Chicago Politics

26th Day in the Ward Press Conference 1.29.25

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Mayor Johnson attends the 26th Day in the Ward Press Conference.

Transcript

12:01 Good afternoon. Thank you all. Thank you all for being here today. Older person, Jesse Fuentes of the 26th Ward, and we have just rounded out our day in the ward with Mayor Brandon Johnson. Today, we visited businesses on North Avenues, coffee shops. They were recipients of the Good Fund Award. We visited La Escuelita de Corazon, where we're keeping a life culture through bomba en plena, making sure that we're passing along that culture and storytelling to the next generation. And then we had beautiful conversations around housing. Visiting Humboldt, Vaughn Humboldt Elementary School, closed under the Rahm administration, that we will be turning into 100% affordable housing, over 100 units.

12:46 Over 100 units that will house individuals in our community to get to claim space and not be displaced by gentrification. Visiting Encuentro Square by Lucha and Evergreen. We're about to cut that ribbon in two weeks. but to be able to see the quality affordable housing being built right here in the 26th Ward where families with multiple children get to live right across from the 606 trail and not be rent burdened by that development. And we had a roundtable conversation today with affordable housing developers,

13:20 unhoused advocates, CHA, commissioners of every department across the city of Chicago, really tackling the discussion of how we ensure that there is housing equity in the city of Chicago to ensure that residents across the city of Chicago are not rent burdened or displaced by increased property taxes or increased rent. We are excited to be in collaboration with all folks that care about housing as a human right here in the 26th Ward and across the city. And to further discuss our day, but more importantly, his commitment to this work, please help me welcome Mayor Brandon Johnson.

13:52 Thank you very much. Thank you, Alder Fuentes, for your leadership. Thank you so much for welcoming me back to the 26th Ward. Today I had the opportunity to visit several businesses, community spaces across this ward, starting with Tasa Coffee Roasters, a cafe that was awarded $30,000 from the BACP Good Food Fund grant. The BACP Good Food Fund is our program to support entrepreneurs, restaurant owners,

14:23 and food manufacturers and retailers in our communities that have, unfortunately, too much inequitable access to food. In our latest round of Good Food Fund grants that we announced last week, we issued 108 awards, totaling $3.36 million in funding. This investment to our residents is really about their health and their wellness, their ability to find nourishing and quality food in their own neighborhoods. I was thrilled to visit the grant recipient TASA Coffee Roasters and see that they are thriving and providing in Humble Park and doing an amazing job.

15:00 job, and it's a woman-owned business, someone who has taken their own, their best, and have poured into the community that raised them. I also visited La Esquelita, and not to be mistaken as just simply small, but as an example of the performance arts, making sure that theater and cultural spaces are available for our communities, and particularly at a time in which so much of our history is threatened And ultimately, there's an attempt to rob this generation of our history.

15:35 And so this space and this leadership is very much committed to making sure that there are strong community connections of our culture. Next, we visited local leaders and community organizations where we discussed the history and the ongoing development for the future of the 26th Ward at the Teacher Village. I think what's important about this particular space and making sure that CHA and public housing and affordable housing is a part of our vision to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago, the Von Humboldt Elementary School is where my political career transformed because I ran to be the community rep at Von Humboldt as a local school council member.

16:14 And with 33 votes, I secured the absolute largest victory in the history of local school council measures. And so I mentioned to Alder, it's unfortunate that I got priced out of Humboldt Park, but fortunate for her, she didn't have to run against me for alderman. But we really discussed the importance of not just putting affordable homes, but how we prevent homelessness in Chicago. I'm grateful that we've had an opportunity to meet with many local leaders, community members, again, to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago.

16:53 We've invested in so much as it relates to affordable housing. And, you know, this development that the alder was speaking of that is near the 606 Trail, an incredible amenity. But we believe that we can develop communities without gentrifying them. We have to develop communities without displacing people. And so our community development grant program, which is made available so that these opportunities can become a reality. You know, the center that we are in today as we talk about health and fitness, you know, this incredible project where $13 million from the Pioneer Bank commercial development that has worked to repurpose vacant spaces is a true testament of what it means to have leadership that is tethered to the community.

17:45 You know, I won't go through all of the numbers here. We'll save some time for questions and answers. But I really just want to make sure that the people of Chicago know that in order to develop and build vibrant communities, you need partners, people who believe in people. And the way we secure a better, stronger, safer Chicago is by actually investing in the very people who are close to the issues and challenges that we've experienced over decades. But we have to do that together.

