Our mission is to make city government accessible, transparent, and accountable to you, our neighbors.
Delivering a Transparent & Responsible City Budget
After decades of financial mismanagement, we’re working to make our city’s budget process more transparent. Transparency means accountability and helps to ensure that decisions for our city’s future better reflect the needs and priorities of the people.
Independent Analysis
Ald. Vasquez introduced his own independent budget recommendations in 2021 to better understand the city budget process. We have continued to conduct an independent analysis of every annual budget since.
Transparency Reforms
In 2024, we passed the Budget Transparency Reforms. These reforms require quarterly reports, mid-year reports, and hearings to achieve greater oversight and transparency into city spending.
Through our transparency reforms, more detailed budget data is made available to the public which in turn empowers more comprehensive and efficient City Council budgetary oversight through the Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA).
Improving City Services
Our office regularly considers feedback and concerns from neighbors to identify trends that we may be able to address through legislation.
Increasing Tree Trim Efficiency
The Bureau of Forestry had a years-long backlog of tree trim requests. We submitted legislation requiring them to move to a grid system, which has resulted in the BOF trimming 3x the amount of trees and eliminating a two-year backlog.
Modernizing 311
After hearing from neighbors frustrated over unfulfilled 311 requests, we passed legislation requiring that the City conduct a systematic review of 311 to improve response time accuracy and provide more transparent updates to residents, along with other technical improvements.
Combatting Curbstoning
Neighbors reached out about their parking being taken up by illegally parked vehicles for sale, we passed legislation allowing Streets and Sanitations to more easily tow these vehicles.
Reimagining Public Safety
We invest in building safer communities by investing in proven violence prevention and mental health programs, investing in infrastructural solutions to public safety issues like traffic violence, increasing civilian roles to free up officers for core duties of investigation and apprehension, and strengthening accountability and public oversight.
Accountability and Public Oversight
Established one of the strongest police oversight bodies in the country with the Empowering Communities for Public Safety ordinance.
Traffic Safety
Established Smart Streets Pilot to use City vehicles to enforce bike and bus lane violations and reduce traffic deaths.
Increasing Civilianization
We are working on initiatives to free up police officers to focus on core roles of investigation, apprehension and emergency response by transitioning non-essential duties (e.g. curbstoning enforcement) to civilians.
Creating a More Liveable City
We believe that the best way to build a world-class city is to build housing that everyone can afford, invest in public transportation to make it easier for people to get around, create public art and spaces for people to build community, and develop sustainability initiatives that make the city a greener, healthier place to live.
Affordable Housing
Making it easier to build housing so that everyone can afford a place to live
- Affordable Requirement Ordinance: Doubled the affordable housing requirement on the Affordable Requirement Ordinance to provide more affordable units in new development projects
- ADUs by Right: Included the 40th Ward in a pilot to allow accessory dwelling units (ADU) to be built by right, and advocated for a citywide ordinance to allow ADUs to be built by right
- Stabilization Housing: Established the City’s first stabilization housing project in the 40th Ward, to make it easier for the unhoused to find permanent housing
Public Transit and Transportation
Investing in infrastructure to allow people to get around easily and safely
- Public Transit Accountability: established quarterly hearings for CTA that led to changes in leadership, and passed a resolution calling on the State to fund comprehensive transit improvements and reform
- Pedestrian and cyclist safety: passed legislation establishing the right of cyclists right to be on the street, and invested in technology to enforce parking in bike lanes to prevent traffic deaths
Environmental Health and Sustainability
Pursuing sustainability initiatives to make the city a greener, healthier place to live
- Protecting Chicago Trees: pushed to establish the Save The Trees Ordinance and a pilot requiring the City to pilot tree-saving trenchless technologies to prevent trees from being cut down during water and sewer work and secured a $1M commitment to treat Ash Trees instead of cutting them down
- Pollinator Parkways: we are currently working on legislation to explore the use of sustainable native pollinator gardens in city parkways
- Congestion Pricing: we are currently working on legislation to implement Congestion Pricing to reduce traffic and associated traffic pollution downtown;
Arts & Culture
Creating more public art and public spaces to build community and celebrating Chicago’s rich and diverse culture and history
- Created a new Lincoln Avenue Arts District to build community in an underinvested part of Lincoln Square
- Established the first public plaza named after a Black Trans woman, Elise Malary Plaza
- Led the declaration of December 4th as Fred Hampton Day
Protecting the Rights of our Neighbors
Immigrant Rights
As the Chair of the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Ald. Vasquez has fought against efforts to weaken the city’s sanctuary city policies, and to protect the rights of our immigrant neighbors
- Welcoming City Ordinance: In 2024, Alder Vasquez fought against efforts to weaken the Welcoming City Ordinance by allowing CPD to coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). After a mass detention on June 4, 2025, we filed an order to ensure that all city agencies are complying with the Welcoming City Ordinance.
- Shelter Advocacy and Transparency: during the New Arrivals Mission, we advocated against shelter evictions and for better transparency and tracking of new arrival needs
- Protecting Personal Data on Immigrants: after CPD released non-redacted personally identifying information on immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we filed an ordinance requiring transparency on FOIA requests, and a resolution calling for departments to examine their FOIA procedures to protect the information of those who are vulnerable to attacks on their civil rights.
Workers Rights
Standing up for the rights of Chicago workers to earn a living wage in a safe environment
- COVID Protections: During the COVID pandemic, we introduced legislation calling for the businesses and the city to provide protections for their workers, and called on the State to ban fees that were harming local businesses and workers. Call for businesses to comply with state mandates during COVID: O2020-2113
- One Fair Wage: we advocated for the One Fair Wage ordinance, to pay tipped workers minimum wage.
LGBTQ and Women’s Rights
We stand for the autonomy and civil rights of women and our LGBTQ siblings
- Ensuring bodily autonomy: we helped pass a resolution ensuring that Chicago will remain a sanctuary city for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy for trans people and women.
- Expanding gender self-identification: we passed legislation allowing City employees to self-identify their gender, and to implement gender-neutral language for City Council members.
Disability Rights
Making the city a more accessible place for people with disabilities
- Passed Disabled Permit Parking Improvements Ordinance, making it easier for disabled neighbors to apply and get approved for disabled parking permits.
- Expanding construction protections for neighbors with disabilities: introduced legislation to preserve parking for people with disabilities.
City Council & Legislative Updates
Contact the 40th Ward Office
Our office works to ensure you feel supported, connected, and valued. Please reach out with any questions or concerns you may have—we are here to help!