenda. Point being, she understands how to rev up a campaign. Carroll also has some high-profile help. Former Deputy Gov. Jesse Ruiz and businessman Jonathan Swain, who ran for Congress earlier this year, also sit on the nonprofit’s board.
| | | | A message from Protect West Chicago: Join the fight to Protect West Chicago. Lakeshore Recycling Systems has announced its plans to build another garbage waste transfer station in West Chicago. If approved, about four million pounds of garbage carried by nearly 400 garbage trucks will be moved and dumped near West Chicago homes daily. This will mean more traffic, lower property values, road deterioration, more litter, environmental impacts, and increased odors. Stop West Chicago from becoming a dumping ground. | | | | | THE BUZZ | | POT-POURRI: Nearly three years after marijuana was legalized in Illinois, industry insiders say it’s time to consider adding delivery to the state’s business model. Like getting a pizza: Gov. JB Pritzker didn’t rule out the idea of adding a food-delivery model to the cannabis industry, but when asked Wednesday about it at an unrelated press event, he said he’d leave that up to state lawmakers to decide first. In the bud: Pritzker’s comments came during a tour of the first Black-owned cannabis dispensary opening in Chicago. It’s one of 192 social equity licenses that are supposed to jump start an industry that the state pledged to use to lift communities and people who were previously punished by anti-cannabis laws, reports WTTW’s Amanda Vinicky. RELATED — Pritzker tours first ‘social equity’ dispensary, by ABC 7’s Craig Wall — Waukegan council endorses separate cannabis sales, marijuana growing businesses: “We plan on helping Waukegan be a little more equitable,” by Lake County News-Sun’s Steve Sadin Are you Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association? Playbook would like to know what you’re willing to negotiate regarding the gun bill. Email skapos@politico.com .
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | | | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE'S LORI | | No official public events.
| | Where's Toni | | In Seattle for the National Association of Counties' (NACo) County Executives Roundtable. Have a news tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? I’d like to hear from you: skapos@politico.com
| | THE STATEWIDES | | — Commentary — State Rep. Curtis Tarver: Why I didn't vote on SAFE-T Act 'trailer bill': “Each trailer bill was either supported by law enforcement or they were neutral. The only reason for them to ease their stance is because they were able to weaken the original bill,” via Hyde Park Herald. — Illinois’ minimum wage is increasing starting Jan. 1, via Fox 32 — Nearly 2,000 granted U.S. citizenship in largest Chicago ceremony ever: “The new citizens, from 120 countries, were sworn in Wednesday at Wintrust Arena,” by Sun-Times’ David Struett. — Craft beer bubble burst? Not quite — but after years of growth in Illinois, closures and headwinds arrive, by Tribune’s Josh Noel — Illinois ranks 16th among states in energy efficiency — behind California, Massachusetts and Minnesota, by Tribune’s Nara Schoenberg
| | MIGRANTS IN ILLINOIS | | — After the buses: Meet the migrants at the center of Texas’ manufactured crisis, by Block Club’s Madison Savedra
| | MAYOR'S RACE 2023 | | — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Mayor Lori Lightfoot is out with a new ad that highlights her progressive accomplishments: raising the minimum wage, making Chicago a safe haven for abortion and “record” investing in affordable housing. It’s part of an ongoing media campaign that features the characters Felix and Oscar, two Chicagoans debating Lightfoot’s run for mayor. — New hire: Congressman Jesus “Chuy” Garcia has hired Gisel Aceves as his mayoral campaign manager. Aceves, a California native, has most recently worked in D.C. as constituency media director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Independent Expenditure. She also was political director for DCCC’s 2022 redistricting efforts.
| | SPOTLIGHT | | — Landlord poised to profit big time after government renews Obama records lease: “A doctor who invests in real estate has decided to sell a former furniture showroom in Hoffman Estates where Barack Obama's presidential records are held,” by Crain’s Alby Gallun.
| | | | A message from Protect West Chicago:   | | | | | CHICAGO | | — Inside look at City Council: Ald. Leslie Hairston says she turned down Mayor Lightfoot’s request to serve as ethics chair, by Tribune’s Alice Yin — Chicago school board vice president steps down: “Sendhil Revuluri, a former teacher and longtime education advocate, has served in the role since 2019,” by Sun-Times’ Nader Issa. — Chicago attracting a healthy amount of investment, but all neighborhoods aren’t equal, by Tribune’s Brian J. Rogal — Bally’s Casino plans cuts unpopular outdoor music venue, adds riverfront park instead, by Block Club’s Melody Mercado
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — 'Everybody loves them': Why more suburbs are on board with backyard chickens, by Daily Herald’s Steve Zalusky
| | DAY IN COURT | | — ‘I would not take back anything’: Ex-CPS chief Janice Jackson testifies at federal trial about firing Lincoln Park High principal, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner and A.D. Quig — Owner of ‘The Mix’ didn’t defame former assistant who accused host Eric Ferguson of misconduct, judge rules, by Tribune’s Christy Gutowski — Shaking our head: Chicago cop sidelined after allegedly urinating into Florida bar’s ice machine, police say, by Tribune’s Jake Sheridan — Fort Wayne violated law by withholding body camera footage of mayor, state says, via Post-Tribune
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — Lawmakers drop journalism act from ‘must-pass’ defense spending bill under pressure from Facebook: “The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act would temporarily exempt newspapers, broadcasters and other publishers from antitrust laws to collectively negotiate an annual fee from Google and Meta/Facebook, which dominate the nearly $250 billion U.S. digital advertising market,” by Tribune’s Robert Channick. — Hollywood opinion: Media needs protection from government intrusion into news-gathering: “Illinois and the entire country should let Sen. Dick Durbin know that he has our full support in moving the PRESS Act forward,” writes John Cusack in the Sun-Times.