18:16 And so with that, I'm grateful that we have, you know, other strong leaders here. and I want their voices to be heard and so you all put your hands together for this person only has one name they must be real popular just Lincoln where's Lincoln maybe one day I'll be famous and I won't have to use my last name just Cher, Madonna Prince and now Lincoln I actually do

18:47 have two names my name is Lincoln Stannard L-I-N-C-O-L-N-S-T-A-N-N-A-R-D, co-executive director of Lucha. Alongside with our partners at Evergreen, we are proud to develop Enquentral Square, which the mayor mentioned. We had the honor of hosting him and his team. At the end of the 606, which has caused so much displacement pressure on our community, we have built 89 new units, two- and three-bedrooms majority, so that we can serve the families who are most at risk of being displaced out of this community.

19:21 Encuentro Square means coming together. So we brought together community partners, schools, social service providers to make sure that as soon as families move into Encuentro Square, they are surrounded with the resources that they need to be able to thrive. Unfortunately, Encuentro Square is not enough. The Alder Person's Office has a list of more than 300 other families who are waiting for affordable housing, who are waiting for their turn to know that they can also continue to raise their families

19:52 to stay in their schools, to stay in their churches. So with the support of the mayor, with the support of the Department of Housing, and with the support of these great housing advocates that are standing by me today. We will do more, and we're excited to do that together. And coming up next, another person with two names. Proud to welcome Jose Sanchez. Thank you. Thank you very much. My name is Jose R. Sanchez, and I am the President and CEO of Humboldt Park Health.

20:27 I am pleased to join Mayor Johnson and our elder person Fuentes as we just finished a discussion about affordable housing and housing in this community. Humboldt Park Health has been in this community for over 130 years. We have served the most underserved communities in the area of Humboldt Park.

20:58 Today, we are pleased to join this group of experts in housing and discussing what's next. Humboldt Park Health is fully committed to develop 300 units of affordable housing to ensure that our community remain firm and are here, and that those individuals who have been here for many, many years would not be displaced as a result of gentrification in our community.

21:34 We are fully committed to this. We are going to work with many different groups to ensure that we realized a vision that it is important for the growth of Humboldt Park. And when we take a look at some of the work that we have done here, back in 2019, we developed a master plan development for this community. Phase one was this beautiful building that you were standing on that we have been able to realize.

22:10 I want to thank the mayor for his support. The city contributed funding to ensure that this building is here for the community. And we look forward to work with the city to ensure that these 300 units of affordable housing will be realized for our community. With that, thank you. Dr. Schellberg.

22:42 Good afternoon. My name is Doug Schenkelberg. I'm the executive director of the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness. What we're seeing, unfortunately, in the city of Chicago and throughout the nation is a growth in homelessness. Our estimate that we put out each year currently shows that over 76,000 people are experiencing homelessness in the city of Chicago. Those are people on the streets and shelters and who are doubled up or couch surfing in our city.

23:13 What we know for homelessness is that the answer is housing, permanent housing and supports. It's pretty straightforward. So the question isn't what do we need to do to address homelessness. It's how do we scale the resources to have the impact that we want to have and to give people the housing that they need and the services that they need so they can stay housed and be housed. I want to thank Mayor Johnson and Elder Person Fuentes for their advocacy to support people who are experiencing homelessness, to try to get more resources in place to serve them and their housing needs.

23:44 And that's going to continue to need to grow and we need to have that voice as we look at a federal administration that's more interested in criminalizing people who are homeless than serving them and providing the housing that they need. So I look forward to working together with our elected officials here in the city of Chicago to fight for the housing that people experiencing homelessness need today and tomorrow. Thank you very much, everyone. And with that, we'll take questions. Hi, Mayor. Dana Rebick from WGN. I have an off-topic question, if that's okay.

24:19 I think a lot of us are here to ask you some questions about the OIG report and gifts that your office has received since you've been in office. One of the stats they give is that 70% of these gifts sent were not cataloged listing a sender who sent those to you and your office. Can you just close now just to give some examples of who sent you these gifts and if any of those individuals or organizations received any favors in return? Well, first of all, thank you for the question. It's a mischaracterization of what's being reported.

24:50 These are gifts to the city. They're logged. I'll make sure that our Office of Communications gets back with you so that you can... You can, and anyone else who wants to access, you know, these gifts that are made to the city, some instances, T-shirts and things that occur at different events, but again, the characterization of how this report came out is misguided, and again, we'll make sure that our team gives you the access that you need

25:21 so that you can see the gifts that are given to the city, not to me. Mayor, I'll follow up on that if you don't mind. And it seemed that the OIG report criticized not so much the gifts and the receipt, but the way they were being cataloged and the fact that they were denied access first to the room and then to the log itself. Do you need to step up the transparency when it comes to this process? Again, it's a mischaracterization. This logbook has been in place for multiple administrations, and those who want to access those logs can access them.

