Crisis in the council

By Shia Kapos

Presented by the Save My Scholarship Coalition

Good Monday morning, Illinois. It’s gonna be one of those weeks.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing his first City Council crisis after a racially charged incident last week during a meeting that occurred while he was in Washington, D.C., advocating for migrant funds.

The drama: The Black Caucus and others are calling on Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, a fierce Johnson ally, to step down from his leadership positions after trying to prevent veteran Ald. Emma Mitts from voting on a controversial proposal. The issue: a referendum on whether Chicago should remain a sanctuary city.

Parliamentary gymnastics: Ramirez-Rosa had urged aldermanic allies opposed to the anti-migrant referendum not to show up. The thinking was that if there wasn’t a quorum of 26 council members, they couldn’t vote on the measure. But enough council members did show up, and that’s when confusion ensued. Aldermen kept leaving the chamber, making it impossible to vote. Supporters of the proposal, in turn, used their own maneuvering to keep the meeting from being canceled.

It got ugly: Ald. Raymond Lopez says he saw Ramirez-Rosa trying to block Mitts from entering the chamber. Lopez says he stood between them to allow Mitts to enter. “I had to block him,” he told Playbook.

The rest is murky: Neither Ramirez-Rosa nor Mitts returned requests for comment, and a source familiar with the mayor’s office said Johnson was working the phones to get to the bottom of what happened.

Black Caucus responds: In a statement, the caucus described Ramirez-Rosa’s actions as “bullying” and called for him to be stripped of leadership positions, according to a letter.

“Carlos has done some good things, but apparently he’s under a different pressure, and he shouldn’t be in these positions if he can’t control himself when somebody disagrees with him. It’s not cool. It’s not OK,” Black Caucus member Ald. Jeanette Taylor (20th), who sits with Ramirez-Rosa on the council’s Democratic Socialist Caucus, told the Sun-Times,

Stay tuned: Watch for Mitts to address the issue on the chamber floor when the council meets again Tuesday.

Gov. JB Pritzker will be in Miami on Tuesday pushing back at MAGA rhetoric ahead of a Republican presidential primary debate and a planned rally by former President Donald Trump.

Trump won’t be at the debate, but Pritzker and other Democratic surrogates for President Joe Biden’s reelection bid will be on hand to attack Republicans’ message.

It’s familiar territory for Pritzker, who spent much of his first term railing against Trump, especially in his handling of the pandemic.

If you are Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Playbook would like to hear from you. Email skapos@politico.com

At Fermilab- at 9 a.m. for the quantum garage ribbon cutting.

No official public events.

No official public events.

After you rake the leaves, email me at 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.

— Federal appeals court upholds Illinois’ assault weapons ban: Gov. JB Pritzker praised the court’s opinion, saying in a statement the majority recognized the assault weapons ban as a “commonsense law” and urged Congress to pass an assault weapons ban. Capitol News’ Peter Hancock and Heather Meisel report

— Big legislative issues face Springfield lawmakers this week, including a proposal to extend stiffer gun penalties: Also on the agenda is a measure to extend a private school tax credit for another five years, which pits school choice supporters against public school advocates And there’s a measure that would lift a nearly 40-year-old moratorium on new nuclear power plants across Illinois. The Tribune’s Jeremy Gorner and Dan Petrella report.

— Suburban lawmakers don't know if supporters of the tax credit have the votes for passage, reports the Daily Herald’s Marni Pyke

— Another measure would spare townships, county from redoing measures that created mental health boards, by the Daily Herald’s Steve Zalusky

— Blue Cross receives $231,900 fine from the state, third in two years: “Health Care Service Corporation was fined for having an inaccurate and incomplete provider directory,” by the State Journal-Register’s Patrick M. Keck.

— Mayor Brandon Johnson and first lady Stacie Johnson, who enjoy supporting the arts, attended last night’s performance of “POTUS,” the Steppenwolf farce about life behind the scenes in the White House — complete with an annoying reporter. (Certainly not like real life.)

The full title of the play is “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.” It’s an all-female cast with some realistic scenarios about life working in politics. That’s thanks to Chicago political consultant Tracy Sefl, who advised on the play. “I shared some extremely NSFW but extremely true stories,” she told Playbook. “We laughed a lot and also nearly cried.”

We expect the mayor did, too. Here’s how to see the play.

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.

— Antisemitic messages left on parked cars on Northwest Side, near residences in suburbs: “Officers are investigating incidents reported in the 5400 block of West Wilson Avenue and in suburban La Grange Park and Elmhurst,” by the Sun-Times’ Emmanuel Camarillo and Cindy Hernandez.

— Temporary Bally’s Medinah Temple casino could stay open longer than expected under proposed law, by the Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout.

