Chicago Politics

Our Roots Chicago Milestone Celebration 11.19.25

Description

Mayor Johnson attends the Our Roots Chicago Milestone Celebration.

Transcript

1:43 Well, good afternoon, everyone. Hey, well, let me, I'll only be up here for a brief second just to welcome you. And so let me welcome you to the 29th Ward on this momentous occasion. Oftentimes, as an alderman, we get a lot of calls for trees, about trees, whether that's to plant a tree or to trim a tree. And we've been able to gather some great partners throughout the city They help us with our endeavors in making sure that we're not only planting trees in our wards,

2:20 but we're taking care of them as well. And so I welcome you to this momentous occasion where we are celebrating in the 29th Ward the planting of the 68,000th tree. Now, I also want to open up the organization with Our Roots Chicago ago because I have two large trees in my backyard that I'm willing to donate. The raccoons tend to

2:51 like them a lot. But let me say thank you so much for coming out and celebrating this wonderful occasion with you, with us today. And so I want to introduce and bring to the podium Commissioner Tovar. Thank you so much. No, you were fine. Thank you, Alderman Telly Farrow, for your leadership on trees and for your environmental justice agenda more broadly. Having amazing champions

3:21 like Alderman Tellia Farrow and City Council, as we know, makes a tremendous difference. So it's such a joy to be here today on the West Side with our Mayor, Brennan Johnson, our wonderful First Lady, and our resident tree champion, Ms. Stacey Johnson, my fellow commissioners, and all of the incredible people that you see here that have joined us. Thank you for being here as we mark an important milestone in building a greener, healthier, and more resilient Chicago.

3:56 Our Road Chicago is more about planting trees. It's about investing in neighborhoods, strengthening our communities, and ensuring that every Chicagoan, regardless of your zip code, has access to the environmental benefits that help us thrive as a city. Under this administration, Chicago has taken bold, community-driven steps to close long-standing gaps in tree equity and bring vital resources like trees to the areas that need them the most.

4:27 We're grateful for the many partners that you see today, our advocates, our foresters, our residents who have helped make this work possible. At the center of this effort is an incredible leader who has made environmental justice, community collaboration, and neighborhood health top priorities for our city, and has charged us all with joining him in creating the safest, most affordable big city in the United States. It's my honor to introduce someone who has championed this vision of Our Route Chicago since day one, Mayor Brandon Johnson.

5:07 Thank you, Commissioner Tovar. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for your leadership, and it's really great to be on the west side of Chicago. The west side of Chicago. You know, it's so wonderful to be here as we celebrate this exciting milestone for our city. I'm grateful for the alderman of the 29th Ward, Chris Taliafaro, my alderman. And, of course, it's really nerve-wracking to be in front of my boss today, my wife.

5:41 So I'm a little nervous to the first lady of the city. I hope I get this speech right, honey. But, you know, trees are a real key to Chicago's urban ecosystem. They help to improve air quality. They lower carbon emissions, reduce stormwater runoff. provide critical habitats to repair local biodiversity, and it ultimately reduces the overall effects of climate change. But there are disparities and critical gaps in our city's tree canopy. On our south and west sides, many neighborhoods lack tree cover, and with some

6:17 communities having coverage of less than five percent. This leaves these neighborhoods more vulnerable to severe flooding and extreme heat. And that heat can cause heat-related illness, but it's also dangerous for anyone, but especially for those communities where the members are most vulnerable. As someone who has grown up with asthma and still battles with it, it's imperative that we ensure that we're doing everything in our power as government to protect the most

6:47 vulnerable and particularly those who have respiratory challenges. And that is why my administration is committed to growing and filling the gaps in our urban canopy so every Chicagoan can enjoy the benefits of trees. Here in Austin and in neighborhoods across Chicago, we are investing in communities by planting trees that will turn, that will in turn provide long-term health benefits and better prepare our city for the challenges of the changing climate. We know that trees help us live longer and healthier