25:55 Do they need a FOIA to do so because that's what the OIG requires? Again, it's mischaracterization. These are gifts that are gifts to the city. If people want to access them, they can talk to the mayor's office of our communications team and anyone else that will make sure that people can see those gifts that are being given to the city. So to be clear, the inspector is lying when she said she needed a FOIA to see what was in the gift. Again, the characterization is not good. A simple question. Was she lying when she said that? And here's my simple answer. It's not a simple answer. All right.

26:32 I have two questions. One on topic. I'm just wondering, you know, how these ward days have helped you in crafting your legislative agenda. How are you logging the information you're taking in from community members? Are you trying to trigger us up here? And, you know, where will we see this input and these influences in the upcoming year in your legislative priorities? Well, thank you for that question. Look, these days in the ward really give us an opportunity to highlight the work that we're doing. The reason why we're inviting people in so that you can actually see that process.

27:02 There's nothing surreptitious about how I approach governance. Anything and everything that people need to see and experience, we get to do it together with the community. As far as policy is concerned, look, you're fully aware of our $1.25 billion investment for housing and growing small businesses. People are aware of the Good Food Fund project, and there's a business right here in this community that benefited. One of the most frustrating things about this role as mayor is that not enough people know how to access the opportunities that are available to them.

27:38 And so whether it's our housing proposals, our economic proposals, our proposals to build out a one-system initiative so that those who are dealing with housing insecurity know that we have a system of care that we built and designed out of a crisis so that more families have access to not just temporary shelter but to, you know, have permanent housing. All that is very much in the open, and we're going to continue to work not just with Alder Fuentes,

28:12 but other alders around the city who might not be as amenable to these type of forms of transformation. On the Inspector General's report, obviously, as the report notes, it's customary for the mayor to accept and publicly report gifts, but the IG report shows that your office refused access to an inspector looking to check in on the room where the gifts were stored. That is not the case. That is not the case, that there is a clear process that people have to go through in order to be able to access this particular log. Again, the characterization that has been reported on is inaccurate.

28:51 Okay. That does, I mean, my question was, should inspectors have to schedule an appointment, as your office asked the IG's office to do, in order to investigate or explore certain rooms in City Hall? And are you concerned that that sets the precedent? So the question is whether or not random people should be able to just come into the mayor's office and seek a room? When the inspector identifies themselves. There is a process that everybody has to go through. Nobody's above the law. There's a clear process, and again, for more information, we'll make sure that our comms team gives you all that you need.

29:23 Hi, Mr. Mayor, Ariel with the Block Club. I appreciate the smile. Well, I feel like I've never asked you a question before, so this is exciting. About the Vaughn-Humboldt development, I've written about that for a while. From my previous reporting, it says that there's still about like 30 million, give or take, that needs to be going towards that, and I wonder if there has been more funding secured or if there's any updates on that project since you didn't mention that. Do we have any updates? Commissioner Castaneda.

29:56 Yes, there is. The project has already been awarded both... 9% and 4% in low-income housing tax credits. There is an additional need that they have right now. We don't know exactly about what the number is. The last number was about $30 million, and we have committed that we will continue to work to make sure that that project can close that financial gap this year. This year, so by the end of the year or before that? By the end of the year. Okay, thank you. And well done. Congratulations. Thank you. Hey, Mary.

30:26 You just said that the OIG's team isn't above the law, basically. Do you not think that the law governs them differently in this case? I mean, that was certainly what they argued in the report itself, that your team should have complied with their efforts to see that room. The gifts that have been given to the city of Chicago, there is a log. Those gifts are logged. They're gifts to the city. There's a process by which individuals go through in order to access that log. That process is very open and transparent.

30:58 If there's anything else that you need to know about this particular log, Or if you actually want to see what's on the log, we'll make sure that our team gives you access. And another question. On the campaign trail, you had some sharp criticism of then-candidate Trump. You told me you were opposed to someone trying to, quote, relitigate the Civil War. Do you think you've toned down that sort of rhetoric at all? And if so, why? You're asking me if I think that I've toned down my rhetoric? I think you've – how are you – how has the way you talk about Donald Trump changed, if at all, from the campaign to now?

31:32 Well, I still believe that there are people who have not accepted the results of the Civil War. And here's the thing. I said that before this administration took office. Unfortunately, I'm right. I mean, you have an entire administration that is looking to take away federal protections to the people who are most vulnerable. Listen, there are two sides to this fight. You either support the Constitution or you do not. That's it. You literally have a president that believes that it can circumvent the legislative branch of government.

