After a break in August, City Council re-convened this past Wednesday! See below for all the legislative highlights.
Western Avenue Rezone Passes City Council!
Earlier this year, we introduced an ordinance to rezone the 40th Ward stretch of Western Avenue to allow for more housing and businesses to support a more livable neighborhood. This week, the majority of it passed through City Council!
This proactive rezone is the first of its kind in our city, and I’m proud to have been a part of it. These zoning changes support the community’s vision for land use and development that were outlined in the Western Avenue Corridor Study, an 18-month community planning initiative to reimagine Western Avenue. I’m deeply grateful to the team at the Department of Planning and Development (DPD). We are lucky to work with a visionary team of people at DPD who deeply care about creating more livable and affordable neighborhoods throughout the City. I’m also grateful to my colleagues Alderman Martin of the 47th Ward, and Alderwoman Maria Hadden of the 49th Ward, who have partnered with us in rezoning their own stretches of Western Avenue as well.
The remaining ordinance will be voted on in next month’s City Council meeting, so we look forward to hopefully celebrating its full passage next month! To find out more about the rezone and view updated zoning maps, visit 40thward.org/WesternRezone.
25 MPH Speed Limit
You may remember that back in July, I co-sponsored three policies to improve traffic safety that were introduced by Alderman Daniel La Spata. While two of them passed, the third, a measure to decrease the default city-wide speed limit from 30mph to 25mph (O2024-0010990), was referred to the Committee on Rules. It has now been re-referred to the Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, and we hope to see if progress to a full vote in the City Council soon!
Shotspotter Contract Vote
On Wednesday, the city held a vote related to the ShotSpotter contract. The ordinance, O2024-0011032, was on whether to give power to the Police Superintendent/Office of Public Safety Administration to enter into and execute contracts related to this technology without the approval of a Mayor.
I voted no after much consideration about public safety in our city. As someone who has lost loved ones to gun violence, I am deeply aware of the issue of gun violence in our city, and the need to address it through all available mechanisms is inarguable. I do believe that technology can help first responders get to scenes quickly, and to aid in investigation and in the apprehension of those who commit acts of violence. That said, in my experience, SoundThinking—the company that used to be called ShotSpotter— has not operated in good faith as a vendor.
When it first was adopted by the city, SoundThinking stated that the ShotSpotter technology was going to reduce gun incidents and lead to more convictions. Independent studies and Investigations by the Office of the Inspector General proved that the claims were false or inconclusive. As members of council raised concerns about the lack of efficacy of ShotSpotter, the company underwent a rebrand, changing their name to SoundThinking. At the same time, they also changed their claim as to the purpose of the technology to helping first responders reach victims more quickly to render aid.
As I have stated publicly, I believe the city, then under Rahm Emanuel, should have put out a request for proposals and a competitive bid process to identify what the best technology was, what the best deal for the city was, and what metrics the city was to use to measure success. As that never occurred, SoundThinking was able to collect millions of taxpayer funds, without real accountability on whether this technology was materially helping Chicagoans. The fact that SoundThinking offered to slash its prices this week in an effort to keep their contract with Chicago gives me pause as well. It raises the question of why Chicago was being charged a premium to begin with, especially when their goalposts for measuring success kept shifting.
As Mayor Johnson publicly announced that he would not be continuing the contract, I made the point publicly and internally that we needed a task force and a plan for what technology we would look for when the ShotSpotter agreement with the city ended. Although the information has not been shared publicly, the administration has communicated to me and other colleagues that they have a Request for Proposal drafted and have had conversations with CPD and other stakeholders to do just that. But given the lack of details they had received about the plan, some of our colleagues drafted legislation in opposition to Mayor Johnson’s decision to end the contract. While I shared their concern about the end of the SoundThinking contract without a sufficient plan in place to replace that technology, I don’t believe the power to enter into agreements that impact Chicagoans should rest with an unelected city employee. If the council wants a check and balance to a Mayor’s decision, it needs to look no further than itself. The colleagues could have drafted legislation requiring the council to ratify such agreements, as a more appropriate measure that respects the checks and balances of our city government.
Ultimately, this measure did pass the City Council. As we move forward, I remain committed to using the best tools and resources available to ensure that our streets are safe and that there is accountability for those who choose to commit violent and gun-related crimes. I am also and will always be committed to addressing the root causes of that violence in our communities, as I believe that true prevention requires addressing the environments and circumstances that can lead people to commit violence. Finally, as always, I will remain available to engage with you, our neighbors, so that together, we can do the necessary work to create safer and more connected communities.
Angel Rubi Navarijo Appointed as Commissioner to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability
Lastly, the Chicago City Council voted to confirm the appointment of Angel Rubi Navarijo to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability! Angel is the Commission’s only Latinx member, Angel will serve as one of two youth representatives on the Commission. As a former 40th Ward staff member, I know from experience the care, depth, and insight he will bring to this role. Congratulations, Angel!