Chicago Politics

Press Availability 12.23.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson hosts press availability.

Transcript

12:12 Buenos dias. My name is Rocio Garcia, Senior Organizing Director with the Grassroots Collaborative and the People's Unity Platform. I'm also a mama of a CPS student, a CPS graduate myself, and as someone who was born and raised in Chicago's southwest side, I deeply love my city and my neighbors. That's why my city's budget is personal to me. This budget fight didn't start in City Hall, And it didn't end here either.

12:44 Over the past eight months, our coalition of community groups, neighborhood leaders, parents, educators, and workers engaged hundreds of thousands of our neighbors. We knocked on doors, made phone calls, hosted town hall meetings with the mayor and our alder people, all to talk to our neighbors about what they needed from this year's budget, what they needed in these uncertain times as we faced continued attacks on our wallets and our neighborhoods by the Trump administration.

13:16 We organized in every part of the city to listen and then to say clearly and collectively how public dollars should be raised and spent. And what people told us over and over again was simple and powerful. We deserve safer, healthier, fully resourced communities, and rich corporations can afford to pay for them. Working families cannot. We stood here together from all corners of our city on October 16th as Mayor Johnson introduced the Protecting Chicago budget,

13:54 a budget proposal that responded to what Chicagoans were saying and included what our coalition has been fighting for. It invested in our communities and asked corporations to chip in. On Saturday, City Council passed a budget that includes much of that budget. Real victories because we forced the opposition elders to include them. Together, we won permanent funding for mental health crisis response, violence prevention, public mental health clinics, peacekeepers,

14:28 investments that make our neighborhoods safer and healthier. We protected and expanded youth jobs. We defended public health, invested more in early childhood, and redirected funding from 500 police vacancies to service our communities really need. We secured a $1 billion TIF surplus, making that the largest city investment in schools, parks, and libraries in Chicago's history.

15:00 And we passed a tax on social media corporations to expand public mental health care and non-police crisis response. We also forced the corporate caucus to abandon some of their worst ideas, including doubling garbage fees on working families, cuts to youth jobs, and cutting $100 million from the TIF surplus. All of this happened because people organized.

15:31 Chicagoans spoke up and showed up. And Mayor Johnson and a group of courageous elders stood firm on their values and responded to what people said they needed. But let's be honest, this budget is unbalanced. Because when the moment came to ask wealthy corporations to pay even modestly, too many older people said no. Instead, 30 alders voted to send predatory debt collectors after Chicagoans

16:01 for unpaid ambulance fees and water bills. They moved to remove caps on police overtime that's already been abused. They passed a budget that ignores expert financial analysis and will push us toward devastating mid-year cuts next spring. They chose cruelty when fairness was right in front of them. They chose punishment as a revenue strategy and poverty as a business model.

16:31 60% of alders chose to protect the profits of wealthy corporations instead of protecting Chicago's working families. 80% of Chicagoans want city council to tax wealthy corporations. But make no mistake about why this budget fight was so vicious. Front groups such as One Future Illinois and Common Ground Collective funded by billionaire donors spent big money trying to misinform communities and protect corporate profits.

17:08 Chicagoans are paying attention. We know who listen to donors and corporate lobbyists instead of our neighbors. We will not forget which alders chose corporations over community because we've been organizing across the city for months and we're not stopping now. We will continue to organize to protect and support our neighbors, whether it's stopping predatory debt collection and mid-year cuts baked into the budget or fighting back against Trump's health care and food cuts.

17:51 We know that the solution is what the supermajority of Chicagoans want, taxing the rich and wealthy corporations, not only here in Chicago, but also in Springfield. The movement is bigger than one budget. It's rooted in equity, fueled by love for our city, built across more than 300 organizations with a shared vision for Chicago. Our movement is powered by people who refuse to accept scraps while the rich get richer.

18:25 So yes, we celebrate what we won, and we recommit right now to keep fighting for our city locally and in Springfield. Because Chicago belongs to us, to all of us, to the people who live here, work here, raise families. is here, not the corporations trying to extract from it. If you believe in that vision, we

19:01 invite you to join us, because we are the many, and none of us are backing down. Up next, I want to introduce Carlos Ramirez Rosa. I guess I'll go on to the next speaker, Lamont

19:33 Robinson Alderman. Good morning. Today we stand in steadfast solidarity with Mayor Brandon Johnson and this powerful movement who motivated core elements To protect the working families of Chicago in this budget, our goal is to keep building Chicago as the safest, most affordable big city in America.

20:15 And moving forward today creates the stability our residents deserve. I thank the mayor for his collaboration and leadership today. to make sure our government keeps running into the new year. I'm heartened to hear that residents of my ward will be protected from predatory collection practices and have key safeguards from overspending.

