Presented by the Save My Scholarship Coalition: Shia Kapos' must-read rundown of political news in the Land of Lincoln | | | | By Shia Kapos | Presented by the Save My Scholarship Coalition | Good Tuesday morning, Illinois. What a treat. The first snowfall could be on Halloween, per the Sun-Times.
| | TOP TALKER | | | Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, photographed earlier this year, is urging the City Council to fund a shelter for migrants. | Evan Vucci/AP | There’s a sense of urgency in Chicago City Hall this week as Mayor Brandon Johnson works to get migrants off the floors of police stations and O’Hare airport as temperatures hover near freezing. He’s pushing ahead for the City Council to vote on acquiring vacant properties at 2241 S. Halsted Street in Pilsen and 115th and Halsted streets on Chicago’s far South Side to accommodate as many as 400 and 1,000 asylum seekers, respectively. The council’s Housing and Real Estate Committee voted to approve the acquisitions Monday, and the full council will vote on them Wednesday. “This is for emergency use and the building will become part of a planned development with affordable housing” after the migrant crisis subsides, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) told Playbook of the Pilsen project, which he supports. Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st) is among aldermen worried that helping migrants is being done at the expense of residents already in the neighborhood. “I have residents who experience homelessness and need shelter beds for the winter as well,” he said. Feeling railroaded: Mosley and Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) say they didn’t get a say in the city’s decision to put migrant shelters in their wards. Ramirez was physically confronted by protesters opposed to putting a “winterized base camp” at 38th Street and California Avenue. It could take in 2,000 migrants. And Ald. Silvana Tabares (23rd) says the city has moved ahead with selecting a migrant shelter at 7050 S. Pulaski Road in her ward even though she opposed it, according to a letter sent to a constituent and obtained by Playbook. “Constructing a migrant shelter in our community is unfair to our current residents due to current population densities, overcrowding in our local neighborhood schools, and overextended public safety resources and police manpower,” Tabares wrote. Johnson’s view: “Chicago is a place strong enough to welcome and embrace newcomers while honoring our commitments to those who are already here, especially residents and communities that have long suffered from neglect and disinvestment,” he recently told the City Council. By the numbers: Nearly 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since last summer. About 4,000 are sleeping on police station and airport floors or in tents outside. Earlier this month, Johnson presented a budget plan that includes $150 million to care for migrants. It’s a fraction of what’s needed, so he and aldermen are urging state and federal officials to step up. Help from Springfield: Lawmakers have indicated migrant care is off the table for this month’s legislative session, but they could address it in the spring. There will be opposition there, too. State Rep. Norine Hammond, a Republican from Macomb, has already introduced a bill calling for an end to the state’s “sanctuary status.” She sees the designation as a welcome sign for asylum seekers. The heat is on: Johnson's team announced this week that the city would deploy warming buses to provide shelter for asylum seekers. And there’s a call for coats. Migrants are coming from Venezuela and other warm climates with little but the clothes on their backs just as Chicago’s notoriously cold winter is about to set in. Here’s a peek into how migrants are living on the street, via the Tribune’s Laura Rodríguez Presa. RELATED Normally, council members defer to each others’ wishes on ward land-use issues — but not this time, writes the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman
| | THE BUZZ | | THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: The Illinois school report card shows students are doing okay in a lot of areas post-pandemic but still trying to catch up in others. Some key points from outlets statewide: Post Covid recovery: “The annual measure of academic performance shows a second straight year of gains after two years of slippage due to Covid-19 pandemic disruptions. But while student proficiency levels inched up, they remain below pre-pandemic levels,” by the Daily Herald’s Alicia Fabbre. On getting a cap and gown: Illinois saw the highest graduation rate in 13 years, “driven by Black and Hispanic students,” via the Tribune’s Shanzeh Ahmad, Sarah Macaraeg and Steve Sadin. In reading and writing: “Nearly 35 percent of Illinois third through 11th graders scored at a proficient level in reading and writing on tests given last spring. This doesn’t match the nearly 38 percent rate from pre-pandemic 2019, but is higher than the 30 percent proficiency rate of the last two years,” by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp and Sun-Times’ Nader Issa. In math, 27 percent of students between third and eighth grades were proficient, “a 1.6 percentage point increase. However, the 2023 scores still fell short of pre-pandemic levels,” by Chalkbeat’s Samantha Smylie. With Charts! Staying on track: “In 2023, 87.4 percent of ninth-graders were on track to graduate – up from 86.6 percent in 2022, and the same 86.6 percent in 2019,” by Capitol News’ Peter Hancock. More charts! The big quote: "We are moving fast toward recovery, but we still have a significant distance to travel," State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said in issuing the report. If you are Norine Hammond, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com
| | A message from the Save My Scholarship Coalition: Over 9,500 students are counting on the Illinois General Assembly to save the Tax Credit Scholarship Program. If they fail to act NOW, then students from low-income families will lose their scholarships, causing many to leave their best-fit schools. Most of these students are Black or Brown, and 100% are from households with demonstrated financial need. Additionally, 26,000 more students from low-income and working-class families sit anxiously on the waitlist. Do the right thing. | | | | WHERE'S JB | | No official public events.
| | WHERE's BRANDON | | At Discovery Partners Institute at 9 a.m. for the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress. — At Walter H. Dyett High School for the Arts at 10 a.m. for a CPS high school achievement event.
| | Where's Toni | | At Discovery Partners Institute at 9 a.m. — At the Cook County Building at 11:30 a.m. for a special meeting of the Cook County Board. Before you eat all the Halloween candy, email me at skapos@politico.com
| | CONVENTION ZONE | | — Gearing up: In advance of next summer’s presidential conventions, the top Washington lobbying and communications firm Invariant has already done site visits to Milwaukee and Chicago to set up spaces for the firm founded by Heather Podesta, per POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman. Invariant has secured spaces in both cities for events with elected officials, lobbyists, political operatives and journalists.
| | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | THE STATEWIDES | | — Springfield to D.C.: State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, a Democrat from Bridgeview, visited the White House on Monday for President Joe Biden’s signing ceremony of an executive order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence. Rashid is a member of a multi-state legislative working group on AI and the co-chair of Illinois’ AI task force. FROM POLITICO: The politics of Biden's vast new order, by Brendan Bordelon — Time is fleeting for Illinois prison inmates hoping for medical release, by WTTW’s Brandis Friedman — Land of Lincoln: The Illinois Manufacturers' Association is out with its 2023 Made in Illinois poster. Pic!
| | CHICAGO | | — Aldermen delay vote on Johnson paid leave plan amid pushback: The proposal would require employers to let workers accrue up to 12 days of time off annually: six days for sick time and six days for paid time off. Some Black aldermen and business interests have pushed back at the proposal. “The ongoing debate demonstrates Johnson has work to do to assuage business community concerns,” writes the Tribune’s A.D. Quig and Talia Soglin. — Workers return to Chicago Ford plant, with $400M investment coming down the road, by the Tribune’s Robert Channick — Chicago’s top cop vows to rein in police OT spending as 2023 bill tops $200M, by WTTW’s Heather Cherone — She’s ba-a-ack: Mackenzie Scott has donated $9 million through the Chicago Community Trust to Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness nonprofit and $5 million to Skills for Chicagoland’s Future nonprofit. Scott, an author whose ex-husband is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, recently gave $8 million to Cara Collective in Chicago.
| | COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS | | — Northwestern pledges $100M for Evanston if it gets OK for Ryan Field concerts: “The school faces heavy local opposition to its proposal, which was rejected by the city’s Land Use Commission but now is pending before the City Council,” reports the Sun-Times’ David Roeder. — Plainfield man pleads not guilty to hate crime and murder charges in attack on 6-year-old Muslim boy, by the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan — Rosemont hotel no longer hosting pro-Palestinian event after receiving threats, by the Daily Herald’s Steve Zalusky
| | A message from the Save My Scholarship Coalition: | | | | BURKE FALLOUT | | — Danny Solis’ rise and fall, from promising activist to disgraced Chicago politician to FBI mole: “The former 25th Ward alderperson sold his political soul for small favors, then tried to reclaim it by wearing a wire on two of the biggest powerhouses in the history of Illinois politics,” by the Sun-Times’ Fran Spielman and Mitchell Armentrout. — Judge rules ex-Ald. Edward Burke’s comments on Jewish lawyers can be heard by jury, reports the Tribune’s Jason Meisner.
| | TAKING NAMES | | — Donald Trump Jr. was awarded with a complimentary lifetime membership to the Illinois State Rifle Association during his visit to Illinois last week, per the Illinois Review. — Ken Griffin treated some 1,200 staffers and family members to a visit to Tokyo Disneyland. "The event, honoring Citadel's 30th anniversary and Citadel Securities' 20th, also included a Maroon 5 concert,” by Insider’s Sarah Jackson. — Jim McMahon, the former Bears QB, is spotted playing catch with his grandson. Video
| | Reader Digest | | We asked for political-themed costumes. Dave Dahl: A campaign poster. Andrea Magaña: A baby Sen. Mitch McConnell, like this. Ed Mazur: A stuffed ballot box. Joan Pederson and John Straus would like to see Donald Trump in prison garb. Patricia Ann Watson: Rudy Giuliani in an orange prison jumpsuit. What’s one piece of advice you would hand down to future generations of your family? Email skapos@politico.com
| | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — Evanston teen Natalie Raanan back in Chicago after being held hostage by Hamas, by the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo — Israel aide drives wedge within Congress, via POLITICO’s Congress team — Colleges under pressure to address antisemitism on campuses, by POLITICO’s Madina Touré
| | IN MEMORIAM | | — Pierre Herman Rohrbach, a Chicago-area hairdresser who grew up swimming and fishing in the Rhine before moving to Illinois, has died. He was married to Millie Williams Gunn, mother of David and Christie Hefner. Details here
| | A message from the Save My Scholarship Coalition: Voters are very clear: They support the Tax Credit Scholarship Program by an overwhelming margin of more than 2:1. What’s at stake is the best-fit education of thousands of low-income students who receive a Tax Credit Scholarship or are waiting for one. Over half of the recipients are Black or Brown, and all the recipients qualify based on financial need. We cannot fail these children and their families. The Illinois General Assembly needs to extend the Invest in Kids Act Tax Credit Scholarship Program during this fall veto session. In addition to the 9,500 students who currently receive the scholarships, 26,000 more students from low-income and working-class families sit anxiously on the waitlist hoping to receive the same opportunities as some of their peers. This commitment is an investment in poverty reduction and economic acceleration, so lawmakers should do the right thing: Extend the Tax Credit Scholarship Program. | | | | EVENTS | | — Saturday: State Sen. Dan McConchie is hosting a free veteran luncheon and expo to honor veterans and their families in the 26th District. Location: Knights of Columbus center in Lake Zurich. RSVP: lyates@sgop.ilga.gov or 224-662-4544
| | TRIVIA | | MONDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Dale Sachtleben for correctly answering that Illinois Co. and the Wabash Co. (which later merged as the Illinois-Wabash Land Co.) claimed to have purchased land from Native American tribes in Illinois. Their claims were denied by the British Crown, the Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S. Supreme Court in Johnson v. McIntosh (1823). TODAY’s QUESTION: Who was the first Illinoisan to appear on the cover of Time magazine? Email skapos@politico.com
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