32:09 And then now there's this dancing back and forth around the authority that he believes that he got because he got more votes. Look, here's what's incredibly disturbing about all of this. This president has told us exactly who he is and whose interests he is willing to protect. the handful of the ultra-rich on the planet the oligarch who care

32:40 nothing about the neighbors that we're all responsible for nothing this president was prepared and willing to take away food from families housing from families health care for families if that is not more I don't know how clear I can be Look, I've tried to warn people. And look, I know folks want to talk about gifts to the city. But we have an individual who is president of the United States of America who is behaving under the same guise of other dictators who have caused harm to people on this planet.

33:23 The real threat to our democracy is not a log. The real threat to our democracy is an individual who believes that he's above the law. He took it one step further. He literally let out of prison individuals who tried to overthrow our government. So no, my position has not changed. But I can tell you one thing for sure. Neither has the position of the city of Chicago. We will fight and we will do everything in our power to protect working people.

33:57 black brown white asian young old hey mayor hey giving you a slight smile um i want to follow up with the ig and sorry to to beat this one but um what do you say to the people of chicago who might be concerned about who actually gave these gifts as anyone who's given these gifts do they do business with the city do they have any contracts any lobbyists is

34:28 there anyone out there that there would be any kind of conflict whatsoever who's on that log of gift givers. So let me just do this, and I appreciate the question. Sometimes I'll go to a community function, and someone will give a gift bag full of bracelets like this, for instance, to the city of Chicago, T-shirts. There are people who, you know, give items to the city because, you know, they want the city of Chicago to know, you know,

34:59 how much They appreciate our commitment to health care. I don't want people to think, you all, that there's some room in the city government where there's just a wall full of belts and socks and shoes and fancy hats. Now, there are some people who have given hats, by the way. But I just, like, I try to keep a good executive posture. With all due respect, you all, Sometimes I believe that people chase down a wall with nothing on it.

35:31 There's a log. It's there. It's been there for years. The only benefit that I get of being mayor of the city of Chicago is I get to see the full breadth of what the greatest freaking city in the world looks like. Just a brief follow-up. I have a second question. But the inspector general is calling this a gift room. Can you actually describe the areas? Can I be honest with you? I've never even seen. Can I just be honest with you? No, no, Craig, it's fine. I've never even seen this room that they're talking about. I literally get up, I get picked up because my wife teases me.

36:04 Because I'll say, you know, honey, I've got to get ready for work. My ride is here. I see this job as an opportunity to serve people who have been ignored in this city for decades. And if, I don't know, I don't think there's a rule. If people want a tour of this room, I'll sign up because I've never been to it myself. So what you're hearing from me is I don't mean to make light of, you know, this so-called investigation. But quite frankly, it bears very little.

36:41 It really does. And I appreciate the questions and the inquiry, but I just hope that we stay focused on where the real threat is. It's not a room where people give gifts to the city. is actually the White House where they're trying to destroy and take things away from people. Alright, are there any other questions? If I can just follow. I was just trying to clarify something. Yesterday, your corporation counsel was stepping in to address the issue about whether you'd go to Washington. When I reached out to the committee, I was told that the chairman

37:11 of this committee who wants you to testify about sanctuary city expects you to be there and if not, they will use whatever means they have available, including subpoena power, to require you, to compel you to be there. Will you go voluntarily, or will they have to be forced to compel you? I wish this. The next time you talk to the committee chair, ask him if he would be interested in doing a hearing on how reparations can transform people's lives.

37:43 Just ask him. But here's what I'm getting at. This oversight committee, of all the things that they want to have psyched over, they should look at the White House right now. that White House is being ran in one of the most raggedy forms of government that I've ever seen if anybody is questioning whether or not what our country would look like had the Confederacy won there should be no question now they want us to be afraid do not be afraid Chicago

38:15 whether it's an invitation or a subpoena I'm always going to stand up for the interest of working people And I will not be intimidated by some weak individual who won't stand up to an individual who believes he is a supreme being right now. You're worried about Chicago? Look in your front yard. We have a president right now who is obfuscating his responsibilities that should be very clear based upon the Constitution. He is rejecting the Constitution of the United States of America.

38:51 And if they want to have a real discussion about undocumented individuals who are criminals, they should look at the very individuals who enslaved my people and colonized this land. So whether it's an invitation or a subpoena, the people of Chicago will not be intimidated or threatened by any individual who is unwilling to look in their own front yard.

39:21 of where the real threat to our democracy lies. Thank you all very much.

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