Dear 33rd Ward Community,  This morning City Council held a historic vote to pass the One Fair Wage Ordinance. I was proud to vote  “yes” to support this ordinance because I know that a fair wage for all workers in our communities is necessary to create the stability and predictability our working families need to stay in our community and invest in our local businesses.  I am also proud to announce updates on several investments across our ward. Yesterday afternoon I paid a visit to the construction site for the new turf field at Theodore Roosevelt High School. This projectContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  On Tuesday, my Committee on Health and Human Relations held our monthly meeting to recommend four pieces of legislation for adoption by City Council. Among the items discussed was an ordinance to formally establish a working group tasked with developing recommendations for implementing the Treatment Not Trauma model. This working group would meet through the Winter to produce a detailed plan by Spring that includes reopening Chicago’s shuttered public mental health clinics, expanding and rethinking our mental health crisis response infrastructure so that we can send mental health workers to care for people experiencing a mentalContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  This week I want to share an update on a very important piece of legislation called “One Fair Wage.” This ordinance was developed over nearly a decade of organizing by tipped workers in Chicago to eliminate the subminimum wage. The “subminimum wage” is a law that allows businesses to pay workers less than the minimum wage with the expectation that after receiving tips a worker’s pay will balance out to minimum wage. Research shows that this rarely happens, especially for full-time, career service workers. “One Fair Wage” seeks to establish one minimum wage that all workersContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  Today marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage month. This day is important across Latin America as the day that Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all achieved independence. This weekend we also celebrate Mexican independence on September 16th, and the independence of Chile on September 18th. These celebrations of independence remind us of the legacy of struggles for peace across Latin America and the Carribean that lasted for hundreds of years. Many of these struggles continue today under new forms of oppression. As we honor Chicago’s long history of providing sanctuary and welcoming peopleContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  I would like to take some time this week to highlight my staff. Our office has been evolving over the past year. After I began this second term in office, I was appointed to be Chairwoman of the Committee on Health and Human Relations. This responsibility brings with it more opportunities to connect our communities with vital information about legislation and resources related to public health, in particular to advocate for “Treatment Not Trauma,” an ordinance I have been sponsoring to re-open Chicago’s Public Mental Health Clinics while creating a robust mental health crisis response systemContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  I began my second term as alderwoman just over 100 days ago. I began this term filled with inspiration from the stories our community shared with me while I was campaigning. I have carried that momentum, and all of your ideas, into developing plans for this next term. My office is excited to continue working alongside all of our community partners, neighbors, and our colleagues in City Hall.  I am very proud of the fact that the Treatment Not Trauma ordinance has begun to move through City Council in earnest with the cooperation of Mayor Johnson’sContinue

Dear 33rd Ward Community,  The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for our communities. Our children are able to reconnect with their friends and our teachers welcome our young neighbors back into the classroom to engage in learning and play. Playgrounds are once again vibrant, colorful places full of laughter. I wish all students, teachers, staff, and administrators a successful school year together.  During this first week of classes, we want to share some great news about improvements to Von Linne and Bateman that are on their way. Through our Participatory Budgeting process, both school communities organizedContinue