20:47 It takes courage in this movement to truly find common ground for a greater good of the city. The executive orders signed today reflect the prudent approach advocated by many of my colleagues. I thank Mayor Johnson for instituting the safeguards that will protect Chicagoans from the most erregious types of medical debt collection.

21:19 The additional reviews on overtime costs for CPD reflect the culture of transparency and accountability stated by many council members and will ensure officers are protected from excessive and burdensome overtime. Our officers and their families deserve schedules that prioritize wellness and safety.

21:49 Thank you to the organizers, faith leaders, and public servants who fought to ensure the working people of Chicago made sure corporations and industries who profit without regulations pay their fair share in Chicago with PPLT increases and the smart tax. We know this movement requires the city of Chicago keep working.

22:25 I know this alternative budget still needs collaboration, and I look forward to having conversations with my colleagues who stand here today and those who are not. It will take all of us to put the clear perspective of the people front and center. to make sure that they understand that much is at stake and to allow ourselves to be guided by our individual and political preferences and personal perceptions.

23:04 At a time when our federal government is clawing back necessary structural programs, keeping working poor out of deep poverty, We cannot add to their burdens. We cannot lose sight of this moment and the gravity of what's at stake for our neighbors who need the most support.

23:38 SNAP and Medicaid are being drastically cut. Our city is threatened by lawsuits, removal of congressionally approved grant funding, and more threats from federal troops marching through Chicago neighborhoods. The threats and uncertainty we face call for action, collaboration, and courage. I know everyone standing here today is committed on the gains we've made and will keep pushing to protect Chicago as we move to close our safest year we've seen in our city since 1960.

24:33 Thank you, Mayor Johnson, for investing in elements like youth employment, community violence intervention programs, and programs that prevent gender-based violence. We must make sure our government keeps working so these programs can continue to make a positive impact in the city of Chicago. I would like to welcome up our... Our mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson, please forgive me, not so fast.

25:15 I would like to welcome up my friend, Stacey Davis-Gate. It was like, yes, it's over. Christmas. Yeah, because y'all been here just like everyone else has been here, right? Up with the worker. Shout out to the workers who make everything go round.

25:50 And journalists are some of the most important workers right now, too. Your guilt is more and more important. So my name is Stacey Davis-Gates, and I am a high school history teacher. And I became involved in the Chicago Teachers Union because I taught in school communities that didn't have the things that they needed.

26:21 and then they closed them for not having the things that they were not provided. And it just felt like we were always chasing our tail, going to job fairs. And so a group of us got together and said, how about if our union advocated for school communities more robustly, creating the capacity to not just fight for the bread and butter of a job,

26:57 though that is very important, but also the needs of our young people and the families that need school communities in their neighborhoods. And that fight was fierce. You would imagine that that would be easy to do, to offer people what they deserve just because they deserve it. And we have met such great resistance trying to lower a class size. We did that.

27:30 Trying to create more sustainable community schools that give young people an opportunity to see their school community as an anchor. And this fierce, fierce, fierce, fierce opposition, it's something. So I'm so proud that my union elected me to do this, to join with all these people here today to create a type of city that our students deserve because their families deserve it.

28:03 And I want to honor them in their, like, unflinching courage and dedication to people and loving people. Can you all clap for these people? We are undergoing a generational transformation in the city of Chicago.

28:34 And that's what is so, like, confusing about this time because you have pundits trying to figure out who won. Like, who won? And so what I do when pundits try to figure out who won is really, like, ask a black woman who's, like, my mom's age. Because they know and understand that in a city like this, how difficult it is to even understand what's happening in this building, much less knowing who's won.

29:06 So they ask me questions like, well, what's in the budget? And how will we see what's in the budget? They boil it down to the things that they need. And thank God that they have a coalition of people who live next door to them. Because these people in this coalition are boiling it down to the things that they need. Young people need jobs in the summertime.

29:39 Mental health care needs to be sustained and expanded. These are needs, discernible needs. So when we get into the punditry of who won and who lost, we forget the why. And as a teacher, it is incumbent... on me to provide that why, because that's what my members do every day. Caleb said after they beat Cleveland that he wakes up every day to win for Chicago.

30:13 Shout out to this coalition, because you have to wake up every day to win for a city that has sold off parking meters and skyways at the expense of our schools of mental health care. Like, these are the reasons why we're here in this moment, to recapture what was once lost. And that's harder than you think it is.

30:44 And so we thought, because Donald Trump gave wealthy corporations and the ultra-wealthy a tax break, he gave them a tax break. Now, where he got that money from was from Medicaid, from public education, right? Right. It's from snap. It's from all of these things that working families in this city need. And so we thought it would be a fair trade that they would say, I didn't even expect this windfall of money.

