City council live thread . Watch here: https://www.chicityclerk.com/virtual-city-council-meeting-3

Meeting called to order.

We are starting, as always, with a role call of members to determine if a quorum is present.

Are you thinking "isn't it kinda weird to have a priest do the invocation every time the council meets?" We would agree!

Public comment begins.

Speaker #1 is Bob Ritter of the Chicago Federation of Labor. The CFL worked with the mayor to avoid any layoff of city employees. "We did not throw bombs, we got to work"

"We've been fighting for the working class of this city for 120 years" your mileage may vary.

Speaker #2 is from the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Shares experience of a police officer abusing a detainee. Points out that 40% of the budget goes to police, and thus funds this misconduct.

We agree with this speaker on the problem, but the solution is NOT the GAPA ordinance.

Speaker #4 is Adeeb, a member of CDSA! Demands a budget that defunds the police and provides freedom for communities of color, inside and outside the US.

"We want land, bread, healthcare, education, peace."

Speaker #5 is Helena D, also a CDSA member!

Helena slams 5th Ward Ald Hairston for supporting the property tax increase in last week's finance committee. "This is not a budget for the working class."

"You constituents will remember your vote on this when you're up for re-election." That's Right.

Speaker #6 is Amika 'Big Tree' of BLMChi. Points to regressive taxation in the budget and the brutality of the CPD.

Speaker #7, Alyssa, resident of 28th ward, urges council to vote no on the budget.

"Right now we should be banning evictions and funding public health.”

More support for #TreatmentNotTrauma. The people seem to really love this ordinance. Why doesn't the council?

"Today I urge you to make history by voting no on this budget."

Speaker #8 is a 26th ward resident, urges Ald Maldonado to vote no on the budget because it does not #DefundCPD

Speaker #9 is advocating for the GAPA ordinance...

Speaker #10 says the city budget survey is "lacking data integrity". Folks, this budget does NOT defund the police.

It cuts some vacant positions. But there will be just as many police on the streets this year as last. This is NOT a defund a budget. We wish it were.

Speaker #11 is CDSA's own Mal B! "In this year I have lost my job, health insurance, and was brutality attacked and arrested by the CPD at the May 30th protest for having medical supplies"

"What is the point of giving us a platform and then ignoring our voices?"

Mal slams the coucnil for using regressive revenue solutions instead of taxing the rich through an Amazon Tax.

Speaker #12 is a co-chair of the Black Remembrance Project and stands in solidarity with #DefundCPD.

Speaker says Juneteenth must be a paid holiday and not just an observed holiday.

So ends public comment.

Onto communications from the Mayor to the council. These are legislative introductions the Mayor's office makes and then are referred to different council committees. Separate from council introductions.

Mayoral and clerk communications over. Onto "the... uh, budget".

We are now onto the items deferred and published yesterday, i.e., "the budget" which is a couple of different individual items.

The council has been meeting virtually since the spring and these clowns still can't learn how to mute on zoom.

"Sir you remain muted"

The council has suspended the rules to discuss "the entire budget package".

Ald Dowell speaks in favor the budget, praises colleagues, and hopes to have hearings in-person again soon. "As Alderman Jeanette Taylor said, 'I'm zoomed out'".

"No one wakes up in the morning wanting to raise taxes" We do! Taxes on the rich! and not the working class!

"Being an elected official means compromising to do what's right, which means voting yes on this budget"

Ald Moore rises in support of budget. "Everyone including this administration does not like this budget." But we're going to pass it anyway I guess!

Ald Moore praises increase of funding for violence prevention and meantal health. But the millions in funding he is citing pales in comparision to the CPD's 1.8 BILLION budget.

Shocking no one, Ald Mitts rises in support of the budget.

When we debate motions in DSA, we'll take one speaker in favor and then one speaker against, and repeat until the question is called. The council... does this.

Ald Garza rises in support of the budget

"This brings the total violence prevention funding in 2021 to 36 million dollars". Siri, what's 36,000,000 divided by 1,800,000,000?

(That's 2% of the CPD budget)

The People's Champ Ald Sigcho-Lopez rises AGAINST the budget

"The Mayor is giving a bigger increase to her own office than to the city's mental health response office"

"We'll have more violence, more austerity, and more police repression in Black and brown communities"

Ald Sigcho-Lopez is slamming the Mayor for caring more about the interest of banks than the interests of working people.

"I'd rather stand on the side of the people than on the side of luxury developers."

Ald Sigcho Lopez lifts up yesterday's testimony from @catlynsavado and the @GKMC18 Peacebook ordinance.

"I am not voting no on this budget to spite you Mayor, but I am voting no in spite of your threats."

Someone give Byron a mic to drop

Ald Hadden is trying to highlight the "wins" extracted from this budget. But what are movement leaders saying?

"I am voting aye because that was the cost of a non-law enforcement crisis response model". Great democracy we have!

You could still vote no! The budget is already written!