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | Reader Digest | | We asked if you’ve ever had anything stolen: State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit: “On my first flight home on leave [from the U.S. Marine Corps] for Christmas, I checked my luggage, sea bag and a duffel bag. When I picked up my bags in Chicago, the gifts I had packed were destroyed due to the lack of care for my bags, and my medications, jewelry and other items had been taken because the bags weren’t secured. I filled out a form, but I never got anything back.” Patti Davis: “My first (and only) child’s baby carriage, right from the front yard of our two-flat in the DePaul neighborhood. Took the kid upstairs, deposited him in his crib, then went back down to retrieve the (fancy) stroller. It wasn’t there even 5 minutes — gone!” Mike Kohr: “We live on a dead-end gravel road in very rural Bureau County. Our home was broken into twice. Loose change and two stereo systems were stolen, but the most treasured thing taken was a sense of safety, a wistful notion that our remote location insulated us from the problems that exist everywhere.” Donna Miller, Cook County commissioner: "I had my purse stolen while I was pumping gas. I was doing everything wrong — I was on the phone while at the pump, didn’t lock my door and wasn’t paying attention. And I left my purse in the car with the doors unlocked when I went inside the station to pay. The worst part, I kept some cherished pictures of my children in my wallet that cannot be replaced. Now I pay much better attention and lock the door!" Sharon Rosenblum: “When a stockbroker couple moved above me into my beautiful Wicker Park total rehab in the ‘90s and for weeks I asked them to get curtains so people didn't see their artwork from the street. Of course, I lost thousands of dollars worth of stuff when people kicked in my back door along with theirs. No renters insurance. I can still picture my watch, jewelry and cameras.” Steven Smith: “I was pickpocketed in Paris outside the Louvre. My I-Phone was taken, but I was able to get a new one shipped in two days to the Paris office of my law firm.” Brent Zhorne: “A close family friend, a nurse, stole an estimated $10,000 worth of valuables from our home over time while helping us care for my wheelchair-bound mother-in-law. She took several priceless keepsakes, like a ring my wife's mother had given her. This woman then gave our things away to people she knew to make herself look good. She was eventually convicted and lost her nursing license as a result.” Besides your family, who’s known you the longest? Email skapos@politico.com
| | TAKING NAMES | | — CUBS EYE D.C.: Pete Ricketts, the outgoing Nebraska governor, is going to seek the appointment to the Senate to fill Sen. Ben Sasse’s seat, reports POLITICO's E&E News. Sasse is expected to resign the Senate Jan. 8. And Ricketts, who with his siblings owns the Chicago Cubs, is exiting the governor’s office because of term limits.
| | DELEGATION | | — Sen. Tammy Duckworth has been sidelined with Covid-19, according to a statement. “At the guidance of the attending physician, I will be working in isolation through the end of this week after being diagnosed with Covid-19 today to keep my family, colleagues and staff as safe as possible. My symptoms remain mild.”
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Georgia loss piles more pressure on Trump amid bad month, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt — Supreme Court seems poised to reject robust reading of ‘independent state legislature’ theory, by POLITICO’s Zach Montellaro and Josh Gerstein — Inside the turmoil roiling No Labels’ unity ticket presidential campaign, by POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. And get this: Chicago attorney Dan Webb represents No Labels
| | TRANSITIONS | | — Brian J. Gaines, political science professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, has been named the W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics. The previous holder of the title is Chris Mooney, who's retired and is now professor emeritus in U. of I. Chicago's Political Science Department.
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — Lonnie C. Edwards, former health commissioner, has died. Edwards, was a physician, surgeon, City of Chicago health commissioner, Cook County Hospital administrator, lecturer and author, according to his obituary. He was 98.
| | TRIVIA | | WEDNESDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Roger Flahaven for correctly answering that Charles Tyson Yerkes built Chicago’s “Loop” elevated tracks before he was informally run out of town for his corrupt practices of bribing lawmakers over streetcar company leases. He moved to New York and then London, where he built The Tube. And he built the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin, which still exists. TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the elected official arrested a day before their birthday? Email skapos@politico.com
| | HAPPY BIRTHDAY | | Political consultant and former state Sen. Rickey Hendon, Chicago City Council Assistant Sergeant-at-arms Curtis Franklin, Publicis Groupe Chief Inclusion Officer Renetta McCann and attorney Nick Colvin. -30-
| | | | A message from Protect West Chicago: Join the fight to Protect West Chicago. Lakeshore Recycling Systems has announced its plans to build another garbage waste transfer station in West Chicago. If approved, about four million pounds of garbage carried by nearly 400 garbage trucks will be moved and dumped near West Chicago homes daily. This will mean more traffic, lower property values, road deterioration, more litter, environmental impacts, and increased odors.
Today, West Chicago is the only community in DuPage County with a garbage waste transfer station within its borders. This additional dump would make West Chicago the only community in the entire state of Illinois, other than the much larger city of Chicago, to have two garbage waste transfer stations in its community. Join us in asking the West Chicago City Council to vote NO on making our community a dumping ground. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |  |