31:22 So how about if there's one thing that I know about the people in this coalition in my union is that they hold the city down. They are the bases under which all of us enjoy this beautiful city. and oftentimes they are the ones who are relied on while other people skirt the responsibility of that. Rich people said that Brandon Johnson wouldn't be able to keep the city of Chicago safe. You know he a progressive.

31:52 That's what they said. So he kept it safe. Now they're saying that they don't want to participate in what it takes to build the infrastructure of safety Because Brandon Johnson didn't just make Chicago safe by only hiring more police. He created a concept called community safety. He gave young people jobs. He's putting money in our parks. He's putting money in our libraries and in our schools.

32:23 He's investing in people. See, safety is the investment in our humanity. And that's what the mayor of Chicago was doing. That's not closing 50 schools. That's not poking senseless fights into existence. That is doing the work of the people. So in the spirit of this holiday season, I want us to actually put first what we understand, that government always lags the people.

33:08 A supermajority of Chicagoans believe that rich people should pay their fair share. I ain't make the rules, man. I just am reading the results. So it's going to happen because that's what happened with an elected representative school board in the city of Chicago. See, our mayor understands what progress in organizing looks like because he's been a part of that type of change before. or Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party fed people, right?

33:43 And now our schools feed people. You see how government lags the people? The people say that the rich have to pay their fair share. The mayor of Chicago says the rich have to pay their fair share. Twenty of our aldermen say that the rich have to pay their fair share. And the people are saying that the rich have to pay their fair share. So we're going to continue to knock doors, and we're going to continue to be led by a man of conviction and values who means what he says and does the work of the people.

34:18 Mr. Mayor Brandon Johnson. Well, thank you so much. Good morning, everyone.

34:50 Well, I remember, you know, just a few years. it feels like just a few years ago where this entire coalition stood on the other side Looking at the mayor's office, demanding the very things that we want in this budget. I am grateful for everyone who is here today and the support that each and every one of you have provided during this budget season.

35:23 Standing up for working families in Chicago. Every single older person, community leader, Chicagoan that's here today, We can all be proud in the hard work and the dedication that we have put forward to protect all of Chicago. The cost of living and the crisis that has been created by Donald Trump has declared war on working people.

35:53 Despite the fact that he has declared war on working people, the working people of this city will not be deterred from fighting for the very important investments that the people of Chicago need. It has been articulated already. Crime is down and Chicago is growing. This is our safest year since the 1960s, and we're not stopping. We added the largest tip surplus in the history of the city to go to our schools, our parks, our libraries, to water reclamation, to county government.

36:29 These investments create spaces for our young people to grow and thrive and keep our city safe. We protected youth employment. We added the smart tax to support mental health. And it wasn't just the elected representative school board that we fought for that people said that we could not win. It was also treatment, not trauma, that we fought for, that people said we cannot win. And here we are standing today. And so, yes, we added some taxes to the largest corporations, along with new safeguards.

37:04 And we ensured that the PPLT was increased. So we have a lot to be proud of, and we still have a lot of work to do. It's like my mother would say after we would clean the house on Saturday mornings. When we thought we were done, she would say, that's a good start. These investments create the stability that the Chicago families deserve. It's an important step to keeping our city safe and making it more affordable. This budget moves forward with the necessary guidelines to protect our neighbors

37:37 from the predatory debt collection tactics that I've warned people about. And it establishes greater control and clarity over our police overtime budget. It is important to immediately clarify these positions today with executive orders as we keep the North Star of equity at the forefront of our values. These are the first clarifications that are issued regarding the 2026 budget, but we will continue collaborating with alders and community members standing here today as we navigate our obligations to our city.

38:12 From the very beginning, I've made something absolutely crystal clear. We will hold firm to our values while negotiating the details to pass a budget that truly shows up for working Chicagoans. I want to thank all of the Chicagoans who engaged in this process. Because it's been a long process. Over the course of multiple roundtables and community meetings and visiting the faith community and sitting down with business leaders, our community truly came together.

38:44 We established partnerships that we hadn't had before. And there are more stakeholders that are engaged than ever before. And so today was made possible by the people of this city. And despite the fact that there was one particular element that the people of Chicago overwhelmingly supported, that we were not able to hold on to in this budget, aren't you glad that we have many more budgets to pass as we build the safest, most affordable big city in America? God bless you all. God bless the working people of this city, and God bless the greatest city in the world, the city of Chicago.

39:19 Thank you. That will take questions. Thank you, everyone. We'll do one question, one follow-up. We'll start in the back. Thank you. Good morning, Mayor. Good morning. Could you talk about with the concern over the budget, not having enough money for everything, and the federal government is threatening to withhold $50 million from Chicago until there's a safer CTA or stronger CTA safety plan.

