In listing acceptable uses for funds, the ordinance includes “loans or grants to assist individuals, not-for-profit organizations, or educational or cultural institutions, or for-profit organizations, or to assist other municipal corporations, units of local government, school districts, the State or the United States of America.”

“Art is good for Chicago’s residents and regional economy. Americans for the Arts estimated that pre-pandemic, the arts were responsible for $3.21 billion in economic activity in Chicago, and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is integral to building back the creative sector.”

Alarmed as he might be, Ald. Chris Taliaferro insists he’s not surprised. “You got to understand that our public is still seeing that young Black men are still being unjustly pulled over at an alarming rate, which has led to some young Black men being shot and killed,” Taliaferro, a former CPD detective, said. “The public’s going to be skeptical when that’s front page every now and then. Our police department is not going to have the public’s trust until they see progress being made in those areas.”

“For example, Chicago currently faces a budget deficit of nearly $1 billion, which stems partly from underfunded retirement benefits for nearly 30,000 public employees. The city has $35 billion in unfunded pension liabilities and almost $2 billion in unfunded retiree health benefits. Chicago’s teachers are owed $14 billion in unfunded benefits.”

“They should have given us the opportunity to vote for it. Just a simple yes or no question. Should we remain a sanctuary city? They didn’t want to give that to us. The fact of the matter is, the Chicagoans have never, ever, ever voted for this sanctuary city ordinance,” said Patricia “P Rae” Easley, founder of a group called Chicago Red.

There are more than 800 lots up for sale, totaling 83 acres, including many parcels zoned for single-family homes, while other contiguous sites are big enough for apartments, retail or light industry. But unless city and state officials streamline the processes for getting businesses open, or make it easier to launch housing construction, the lots could simply switch owners but stay empty, according to small business advocates and affordable housing providers.

CPS — in a progressive city in a Democratic state — has largely been insulated from standoffs over diversity and inclusion in recent years, when districts in other parts of the country have come under intense scrutiny over how they teach race and how they take it into account in hiring, selective program admissions, and other decisions. Increasingly, though, deep blue cities like Chicago are finding themselves in the crosshairs.

Led by Deputy Mayor of Community Safety Garien Gatewood and Chief Equity Officer Carla Kupe, the task force will examine “the city’s existing policies and make appropriate recommendations to root out anyone who belongs to a hate group,” according to the mayor’s office. The mayor agreed to form the task force “because he believes that white supremacists and extremists have no place in our city’s law enforcement or in any city department.”

The office portion of a 52-story building at 330 N. Wabash Ave. was recently appraised at $208.5 million, down nearly 62% from its estimated value less than three years ago,

The city’s vision for green social housing is mixed-income rental buildings that are built to certain energy efficiency and decarbonization standards and in which at least 30 percent of the units are affordable. The city would own a majority stake in the buildings, a first-of-its-kind role for the city.

“A Wirepoints analysis suggests that only half of CPS’s $10 billion budget finds its way into schools. There’s an opportunity to balance the district’s budget while weaning schools off city’s $1 billion in annual subsidies, which could then be redirected to meet the city’s own financial needs.”