Plan to spend $1.1 billion windfall of federal stimulus money passes City Council

The Chicago City Council on Wednesday approved Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s plan to spend a $1.1 billion infusion of federal stimulus funds without providing the guarantee some aldermen demanded that not a penny of the $333 million in “discretionary” funding be spent on policing.

Eleven aldermen, including all six members of the Socialist Caucus, sent a letter to the mayor this week demanding that commitment.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35^th), dean of the City Council’s Socialist Caucus, called the promise a “reasonable ask” in the furor that followed the death of George Floyd at the hands of now-former Minneapolis police officers.

He noted the Chicago Police Department already receives $1.8 billion a year, which is 40 percent of the city’s corporate fund.

Lightfoot ignored the demand.

Her plan to spend the stimulus money was approved with eight dissenting votes. Joining Ramirez-Rosa were: Daniel LaSpata (1^st), Jeanette Taylor (20^th), Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25^th), Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez (33^rd), Andre Vasquez (40^th), Matt Martin (47^th) and Maria Hadden (49^th).

“We cannot say Black lives matter. We cannot say Black trans lives matter and, at the same time, continue to take money that should go toward critical social services, that should go towards increasing our assistance for renters, and instead spend that money on police,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

Ramirez-Rosa acknowledged there are “a lot of good things” in the mayor’s plan that he and others support.

But, he said: “Absent a commitment that this money will not go toward racist policing, I have to stand with the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans who have said not one more cent for racist policing. The time for change is now. Justice for George Floyd. Justice for Breonna Taylor. Justice for Laquan McDonald. Justice for every single black person that has been murdered. … by the police in this country. We’ve had enough.”

The plan advanced Wednesday distributes the federal windfall to a string of pressing needs, including: $376.7 million for O’Hare and Midway airports for operations and concession relief; $189.3 million for a “public health response” including contact tracing, lab testing and testing personnel; $39.6 million for homeless services; and $16.5 million for rental, mortgage and legal assistance for homeowners facing foreclosure.

Smaller amounts go to: violence prevention, workforce assistance, mental health and senior assistance ($10 million apiece); community health care infrastructure ($11 million); food assistance ($4.5 million); and broadband for students without internet access ($5 million).

Another $410.5 million would defray the cost of the city’s “direct response” to the pandemic. Within that bucket, the city has reserved $40 million for a “summer/fall resurgence” of COVID-19 cases.

Ald. Leslie Hairston (5^th) has demanded more rental assistance, noting Chicago was hemorrhaging population even before the coronavirus pandemic. Ald. Jason Ervin (28^th), chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus, has demanded more money for violence prevention.

Eviction restrictions

Also on Wednesday, the City Council voted 37 to 12 to approve Lightfoot’s plan to prohibit Chicago landlords from evicting tenants whose finances have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic without first trying to negotiate with them.

The rule remains in place for 60 days after Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive order expires.

Some aldermen voting “No” expressed concern about the impact on owners of small buildings.

“Those grandmothers that are living in a two-flat or three-flat who aren’t using this as an investment property or a secondary property, but helping them maintain their own mortgages and pay their own bills,” said Ald. Ray Lopez (15^th).

“We cannot treat those neighbors in our communities the same way as you would some of the developers.”

Housing Committee Chairman Harry Osterman (48th) stressed the mayor’s ordinance “does not forego rent” but merely “buys tenants deeply impacted by the coronavirus and the loss of employment” time to work out a payment plan with landlords.

“This is a stop-gap measure to help keep people in their homes during the pandemic and try to stabilize our housing stock,” Osterman said.

“Timing is an issue with this ordinance. There’s a moratorium in place by the government of the state of Illinois that, when lifted, could lead to a mass rush of evictions. That is what we are trying to prevent across the city of Chicago.”

Drinks to go

The City Council also approved an ordinance authorizing bars and restaurants to sell cocktails-to-go — but only until 9 p.m.

Unlike the state version, the Chicago ordinance cuts off sales at 9 p.m. to coincide with the citywide cut-off Lightfoot imposed two months ago to prevent large groups from gathering outside liquor stores.

The ordinance also prohibits third-party delivery services from delivering cocktails and mixed drinks and cuts off on-site consumption at outdoor dining establishments at 11 p.m.

Chicago’s version also requires sealed containers with have labels or tags showing: volume and ingredients in mixed drinks, including the type and name of the alcohol; the name, license number and address of the retail licensee that filled the container and sold the drink; and whether the container was filled less than seven days before the sale.