33rd Ward Staff – Page 22 – Rossana Rodriguez

Author: 33rd Ward Staff

2020 Participatory Budgeting

The Office of 33rd Ward Alderman Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez is committed to the values of ward democracy and social justice. We invite you to participate in participatory budgeting to advance these values! PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING (PB) The 33rd Ward has joined seven other wards that will be using the Participatory Budgeting process to decide how to allocate our annual $1 million in Aldermanic Menu Funds. Menu funds are the only funds that are allocated to each ward for infrastructure improvements including all streets, alley, and sidewalk repavements. PB is a civic engagement program that increases transparency and democratic participation inContinue

Community Meeting for Proposed Development at 2801 W Montrose

This fall, our office launched the first community-driven zoning and development process in the 33rd Ward. Our elected representatives should be accountable to the people they represent, not politically connected developers. Therefore, this process makes zoning changes contingent on approval from community stakeholders, and commits our office to informing and involving community organizations at every stage. You can read the full policy we follow here. On Monday, the North River Commission and several neighborhood organizations held a meeting to brief residents about a proposed project at 2801 W Montrose, the current site of Ruby's Dry Cleaners. The developers for the project, MVAH Partners,Continue

“The Ripple”

This week, our office was honored to host the unveiling of "The Ripple," a community art and education project that the 33rd Ward Youth Council has been working on in partnership with artist Maxwell Emcays and families who have lost loved ones to gun violence. Members of the community gathered to view the mural, share stories and talk about how we move forward together. It was a beautiful example of how supporting the creativity and leadership of young people can open up new spaces for change. The mural is now on display in our office, and you can read more about theContinue

“The Ripple”

Esta semana, nuestra oficina tuvo el honor de presentar "The Ripple", un proyecto comunitario de arte y educación en el que el Consejo Juvenil del Distrito 33 ha estado trabajando en colaboración con el artista Maxwell Emcays y las familias que han perdido a sus seres queridos por la violencia armada. Miembros de la comunidad se reunieron para ver el mural, compartir historias y hablar sobre cómo avanzamos juntos. Fue un hermoso ejemplo de cómo apoyar la creatividad y el liderazgo de los jóvenes puede abrir nuevos espacios para el cambio. El mural está ahora en exhibición en nuestra oficina,Continue

December Legislative Update

This week, I participated in a powerful subject matter hearing for the Development for All ordinance. This ordinance would help reduce segregation and generate more affordable units by reforming the affordable requirements ordinance (ARO). The ARO is currently one of the only tools the city has to produce affordable housing, but it's a vastly inadequate one that has led to the construction of just over 400 affordable units since 2007, according to the city’s public dashboard. When developers receive a zoning change or subsidies from the city, the ARO requires them to include some affordable units in their new project. But it providesContinue

On the picket lines supporting our teachers

Today my son and I walked the picket line with his teachers and staff, as well as those at our other neighborhood schools. Everywhere we went, neighbors were honking their horns in support. Parents dropped off coffee and donuts, and neighborhood restaurants donated food to make sure students didn't go without. As a former teacher myself, I know how hard the job is--especially when our schools don't have the resources they need. Teachers and staff are striking because they believe that we need one librarian, one social worker, and one nurse in every school. They are striking because strong schools withContinue

September Legislative Update

At this week's City Council meeting, I introduced an ordinance that would reinstate the corporate head tax eliminated under Rahm Emanuel. Under this ordinance, which could generate as much as $100 million annually, businesses with more than 50 employees would pay an additional monthly per-employee tax. There would be exemptions for employees in neighborhoods struggling with high crime and unemployment. A renewed corporate head tax is part of a suite of progressive revenue options a group of City Council colleagues and I are backing that could generate as much as $4.5 billion annually. As the Sun-Times put it, "that would be enough to wipe outContinue

July Legislative Update

City Council met on Wednesday for an especially busy and productive session. I'm committed to making sure everyone I represent knows what pieces of legislation--big and small--I'm supporting, and you can check out my full voting record so far here. I also want to give members of the community an overview of some of the key measures I'm pushing for, and what they would do. This week, we: -We passed the Fair Workweek Ordinance, which will require large employers to give their workers advance notice of their work schedules and compensate them for last-minute changes. This will help low-wage workers who struggleContinue