39:55 And what are you doing to try to make public transportation more safe? Especially with another attack today, a deadly shooting on a CTA trial. Yeah, look, you know, we have worked overtime to ensure that we continue to drive violence down in the city of Chicago. And one act of violence is one too many. Our approach has been pretty straightforward. That working with Springfield to get the necessary resources added to our public transportation system so that we can continue to grow the full force of government approach.

40:27 Policing, preventative service, mental health support services, all of that is necessary. None of that is new to our approach, in fact. What we are simply saying is what we have been saying for some time in this city. What works has to be properly funded, right? And so that's why the approach that we're taking will be ongoing, but it's not a new approach. And, of course, we know that the investments that we're making today, we're confident that they're going to that's going to lead to a return of that investment that ultimately continues our path to building safe and affordable communities across the city.

41:02 Does this new budget add any money to the CTA? And what would happen if the city loses that 50 million in federal funding? Well, the state funds CTA. I think we all know that, you know, and what we do add to is critical. You can add police to the CTA. What we are adding are critical investments to make sure that our city is safe. And that's all-encompassing, as I've said repeatedly. That's mental health support services. And, yes, that means having strategic deployment of law enforcement that plays an incredible role.

41:36 But, again, these are not new approaches. It's a matter of making sure that we have full investment in our approach to have a safer experience on our public transportation system. And I'm confident that as these investments continue to take hold, we're going to continue to see what we've seen thus far, is that violence continues to go down and we take this approach seriously. Hi, Mayor. Hi. So you're not signing the budget, you're not vetoing the budget. Why not sign it? You got 98% of what you wanted.

42:07 Well, because there are some elements of this budget that, quite frankly, I don't want to give a signal to the people of Chicago that I support what I believe is one of the most detrimental and immoral aspects of this budget. You know, many people talk about sending the wrong signal to corporations. I can hardly wait till we have politicians in this city, in this state, in this country that are more concerned about the signals that we send to working people than big corporations and the ultra rich. I assume you were talking about

42:49 the debt collection aspect of this. You're assuming right. What's going to happen with that going forward? Is that still, you know, that's still in this? Well, look, I put forth, that's why I signed the executive order today. We're not going to send people after medical debt. As we know, the debt that has led to many people going into poverty has been related to medical debt. We also are putting in some safeguards that in the event the debt is sold, that there are certain tactics and practices that just cannot be permitted.

43:22 Look, the city council voted in spite of the clear evidence that was in front of them. There was emphatic evidence in front of city council members. In fact, if you look at the individuals that helped lead the charge to, one, try to double garbage fees, they tried to take dollars away from our schools, like all of those individuals that are attempting to take away from this budget, They were forced to put the critical investments back in this budget because of our movement. None of them actually spoke of anything that they valued outside of seeking debt collectors after poor people.

43:58 Name one thing that they proposed that speaks to building safe and affordable communities. Not once did they offer up anything of value. They only simply said we don't want to tax less than half percent of the largest corporations, like less than half percent of the largest corporations with a point zero zero zero eight percent of what they would actually have to have to invest in to build safer communities. And so that's what the bottom line was. And so what I put forth in this executive order, if those city council members are not looking out for working people, then I'm happy to do it on the board.

44:46 Good morning, Mayor. It was just a few days ago that you called the proposal that was approved morally bankrupt. Now you're saying it's a win. If you believe it's morally bankrupt, How can it be a win? Well, the reason why it's a win, so let's just parse apart what I actually said. I said that there was one component of what they were proposing was morally bankrupt. Because it is immoral to send debt collectors after working people and poor people

45:18 at a time in which Donald Trump is attacking poor people. That is, that's depravity. The win, we can speak to the win So thank you for giving me another opportunity to talk about what we want So we did protect youth employment Even though they tried to take 5,000 positions away We did protect the largest TIF surplus in the history of Chicago Even though they tried to take it away

45:50 We did stop them from raising garbage fees Even though they tried to double them The last I checked, my clear lines were Do not raise the garbage fees Do not collect grocery taxes and do not raise property taxes and invest in young people, invest in affordable housing and invest in mental health. Those are all wins. And you can still you can still call out the wins while also calling out the most egregious aspect of what these individuals put forward,

46:25 which is morally bankrupt at a time in which the president of the United States of America has declared war on poor people. The last thing the city of Chicago should be doing is signing up for that war. Okay, so if you have all of these wins and you did build in a safeguard with the executive order regarding medical debt,

46:56 then why not just go ahead and sign the budget? Well, again, as I said before, this is about how we signal to the people of Chicago what this fight will continue to be about. Look, I don't think it's a bad thing that the people of Chicago want everything that they deserve. And if 98, let me say this, and if 98.4% won't do for working people, then just consider me in the words of a great gospel song.