7:21 lives. And through our Our Roots Chicago program, we have been working to make neighborhoods safer and healthier by planting 75,000 trees with a focus on communities that lack a tree cover. And so far, we have planted 68,000 trees. Over 25,000 have been planted in priority areas. This is a community and data-driven process that ensures our approach is equitable and holds the

7:51 city accountable to our commitments. As we celebrate another successful planting season, I want to thank all of the organizations, the community partners, and city departments and neighbors who have joined us today. I do want to give a special shout out to Pastor Rosharna of Stone Temple Church right here on the west side of Chicago in North Lawndale. Pastor Rosharna has been with this project from the very beginning, standing with our teams when and we planted the very first tree of the Our Roots Chicago Initiative in 2022.

8:27 She has played a critical role in piloting the city's tree equity program and guiding our tree equity working group. Pastor has demonstrated an incredible commitment to community greening and has truly helped make our neighborhoods more vibrant, resilient, and connected. And for that, we are deeply grateful. You'll hear from her in a moment. The last thing that I'll say is planting 75,000 trees is a really big responsibility and a huge job.

9:00 One that requires the community and government to come together. And through the Tree Ambassador Program and collaboration with so many different partners, but with the Morton Arboretum Chicago residents and community groups receive training that helps them identify where trees may be needed in their respective communities and how to make the 3-1-1 requests to ensure that we get them planted promptly. And with the help of our Tree Equity Working Group, which brings together community groups, advocates, residents, and stakeholders,

9:32 our city's tree-related efforts have been shaped by those who know their neighborhoods best. And so members of the Tree Ambassador and the Tree Equity Working Group, many of whom who are here today, truly play in such a role in building an equitable tree canopy apparatus across the city. So I want to thank all of these groups. For their leadership and dedication and their commitment to the equitable distribution of tree canopy and making sure that our residents are informed. Together with our partners, faith leaders, environmental advocates like the First Lady of the City of Chicago, City Departments and Residents, we are building a greener, healthier and more resilient Chicago.

10:12 So I truly thank you all for your partnerships and we look forward to your commitment in bringing more trees to every single neighborhood across the city. Thank you very much. So with that, I am proud to welcome the Department of Streets and Sanitation Commissioner, Mr. Cole Stoller. I'm going to say a lot of the same stuff, but it's just going to come out a little bit differently, okay?

10:43 Good afternoon, everybody, and thank you. Mayor Johnson for the introduction and joining us for the Celebrate Our Roots Chicago. The Department of Streets and Sanitation is grateful to be a part of the initiative that brings to residents the numerous long-term benefits that trees offer. This achievement was made possible in part by Streets and Sand, Bureau of Forestry, which is dedicated to maintaining and protecting the city landscape and urban tree canopy. Our Bureau of Forestry crews have worked in tandem with CDOT on planning efforts since the inception of this program.

11:18 Furthermore, we shifted to an area tree trimming strategy. I just want to bring that up, too, because we got the support of this mayor, and I want to thank this mayor for this, and the support of city council. but we were able to trim over 200,000 trees so far. We've been averaging 90,000 tree trims per 12 months, and we're on pace to hit 270 by April of this year. To put that in comparison, we were doing about 30,000 prior to that.

11:49 But without the support of the mayor and the council, we couldn't have made that possible. So I'm proud of the work that our forestry crews do. Our overall urban canopy strategy sets us on path to be more equitable, healthier, and sustainable future for the city of Chicago and its residents and is a key deliverable in the city's climate action plan. Although we're nearing our goal, there is still time for residents to get involved. You can request a free parkway tree, and I say street tree also as well. We'll

12:21 talk about it as either one of those. It's known as a parkway tree or a street tree. To be planted in front of our of your home by using shy 3-1-1 app or calling 3-1-1 this was a collaborative effort made possible by many people and groups and i want to acknowledge them for their support as i said mayor johnson the first lady commissioner tovar acting commissioner turner the department of public health open lands the tree ambassadors the tree equity working groups

12:57 and the Urban Forestry Advisory Board and all the smaller groups that have helped us make this possible because when we got tasked with planting 75,000 trees, we couldn't have done it without everybody here. Now I'd like to introduce Acting Commissioner for the Department of Transportation, Craig Turton.

