This has been an extremely difficult first week of 2022 for our Chicago Public Schools families and staff. As the mom of an elementary student at one of our neighborhood schools, I share in the frustration and anxiety of this moment. As of Friday evening, the district has not announced whether or not classes will again be canceled citywide on Monday. The Chicago Teachers Union is continuing to negotiate with the school district over Covid-19 safety protocols, including more robust testing to detect asymptomatic infections among students and staff.  At present, fewer than 10 percent of Chicago Public Schools students have opted into theContinue

We're wrapping up a busy week in the ward helping community members get ready for the holidays, including by getting vaccinated.  One of the highlights was stopping by Moo Gong Terrance and Darul Amaan, two senior housing facilities in the ward, to distribute beautiful artwork donated by students at our neighborhood schools to brighten up seniors' holiday seasons. This initiative was imagined and executed with the help of our Senior volunteers who make up the brand new 33rd Ward Sage Brigade--read more below about this new effort to connect seniors with information and resources in this difficult time.  Today, ourContinue

There's just one week left to vote in this year's participatory budgeting process in the 33rd Ward! Our volunteer committee has been working for months to solicit and develop ideas for how to improve public spaces, and now it's up to you to decide which will be funded through the $1 million in menu money our ward receives annually.  If you haven't yet, take a look at the proposed projects below, then make sure to vote by Dec. 17!  You can sign up to vote online,  or pick up a paper ballot at Dulce de Leche Cafe (3441 W Lawrence Ave) or ourContinue

I hope you and your family had a safe and restful holiday! In addition to spending time with family, I was able to go out and get my Covid-19 booster shot, which the Centers for Disease Control now recommends for all adults six months after their initial vaccine series.  Cases in Illinois have been rising this fall faster than during the Delta variant surge this summer. We are still waiting to see what impact Thanksgiving travel and the new Omnicron variant may have, but the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community remains the same: get vaccinatedContinue

Voting for this year's participatory budgeting process closes November 30, which means there's still a week and a half left to weigh in on the neighbor-proposed projects you want to see funded in the 33rd Ward.  One of the goals of participatory budgeting is to open up civic decision-making to those who are sometimes otherwise shut out of it. All ward residents age 14 and up, regardless of citizenship, can vote in PB!  To facilitate as much participation as possible, we'll be holding an in-person voting day next Monday 11/22 from 5-7PM at our office (3001 W Irving Park).  JoinContinue

Today was a great day for my family: my son received his first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at his elementary school. The Pfizer vaccine is now fully approved for ages 5 - 11, and it's been wonderful to see so many of our youngest neighbors getting their first dose over the past week and a half.  This is especially important given the uptick in new Covid-19 cases we are currently seeing in Chicago, including in our schools: Last week, Chicago Public Schools reported 247 positive cases among children and 79 adults, the highest number since the third week of school this year.  IfContinue

This week, I voted "Yes" on the city's 2022 budget. This was not an easy decision, but it was one I made alongside a citywide progressive coalition that came together earlier this year to ensure that we used Chicago's $2 billion in Covid-19 relief funds  to meet urgent community needs coming out of the pandemic. I want to be clear that there are disappointments in this budget (more on that below). But I believe that it secures some of the basics our communities have been fighting for, and for that reason I gave it my vote. You can read moreContinue

City Council is now entering the final stages of negotiations over next year's budget. Alongside progressive colleagues and community groups from across the city, I'm continuing to push for more robust funding of mental healthcare, violence prevention, preservation of affordable housing and other issues, and we have made some headway. Today, the Council's budget committee approved the addition of 29 new clinical positions in the city's public mental health clinics, as well as additional funds for homeless outreach.  The fact that we started this year's negotiations with many of these issues already on the table is a testament to yearsContinue

Yesterday was a critical day in City Council. After hearing from members of the public about Mayor Lightfoot's proposed 2022 budget, we started the process of proposing and debating amendments. This summer, my progressive colleagues and I put forward a "Chicago Rescue Plan" that proposed putting our city's $2 billion in federal Covid-19 relief toward historic investments in housing, mental healthcare, childcare, and violence prevention. While we were pleased to see a number of these ideas reflected in the mayor's budget proposal this fall, we can do much more with the game-changing federal dollars Chicago is set to receive. WeContinue

Last week, nearly 300 of you joined our office for a public safety town hall with the Office of Inspector General's Office, Area 5 detectives and the 17th police district. Next week, we invite you to join Part 2 of the conversation.  On Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 5:30, we'll host representatives the Office of Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx to answer questions about safety in our ward and Chicago. You can register to attend here, or sign up to ask a question.  Our goal with these conversations—and all of community safety work—is to bring together different stakeholders for comprehensive, evidence-basedContinue