City Council dodges controversial votes on Welcoming City carve-outs, lower speed limit

The City Council on Wednesday avoided votes on two controversial issues: reducing the default speed limit on Chicago streets to 25 mph, and restoring exceptions to the city’s Welcoming City ordinance that would have empowered police officers to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

After a furious lobbying campaign by immigration rights advocates and their political champions, the Council, without debate, voted 39-11 to table an attempt by two Hispanic alderpersons to restore the so-called “carve-outs” to the Welcoming City ordinance.

The failed ordinance was led by Southwest Side colleagues Ray Lopez (15th) and Silvana Tabares (23rd), two of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s most outspoken critics. Those exceptions had been eliminated during former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration.

Lopez and Tabares argued that empowering Chicago police officers to “work with federal immigration officers or agencies” whenever they encounter people arrested for prostitution, drug or gang-related activities, including loitering, simply would have averted a confrontation with the incoming Donald Trump administration and prevented law-abiding immigrants from being swept off the streets.

But the Johnson administration lobbied hard against the ordinance, saying it would violate due process, expose the city to costly lawsuits and discourage immigrants from reporting crimes and cooperating with police.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office also weighed in against the ordinance. Calling the proposed exceptions to the Welcoming City ordinance “fraught with due process issues,” Raoul's office earlier Wednesday had warned of “unintended consequences of racial profiling” because of its references to “loitering.”

Raoul's statement further warned of “retraumatizing survivors of human trafficking who were forced into prostitution” and argued that the proposed exceptions run contrary to a state law known as the TRUST Act.

“State law does not grant local law enforcement the authority to enforce federal civil immigration laws. This includes participating, supporting or assisting in any capacity with federal immigration enforcement operations,” the attorney general's office said.

“The TRUST Act helps further public safety and trust in law enforcement by assuring witnesses and victims of crime that they can cooperate with local law enforcement without fearing deportation for themselves, their loved one or their neighbors.”

Wednesday’s vote means Trump will have no help from Chicago police officers when and if he follows through on his threat of mass deportations of illegal immigrants, starting with those with records.

At a news conference after Wednesday’s meeting, Johnson said he takes that threat seriously.

Johnson said his job is to make certain that people are protected and safe. And that’s precisely what he plans to do.

“Families can be assured that today’s display of this broad coalition that beat back an ordinance that, quite frankly, was just stoking the flames of fear” underscores that, he said.

Fred Tsao, senior policy counsel at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said he was relieved the exceptions to the Welcoming City ordinance won't be restored.

"Chicago is standing up for the constitutional rights of all residents and maintaining the policies that reflect our welcoming values," Tsao was quoted as saying in a statement.

Nine alderpersons joined Lopez and Tabares in their attempt to bring the ordinance to a vote: Brian Hopkins (2nd); Anthony Beale (9th); Marty Quinn (13th); David Moore (17th); Monique Scott (24th); Nick Sposato (38th); Anthony Napolitano (41st); Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Jim Gardiner (45th).

Putting the brakes on lower speed limit

The proposal to slow down when it comes to reducing Chicago’s default speed limit to 25 mph came from the sponsor himself.

Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), an avid cyclist who chairs the City Council’s Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, called off the vote in favor of establishing a working group to assess traffic violation enforcement and devise more equitable ways to enforce violations, including fine and fee reform.

Earlier this week, La Spata said he was “optimistic” he had the votes. But ultimately, he yielded to concerns from his colleagues that the lower speed limit could set the stage for an avalanche of speeding tickets, as well as traffic stops targeting minority motorists.

“I know that there is a lot of justifiable reticence about what this means for enforcement in the city. For far too long, people have seen racial inequities on how citations are issued, who gets cited, even in communities that are not their own,” La Spata said Wednesday.

“You deserve a down payment that addresses the anxieties and concerns of your communities that, when we talk about lowering the speed limit, we mean that in a truly equitable, transparent and meaningful way.”

La Spata said he's open to all options, including “directing more of these revenue funds” toward traffic calming infrastructure improvements at certain intersections and “new modes of enforcement that involve more behavior change and education" instead of"taking dollars at peoples’ pockets.”

“Hopefully in the future, we move as Seattle, Minneapolis, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Oak Park and Evanston have already done toward the 25 mile-per-hour speed limit. But, we do that in a way that has earned trust.”

Two wards ban hemp products

Council members approved an ordinance banning ban the sale of delta-8 and other unregulated hemp products in the 13th and 23rd wards on the Southwest Side near Midway Airport.

Alds. Brendan Reilly (42nd) and Anthony Beale (9th) introduced legislation to do the same in portions of their wards. And Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) introduced an ordinance to ban the sale of hemp products to anyone under 21 years old citywide. All those ordinances, however, were referred to the Rules Committee. That's where legislation opposed by the mayor generally is sent to die or be delayed.

Nearly $40M in legal settlements OK’d

The Council authorized $39.35 million in settlements to resolve six cases stemming from allegations of police wrongdoing. The three largest cases — for $33.75 million combined — are tied to three of the Chicago Police Department’s most notorious bad actors: former Detective Reynaldo Guevara and ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts officers working under former Area 2 detective Jon Burge.

Exemption sought to allow extra Wrigley event

Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th) proposed an exemption to the city’s limit on night games. The exemption would pave the way for a May 22 concert at Wrigley Field featuring Post Malone and Jelly Roll.

Conway wants Council to OK mayor’s CPS board picks

Ald. Bill Conway (34th) introduced an ordinance that would subject mayoral appointees to the Chicago Board of Education to City Council approval.

Ordinance would force mayor to quit schools job

Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd) introduced an ordinance that would require Johnson to severe his employment with the Chicago Board of Education. But, mayoral allies shunted the ordinance off to the Rules Committee.