13:30 Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you to Mayor Johnson and Commissioner Stollard and Tover. It's great to be on the west side celebrating a milestone that represents years of hard work and partnership. At CDOT, we consider our departments the guardians of the public way, and trees are a fundamental part of keeping our public spaces vibrant and healthy. They make our corridors more inviting and walkable,

14:00 and they support more resilient communities, especially in places where we're impacted by climate change. CDOT plants thousands of trees along our boulevards, medians, and arterial streets each year, ensuring these benefits are delivered equilibrably across Chicago. This work is a key part of how we design our streets that serve people first and improve quality of life block by block. In 2025 alone, CDOT has planted over 4,700 trees, and from 2023 through 2025, our team

14:39 has planted over 23,000 trees. And in September this year, we hit a major milestone, CDOT has planted 150,000 trees. Since our program began in 1991, I want to give a special shout out to our CDOT forestry team and the Division of Citywide Services. The expertise, coordination, and commitment has made this work possible every single day. And we're very proud to be partners in the Our Root Initiative.

15:12 And now it's my pleasure to introduce someone who's been a powerful advocate for greener, healthier neighborhoods, Pastor Roshanna Fitzpatrick. Okay, let's celebrate some trees today. Wow, 68,000 trees. That's enough to put your hands together and give a big celebration. Our city is greener and it's fresher and it's healthier because we decided to fall in love with trees. I'm so excited to be here today.

15:42 I hope you guys sitting right here can see me because they gave me this thingy here. Everyone, bless you. Mayor Johnson, bless you. April 2028, 2022, we planted our first tree, and I was so excited about that. My business partner, Anna Maria Leon, called me, wave your hand, and said, we're planting trees in North Lawndale. I was so excited because I've walked the streets in North Lawndale, and I've seen how scarce the trees are there. And since that time, we've planted trees upon trees upon trees, and I'm so happy.

16:13 I'm even happy because we are able to engage with the community, and our community is safer because we have more trees. I need three people to clap. I am so excited with this Our Roots Chicago program. We have an organization in North Lawndale. It's called Tremendous Lawndale. Not Tremendous, Tremendous Lawndale. And we plant trees all over. We have fruit trees. We have birch trees. We have all kinds of trees, oak trees. And people are really excited about the fact that we have these trees in our communities

16:46 because these trees are blessing us. And we are blessing the trees because we are teaching our environment, our community, to water the trees in front of your house. It's there to help you. It'll get the water from your sewer system, right? It'll help you be healthy. It'll help you remove some stress that's in your life. So I'm excited. I'm encouraged. I am a tree ambassador. I was trained by Chicago Region Tree Initiative. Trinity, could you wave your hand? Mort Arboretum. Um, like all of these partners, um, when Reed first came to us, Reed, could you wave your hand, first came to us to ask us about trees.

17:21 I was so excited because I had had my first experience with falling in love with a tree. I was gardening because I'm a gardener as well, but I was gardening and I looked up and I saw a variety of color trees right down the block of Millard near our church. And I began to think about how beautiful it was and it brought me so much peace. And the stress I was under from planting all day and sweating and being hot, I forgot all about it. And I assume and I believe that that's what happens to people when they see beautiful trees in their community. So I am happy that we're all here to celebrate.

17:54 I want to see these trees go up, 6,000, 68,000 trees. Celebrate one more time, and then we're going to plant another tree today, I believe, right? So thank you, everybody, for being here. Mary Johnson, thank you again.

19:50 Thank you.

20:20 . . . Oh, I see. Yeah, that's fine. .

21:10 Hello there. All set.