47:29 99.5% won't do, and I'm fighting for 100%. That's a shout out to Hezekiah Walker. So if you're just wondering, you have to go Google it. How are you doing, Mayor Johnson? I'm doing okay, thank you. The city, your budget, your initial budget also included more than $100 million in debt collection.

47:59 How does this executive order that you've signed change the city's policies around debt collection beyond what the various collection agencies are already doing on the city's behalf? Well, again, let's separate the two, right? because they're not necessarily intertwined the way you are casting it. Of course the city of Chicago reaches out to the people of Chicago who owe debt to encourage them to pay it. Of course that. That has always happened.

48:30 The difference is that there are a group of alders that want to sell that debt off to someone else to use practices that we know historically have been detrimental and harmful to people in this city, in this country. And so what we have already done, we've established parameters around how the city of Chicago will approach debt because we do believe that people should pay their debt. The first thing is this. Our approach with what I propose in my budget is to make sure that the people in the suburbs like Wilmette and many of them who live in the suburbs have significant debt to the city.

49:08 We're going to challenge those individuals first, particularly those who have the ability to pay. And I think that indeed did come up in the budget hearing. I know a lot of alders talk specifically about folks in the suburbs, businesses that owe a lot of money. And we're encouraging suburbanites to still come. You know the suburbs love Chicago so much that they even claim that they live in Chicago. So we're just simply saying, since you're claiming you live here anyways, we're just going to stake claim to what you owe us.

49:41 and i think i know the answer to this question but i'll ask it anyway i know i see a number of city council members behind you uh did your office extend an invitation to all 50 city council members to attend today's event all the individuals um who were you know a part of this It's a large coalition of what our intentions were today. Got it. Thank you, sir. You're welcome. All right. Good afternoon, morning, whatever.

50:15 Now that the alternative budget block of older folks say that you have not negotiated in good faith and that they frankly don't trust you, What will you do beyond denial, deflection, and buck passing to change that perception? Well, first of all, we have been collaborative. Here's how collaborative we were. As your previous colleague just expressed, they took 98.4% of what was already in it, copied and pasted it, and placed it on their page.

50:51 I mean, I don't know if you've ever led a group project, but it doesn't get more collaborative than giving 98.4% of the work, right? So, you know, I think that there's this notion that somehow that it's on the mayor alone to participate in a negotiation. It actually takes all of us. Here's my question, and this is just perhaps a retort. What will those alders do in collaboration with the 80% of the people of Chicago who said that they wanted us to do something that we had the ability to do, even though they decided not to do it?

51:30 Look, it's just not – I think that, quite frankly, is a very stale form of government. For too long, the people of this city have not been included in negotiations. And so what we have done is we put forth a robust approach that, mind you, many of those alders told us to slow down, and then they stuck something in the budget within a week and then asked people to vote on it. Where the people of this city did not get a full chance to get a full read on what was being proposed. In fact, there is nothing surreptitious about our administration.

52:02 We have always been forthright. My door is always open for alders, including our first place Chicago Bears. My door is always open. And perhaps Alderman Robinson can answer this next question better than you, which is why is it a problem that James Gardner, as a white man with a black wife and black biological children, commenting on a funding inequity between foundational black Chicagoans

52:36 and your administration on IAs and potential immigrants as far as funding. And this point has been raised several times, not only by him, but also by Raymond Lopez, Anthony Napolitano, and Anthony Beal, and other FBAs who say they're telling you what it is, but y'all aren't listening. All right. Thank you for that question. Altman Robinson, you want to speak to why you get to speak on behalf of black people?

53:17 Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you for the question. As a son of Chicago that is African-American 365 days a year, I certainly respect all my 50 colleagues. But there is a line in the sand when you are speaking out of term, speaking about a community that you don't know about. And I was saddened by that because someone has to speak up.

53:54 And that's what I did on Saturday to let my colleague know that this is not going to be tolerated. And so I appreciate the question. And we, again, will continue to keep our colleagues in check that believe that they can speak for the African-American community. Good morning, Mayor. Good morning.

54:25 I'm wondering, as you hold this campaign style event with your coalition, the president of the teachers union, if you have any concern at all about your power over the next year, given that city council has demonstrated it can organize and it can go around you and it can enact something that you disagree with, something that you call portions of morally bankrupt without your signature. What does that mean for your governing next year? Well, let's just get a couple of things straight because I want to be emphatically clear.