Ald Maldonado rises against the budget because of the property tax increase and the threat of gentrification in the 26th ward.

tfw a Daley appointee is on the right side of a vote and freshman alders elected by progressives are not

Anyone else catch the Mayor whisper "what's rule 17" to an aide off screen?

Ald Burnett's politics are bad. His new mustache ain't bad though.

That? That made MLL cry??? What part??

Ald Martin rises against the budget! Talks about knocking doors as a candidate and hearing fears of people being displaced because of increased housing costs.

Ald Martin rightly points out that the budget's funding for new crisis response programs is not enough.

29th ward Ald Taliaferro and chair of Public Safety, is also in support of the budget.

"What are we willing to sacrifice in order that everyone in this city feels safe?" We'd be willing to sacrifice the CPD!

Can anyone make a visual representation of how the 36 million for violence prevention compares to the 1.8 billion budget for CPD?

33rd ward Ald Rodriguez-Sanchez rises against the budget. "I am committed to working with movements and communities to win the change we need." Speaks on the need for council to become an independent legislative body.

"We are voting on a budget that raises property taxes for working people for decades to come."

"We got 2 million to split between two crisis response pilots. That's not enough."

"Unless the council transforms itself it will remain a hostage to the executive branch"

22nd Ward Ald Rodriguez, who voted no on last year's budget, rises in support of the budget

Ald Cardenas, chair of the commitee on Environmental Protection and Energy rises in support of the budget. Claims this is a progressive budget (it's not). Claims the budget is eliminating CPD positions (only vacant positions - so no, it's not).

Ald La Spata rises against the budget

"I know this seems like a modest increase... but in the 1st ward over the last 20 years, property taxes have gone up 370%."

La Spata, getting emotional, casts his vote in solidarity with two victims of gun violence.

"As a progressive, I truly believe in the direction this movement is taking us in"

Ald Jeanette Taylor: "don't give me crumbs and tell me it's cake"

Rockin' that Dorothy Tillman hat

"We pick and choose who we take care of"

I cannot keep up with Jeanette's fire comments, and any paraphrasing would not do it justice.

"'Progressive' ain't voting against your people"

"Why are we even here? Why are we elected to represent people and then do the status quo? And then call it a victory?"

Jeanette Taylor for President

"We got to do a better job of making sure that all of Chicago is taken care of"

Ald Andre Vasquez is voting yes on the budget. Andre Vasquez is not a democratic socialist.

There is no excuse for a 'socialist' to vote yes on an austerity budget. It is a supreme disappointment. But it also fits into a pattern of behavior from him since his election. We will be issuing a statement on Vasquez shortly.

thinking about what could have been...

Ald Cappleman is saying... something. #WhoCare

16th ward Ald Coleman is a no on the budget.

15th Ward Alder Raymond Lopez ('RayLo') begins what will likely be a very long monologue with little substance.

Ray Lo will vote the right way on the budget, but he is no ally of the movement. In fact, he is a pro-cop reactionary. We need a socialist to represent the 15th ward.

Ald Ramirez-Rosa rises against the budget and notes that 92% of his ward residents did not want to see property taxes raised. 74% wanted to see an Amazon tax.

"I am voting no to stand with working class Chicagoans who are struggling in this crisis"

Ald Rosa shares devastating comments from ward residents who are being pushed out of their housing. "We have no more to give. We can barely eat."

5th ward Ald Hairston rises in support of the budget. What does 'progressive' mean exactly? Seems to mean absolutely nothing tbh!

There is no such thing as "true police reform". There is only abolition.

9th ward Ald Beale rises, says something about "scoop and toss on steroids". Like Ray Lo, he's voting no on the budget but is no ally of the movement.

Ald Hopkins is voting no on the budget. He also does not support CPAC. He also looks like a Beatle body double.

28th ward Ald Ervin, chair of the Black Caucus, references "colorful dialogue" with Mayor during process ("don't ask me for shit").

It's really incredible how politicans can talk for so long while saying so little.

Ervin is a yes, platitudes are numerous.

Nicholas "God Bless America" Sposato

We, uh, do not care for Ald Sposato. #NoCopAcademy

Did we all collectively forget that Ald Austin is under federal investigation?

Remember when

36th ward Ald Villegas, MLL's floor leader, is a yes.

Last speaker is 32nd Ward Ald and Finance chair Waguespack. Shocking no one, he is a yes.

Lmao these clowns STILL do not know how to mute

is he still talking

A little over 2 hours later and debate is finally closed. We are now apparently headed for 8 separate role call votes.

We are now on #3

No idea what is happening rn tbh

OK this is a role call on items 5A and 5B

I swear to God I just heard someone snoring...

This next role call vote is on the property tax levy

The sound of alders breathing while unmuted *ASMR*

Passes, 28-22.

Next item passes 29-21.

The sounds of alders talking to their animals ASMR

We're wrapping up.

BABY ALERT! BABY ALERT!

Wake up everyone, something cute is on screen

It's gone, you can go back to sleep.

Adjourned.