21:52 Sheltie? Well, I do love trees. We are off topic here. Question about the budget. A group of elders, obviously, are coming up, trying to come up with a list for you to take a look at. They say that they will be able to, they really are confident they're going to be able to come up with $100 million, which is the price that you think is going to generate from the head tax, of efficiencies. Department of Procurement, fleet management.

22:23 If they do come up with $100 million worth of efficiencies that do not affect taxpayers, Are you willing to back off on the head tax? Well, first of all, you know, I want to just make sure that we're absolutely clear what we're talking about. We're talking about investing in community safety. That's what we're talking about. It's a $16.7 billion budget. The corporate fund is essentially $6 billion. This is less than 1% of the overall corporate fund, right? And it's going towards the very area that people have made very clear, whether you're a corporate leader or you're a resident in Austin, that community safety is a top priority.

22:57 We've seen precipitous decline in violence across the city because of these key investments. We put forth the EY report so that we could find ways in which we can modernize government, of which we have accepted 76 of those recommendations to make government far more streamlined and far more productive. Here's what folks have proposed. I'm just going to tell you what their plan is. They're planning to raise your property taxes. They're planning to collect and raise garbage fees.

23:27 They're planning on collecting a grocery tax. These are the conversations that they are having. What I've said repeatedly is that there is no circumstance in which we're going to balance a budget off the backs of working people. It's very clear about what they're proposing. We have instituted many of the recommendations in this budget from the EY report that some of those same aldermen chastised me from absolutely setting up the report in the first place. So over the course of the next several years, those initial cost savings, $80 million, $200 million in total savings, will accrue to over $600 million over the next several budgets.

24:11 Look, all of the things that people want to do in this budget, it's going to take time. But I can tell you emphatically, these individuals are interested in cuts and layoffs. Once you start talking about efficiencies beyond the ones that are presented. You're going after our police and our fire. There's no way you're going to get to that number unless you're committed to laying people off and firing law enforcement. I'm not going to do that. If they present me a budget that is balanced off the backs of working people, that cuts services and lays people off, I'm going to veto that budget.

24:49 I promise you. The corporate head tax or this community safety surcharge, we're talking about less than 0.36 percent of their payroll. My question to those alders are, why are they more interested in protecting corporations than working people? That's the question. Protect working people because that's what working people deserve. That's what this budget does. Thank you. Do we have another question? I have a follow-up to that. I'm not sure if we're talking about the same alders. One of them is Pat Dowell, your finance committee chairman.

25:22 She made it very clear garbage tax, grocery tax, and property taxes are off the table. So I'm not sure who alderman you're talking to. Can you tell us who you're talking about that says they're going to raise property taxes? Any alderman who comes to me at this point that's referring to more cuts and efficiencies, they're talking about laying off law enforcement. I'm not going to do that. They say that's not what they're going to do. I mean, so why are you saying that if they're saying that that's off the table?

25:52 Thank you. Hey, Mayor, we're a staffer of CBS. A couple off topics for you. You don't want to talk about trees either. I like trees as well. I do. I do. But we do have some folks at our station who are, you know, wanted us to ask about this blue line attack. The suspect has this lengthy history of arson and aggravated assault. We just learned there's now federal charges coming against him for committing a terrorist attack. Is this someone who should have been released?

26:24 And then a follow-up to that is, you know, what do you tell the CTA rioters who are now potentially concerned about getting on their daily training? Well, look, this is an awful, horrific attack. And it is clear that, you know, this person has some trouble, right? And this case is currently under investigation, and, you know, that process will continue to play out. What I can say is this. This is an isolated incident. As devastating and as horrific as it was, it's not indicative of our transportation system as a whole.

27:05 We're going to use every single tool that's available to us, and we're grateful that the state of Illinois has provided the necessary funding so that we can continue to grow our ridership. Safety is our top priority, and we will continue to make the necessary investments to ensure that everyone has a safe experience as they ride our public transportation system. Thank you all very much. Have a great afternoon.

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