55:00 clear. I do appreciate the fact that you called it a campaign style event, but I want to make this emphatically clear. This is not a campaign event. And the reason why I have to make that clear is because, look, there are accusations that promulgate in a way that could be quite detrimental to the people's lives who are standing here. So I just want to be absolutely careful that we do not, whether it's the intention or not, put the OIG in a position where somehow

55:32 people are being investigated because of the type of question that was asked. This is not a campaign event. The last I checked, this is the office of the mayor, and I'm the mayor. In fact, what you are seeing right now is a more powerful display, because campaigns come and go. This movement is here to stay. As far as our power is concerned, who's questioning

56:07 our power right now? Who's questioning that? I mean, and if we are questioning power, think about this for a second. 80% of the people of Chicago said they wanted something. And And there were individuals who said, you can't have that. That's not a question of my power. That's a question of whether or not people will stand up for the power that drives politics, which drives government, which is the people. So, you know, our ability to govern, the last I checked,

56:40 I do remember that there were multiple reporters that asked the question, could a progressive leader provide the type of structure that could lead to some of the safest months that we've ever had since the 1960s. People question that, but yet somehow we've demonstrated that we're able to do that. People question whether or not we could actually create a revenue stream that could invest in people's mental health. We have done that. That's power.

57:11 People question whether or not we could have six cranes and 18 that are in the waiting. That is power. We've done that. The last I checked, there is more power that is undisplayed for working people than we've seen in 40 years. Check the power. The power is in the hands of the people. And as long as that power is in the hands of the people, the city of Chicago is well on its way to be the safest, most affordable big city in America. So look out 2026.

57:55 So just for clarity, when we're outside of here, they may say something like four more years. But it's not a campaign event, so you don't have to worry about that. I didn't call it a campaign event. Campaign style. I'm just simply saying you all, please be careful. Respect the people that are up here because there is an aggressive approach to interrogate and to accuse people of doing things outside of the confines of government. And I do not want anybody, whether it's intention or not, to put people's lives at risk because of how someone may interpret a question.

58:27 That's all I'm simply saying. Protect these people. That's my job, but I need your help to do that. Quick question. The CPS board president, Sean Harden, pulled a property tax measure from the board's agenda. CPS did not collect as much property taxes as it could have. The deadline to raise the levy is one week from today. Should CPS go collect more property taxes? Well, look, this is an element that obviously has been debated, and the board of education will have a chance to weigh that,

58:58 just like Alders had an opportunity to weigh how our libraries will be funded. The ultimate goal, of course, is to continue our movement in Springfield, calling for a millionaire's tax, other progressive forms of revenue, a digital ad tax. I am on record of ensuring that we work hard collaboratively. There's a commitment from city council members as well to push for progressive revenue in the state of Illinois. I've had repeated conversations with the Speaker of the House, with the Senate President. I've had conversations with the governor.

59:29 Everyone is clear that 70% of the state of Illinois believes that our schools are underfunded across the state. And here is an opportunity for the Board of Education to have this conversation and debate. But whatever they decide, that conversation doesn't end with that decision. That conversation continues in Springfield. Hey, Mayor, good morning. Hey, good morning. The city generally doesn't have medical debt. So what exactly are you stopping the collection of? Can you just walk us through a little bit? They do. It's about 800 million.

1:00:00 It's part of medical debt. It's roughly $800 million of medical debt. We're going to prevent that from being sold. So we just all understand it. So there's debt that's out there that the city comes down and tries to collect from individuals, and you are putting a cap on how much can be collected. Can you give us an example? Which part do you need clarity on, medical debt or the structure of the entire process? If you could give a sentence on both, that'd be great. Okay, so again, there's about $800 million of medical debt right now that people of the city or around the city owe to the city of Chicago.

1:00:34 We're not going to allow the medical portion of debt to be sold off. As far as what can be collected, we're establishing parameters and guidelines that prevent, in the event that the debt is sold, it prevents a particular entity from using certain tactics that, quite frankly, we find to be harassing and dehumanizing. As it pertains to the police overtime, were there other things on the table that you were looking at? I mean, there's a lot of money going out of the city's coffers with settling old lawsuits and so forth.

1:01:09 How did you decide on this category to be the one to sign the executive order about? Thank you for that question. So what we've seen over time is that our police department has not adhered to the same standards for overtime as other departments. So we're essentially putting them on par with other departments. That's all we're doing. Good afternoon. Good morning, Mayor. It's good morning still, okay. Do you anticipate making any other changes or requesting any other changes to the budget before it actually goes into force?

1:01:43 It's possible. Yeah, as we go through the full amendment process, there's a number of things that we're likely going to have to clean up. On December 29th or after the new year? Throughout this process, so after the new year and even today. Today? Yeah, I mean, listen, the process is ongoing. Here's the thing. We all agree that the budget is a living document. And so there are elements of this budget that we already have flagged that will start to go through, you know, a process to ensure that the numbers are matching.