— Arbitrating police terminations could result in a ‘decade of police impunity’: “Police accountability experts warn a proposal under consideration by the Chicago City Council could prove disastrous for efforts to curb police misconduct,” according to Invisible Institute's Sam Stecklow, Trina Reynolds-Tyler and Andrew Fan.

— DEEP DIVE: What it’s like living in Chicago’s most violent neighborhood, by the Sun-Times’ Andy Grimm

— Chicago’s outdoor dining program ends for the season, but some restaurants think it should be year-round, by the Sun-Times’ Kade Heather

— Trial starts today | From Chicago machine maestro to indicted alderman, Burke’s corruption trial follows half-century of clout: He had an outsized role on the City Council, but prosecutors contend that “Ald. Ed Burke was little more than a self-interested street politician who made himself a little richer and a little more feared by embracing the timeworn aldermanic creed: Where’s mine?,” the Tribune’s Ray Long and Megan Crepeau report.

— Big question: Will former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis, who secretly recorded Burke, make an appearance in court?, the Sun-Times’ Jon Seidel writes

— If convicted, he would be the 38th member of the Chicago City Council to be convicted of a crime since 1968, reports WTTW’s Heather Cherone

A message from the Save My Scholarship Coalition:

— Highland Park massacre suspect’s dad’s trial starts Monday in possible preview of son’s trial: “If the son takes a plea deal, the trial may be the public’s only look into the evidence against him. Prosecutors say they will call 10 witnesses and read transcripts from the son’s police interrogation in the trial against his father, Robert Crimo Jr.,” by the Sun-Times’ David Struett.

— Associate Judge Sandra Parga has been endorsed by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi in her campaign to keep her campaign for an open Circuit Court judicial seat. Parga, a Democrat, was the first Latina judge in Kane County after being appointed to the bench in 2017.

— Salary for Joliet's new city manager from Chicago revealed: The Joliet City Council will vote on Beth Beatty getting a $230,000 salary plus relocation expenses, reports Patch’s John Ferak.

— After major data breach, personal information of 1.2M Cook County Health patients at risk, reports the Tribune’s Ilana Arougheti

We asked what food you eat every day.

Stella Black: “Blueberries.”

Andre Jordan: “Something green (spinach, broccoli, etc.).”

Fred Lebed: “Soup.”

Ed Mazur: “A banana”

Marilynn Miller: “Lotta coffee.”

Michael Negron and Timothy Thomas Jr. eat an apple every day.

Elliot Regenstein: “Scrambled eggs, usually with cherry tomatoes.”

Alison Pure-Slovin : “Grapefruit.”

Andy Shaw: “Half a PB&J sandwich with better half’s homemade blueberry-nectarine jam.”

 Ashley Urisman: “Diet Coke. The only day I don't drink it is on Yom Kippur.”

Whitley Works: “A few spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream. And I stand six-one, weigh 160 and am years beyond age-eligible for AARP.”

How many states have you visited and what’s your favorite, (besides Illinois, of course!)? Email skapos@politico.com

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— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi appears in the Netflix doc “Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of JUUL.” The IL-08 congressman launched the first Congressional investigation into how e-cigarette makers target children. Krishnamoorthi appears in Episode 4 of the film.

— David Axelrod wonders if Biden should stay in presidential race, by POLITICO’s David Cohen

— Trump is about to testify in the case that could unravel his business empire, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden

— IN CHICAGO: Obama urges reflection amid Israel-Hamas conflict. ‘Nobody’s hands are clean,’ via POLITICO’s Olivia Alafriz

— Congressman Darin LaHood signs on to bill that would block Gotion from federal tax credits for EV battery parts plant in Big Rapids, by Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke

— Peter Meijer launches bid for Michigan Senate seat, by POLITICO's Kierra Frazier

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.

— Wednesday: A League of Women’s Voters of Chicago event examines: “What is AI, and how could it put elections and democracy at risk?” Details here

FRIDAY’s ANSWER: Congrats to Ashvin Lad for correctly answering that Tracey Meares, a legal scholar who served on the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, was honored by Springfield High School as valedictorian — 38 years after graduating.

TODAY's QUESTION: Who won the first game played at the White Sox home ballpark after it came to be known as Guaranteed Rate Field? Email skapos@politico.com

Assistant Illinois House Majority Leader Jay Hoffman, former U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former Illinois House spokesman Steve Brown, Michigan regional service manager John Geahan, ACOG senior media relations manager Rachel Kingery, LNA COO Laurie Dimakos, KSDK News Political Editor Mark Maxwell, WBEZ’s Hunter Clauss, arts critic Hedy Weiss and Playbooker Chris Adams.

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Shia Kapos @shiakapos

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