1:02:14 And let me just be very clear, even with what they presented, our budget and finance team, they have gone through this repeatedly. And even what was submitted to us doesn't match, right? So there's already a gap between our expenditures and our revenue. Hi, Mayor. Hi. Can you share a bit what the moment was like for you when you made this decision? You know, where and when were you, and who did you consult with beforehand?

1:02:44 I mean, if I tell you everything, then it's going to be very difficult for my story to be picked up by Spike Lee. And look, you know, I think what it really boiled down to was, you know, there are so many people in Chicago who are hurting right now and that there is a level of fear and anxiety that I'm looking to squash.

1:03:15 And the decision-making process has always been centered around our love and care for the people of this city. That's it. Now, in terms of who I consulted, of course, I have a strong executive team. There are a number of alders that I have a regular cadence with. There are other key stakeholders that have lived experiences that are useful for me in this time, you know, and just know that I didn't make this decision alone because I don't make any of these decisions alone.

1:03:55 Even though it ultimately rests on me, this is a collective, collaborative, audacious community of freedom fighters. And this budget, quite frankly, I want to acknowledge and honor the people that made this budget possible, people who are not here with us today. You know, so, you know, I thought about the hard battles and the fights to keep mental health clinics open and schools open and to challenge the ultra-rich to put more skin in the game.

1:04:33 So I took all of that into consideration along with trusted advisors to ultimately come to the conclusion that I have to continue my work to protect working people while also finding a pathway to move forward. It's a, you know, a fine line to walk, but, you know, it's a walk that is, you know, guided by our faith and our core convictions and, of course, our values. And just to clarify, removing the ambulance debt... Does that imperil the $90 million that Alders think they could get from selling the overall debt?

1:05:04 And how much of that $90 million? No, it does not. Again, I think that the speculation around whether we could sell the debt is, you know, I would not necessarily gamble, you know, with that speculative approach. It's why I was so vehemently opposed to it. But it doesn't mean that we're not going to exercise our executive leadership. What we had to do was put parameters in place that would not exacerbate what Donald Trump is doing to working people in this city.

1:05:40 I'm not going to be a willing participant in the effort to ultimately undermine the interests of working people. So to the best of my ability, working collaboratively, we found a frame and a structure that we think provides some safeguards. But even still, it's not the pathway that the vast majority of the people of Chicago wanted to go in, but it's the hand that we've been dealt, and we're going to figure out how to move forward, regardless of the fact that I don't believe it was the moral thing to do.

1:06:13 Hi, Mayor. And I want to ask this question of you and Alderman Robinson on a different topic. Multiple reports that Bears, Brass, we're actually visiting Michael Reese, the Michael Reese site again. And so I just wanted to see from both of you, is that site back in play? I have not had a conversation with President Warren. My door is open. He did call and leave a message. We were in the midst of preparing to balance this or to pass this budget,

1:06:45 and now that this process has come to a paration, it gives me some time to open up another conversation with President Warren. But as far as their interests are concerned, I don't have a full read on that. But what I've said repeatedly, the lakefront is the most valuable. It's the best site for the Chicago Bears, and I still believe that. Alderman Robinson, anything to add on the possibility of Michael Reese,

1:07:19 given that they reportedly toured the site with President Preckwinkle and some other folks? Again, I've stated this, our number one factor is to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago. I've been working with the mayor, I've been working with his team to do just that. The mayor just mentioned how great the lakefront is, and we want to keep the Bears in the city of Chicago.

1:07:52 We understand the jobs, the economics that support the Bayer staying in the city of Chicago and working diligently to do that. And I will keep my foot on the pedal as the Alderman of Soldier Field, as the Alderman of Michael Reese, again, to work with the mayor and his administration to signal that, again, we want to keep them in the city of Chicago. Thank you. You're welcome. All right, is this the last one here? Okay.

1:08:28 It's all right. Can you make sure his mic is on? Give me just a second. Look at that. There it is. Sorry, you'll have to hear my voice louder. So, you know, state law requires a balanced budget. Your administration does not believe that what was approved is balanced. Given that, why not veto?

1:08:59 And were you worried that either there would be an override vote or that it would go into the year without a budget? Look, my first priority is to make sure that we're protecting Chicago. And what we've been charged to do under extraordinary circumstances right now is to figure out the pathway moving forward. That's my ethos. That's my guiding principle is to put in the work. There are obviously some discrepancies that even the individuals that were part of

1:09:33 the 1.67% of the rest of the budget, they also recognize that there are some discrepancies there. I'm not going to make light of it, and the work continues. What I am most concerned about is not just our ability to ultimately make the numbers work in the immediate run. It's if those speculations are off, what that means for working people. ...midway through the year. That's what I'm most concerned about, and our work will speak to that concern,

1:10:06 and obviously we're going to work with every single alder to ensure that we don't have to have mid-year cuts and layoffs, even though right now, the way this budget has been structured with the last bit of amendments, there are obviously some significant concerns there. And you came into this budget process describing and carried on throughout that the corporate head tax, you know, taxed the wealthiest, the largest corporations, asked them to put more skin in the game.

1:10:36 You obviously have some backers on that, but it largely fell flat with a lot of the moderate members of the council, even some progressives who voted against or voted for the budget you oppose. You know, do you, you've described your opponents as mischaracterizing that or attacking you. Do you think any of the fault in it not being ultimately approved lies in the way that you messaged it or that you didn't communicate earlier with Alderman that they say it might impact smaller businesses

1:11:09 or that because it's only a tax on the employees, you can't actually go after just J.P. Morgan as opposed to a janitorial company or something with much smaller margins? So can you frame your question within that? Yeah, Aldermen say that the head tax doesn't just go after the wealthiest and largest, that you don't have that ability. You can't tax income. You can't prorate the amount based on the size of the company or how much money they make. Do you think that that's part of the reason that the head tax wasn't approved?

1:11:42 No, I do not. In fact, the reason why, quite frankly, it was not approved is because you had significant donors who spent millions of dollars to convince a handful of alders that it was better to protect their interests than protect working people.

1:12:13 Because if you were to talk to some of those alders who voted in favor of this iteration of the budget, a number of them will tell you that they support the corporate head tax. They'll tell you that. Now, there are some who fundamentally oppose it, and it's just an ideological dynamic. But what's ironic about even those who are ideologically opposed, people characterize me as an ideologue. I did not even take an ideological stance here. I just took the position of 80% of the people of Chicago.

1:12:47 And so I'm not going to overly speculate right now, but what I can say is the fact that we have a brand new tax, the Social Media Amusement Responsibility Tax, the fact that we did increase the PPLT, which is on corporations, We know that there is at least agreement that corporations have to put more skin in the game. Because the concerns that they raised were the same concerns that were raised to Richard J. Daley in 1973.

1:13:23 And there's no empirical evidence that those concerns actually materialize. In fact, after 1973, you saw an economic transformation in this city where we have the top Fortune 500 companies right here in our city at a time in which that tax was actually in place. So what you saw was, and I'm not going to speak to the alders' motives, what you saw was the interest of corporations and the ultra-rich that desperately needed to stop something from happening because they know the momentum is moving in a way that is going to transform not just Chicago's economy, but economies around the country.

1:14:11 You know, we stand here at the entrance of this office where Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King came through these doors a generation ago. And he was clear about one thing. As Chicago goes, so does the rest of the country. I'm going to name check a publication right now. When was the last time the Washington Post opined on a city's budget? I mean, that should be a signal to not just the city of Chicago, but the country. There is a deliberate, concerted effort to stop a progressive working class movement to ensure that we have the balance of powers in this country where working people's interests are prioritized over the few.

1:14:56 I'll quote it one more time. You can have a democracy. can have wealth concentrated in the hands of the few, but you cannot have both. This budget is not just about securing and protecting working people. This is about our democracy right now. You have a president that has declared war on poor people in this country while at the same time setting up war in Venezuela. It's not a coincidence that where natural resources exist and where there's

1:15:30 a power movement of working people, that becomes a threat to the oligarchy. Well, listen, the threat to the oligarch did not go away because we did not secure the corporate head tax. Let me make this point absolutely clear. Don't think that because it's not in this budget that we're not going to fight for it for budgets to come. Is that all? I guess I'll

1:16:04 tell you. Last one. All right. These folks have been standing for a very long time. Do If you think at all this paused your momentum, I think I might know your answer here, but you said the momentum continues, but it was a rejection of what you put forward, right? And the city council did, you know, take control of this process and do it their way. So here's how I'll answer this. If you think that after we secured 98.4% of what we wanted in this budget,

1:16:35 that somehow that's going to pause our momentum. In fact, I would actually argue that it has motivated and strengthened our momentum because there were things that we fought for in this budget that people said wasn't possible. And the fact that we delivered it, not only did we prove that it's possible, it proves that not only is it possible to challenge corporations to put more skin in the game, It's actual proof that we can challenge Springfield to put more skin in the game, to fund our schools, to fund health care, to fund good paying jobs, to continue to fund the things that protect working people.

1:17:16 God bless you all. Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Happy New Year.

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