Public Health

• Chicago now in high-risk COVID category, health officials strongly encourage indoor masking: “Chicago and  Cook County  are now at high risk for COVID-19 transmission, health officials say. The region crossed into the high-risk category this evening after COVID cases and hospitalizations have kept rising in recent weeks. The Chicago Department of Public Health now strongly recommends people wear masks in public indoor settings, ” Crain ’s Chicago Business reports.

Illinois

Court denies petition seeking to block labor-related constitutional amendment from November ballot

A  Sangamon County Circuit Court judge denied a petition to block Amendment 1 from Illinois ’ November 2022 ballot.

The proposed constitutional amendment, the Illinois Right to Collective Bargaining Amendment, would codify employees ’ rights to organize and bargain collectively through representatives of their choosing to negotiate “wages, hours, and working conditions and to protect their economic welfare and safety at work. ”

The case against the proposal – brought by a group of parents and teachers from Chicago Public Schools – alleges the amendment ’s adoption would violate the National Labor Relations Act and even grant union leaders the right to override certain state laws.

But the judge ’s order shoots those claims down, positing that “Even accepting as true all of Petitioners ’ allegations, there are no reasonable grounds to permit suit. Petitioner ’s claims fail as a matter of law, and impermissibly seek an advisory opinion as to ‘constitutional issues … [which] may never progress beyond the realm of the hypothetical. ’ Slack v. Salem, 31 Ill. 2d 174, 178 (1964). ”

Attorneys for the plaintiffs from Liberty Justice Center and Illinois Policy Institute say they will appeal.

Around the State

• How Illinois is winning in the fight against Big Tech:  “The facial recognition company Clearview AI agreed in a settlement this month to stop selling its massive database of photographs culled from the internet to private firms across the United States. That decision is a direct result of a lawsuit in Illinois, a demonstration that strong privacy laws in a single state can have nationwide ramifications, ” explains New York Times ’ Greg Bensinger.
• Illinois collects data about who gets abortions. But it keeps race and ethnicity hidden:  “The data that could help illuminate disparities has never been public here. After a WBEZ inquiry, the state is evaluating whether that should change, ” by WBEZ.
• State task force urges government, businesses to unite behind ‘quality jobs ’:  “The report from a 36-member panel says Illinois could be a national leader if it encourages creation of jobs with pay and benefits that can help workers support families, ” by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Transition to electric vehicles crucial to stopping pollution-related deaths, according to report,  by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Ameren Illinois customers may see $600 increase in their annual electric bill,  the State Journal-Register reports.
• Illinois governor’s race outpaced national contests for ad spending in May:  “The most expensive political race on the ad airwaves in May wasn’t the closely fought Pennsylvania Senate GOP primary … or Georgia’s high-profile GOP gubernatorial race. It was Illinois’ gubernatorial race ” for a primary at the end of June, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact, NBC reports.
• Illinois broadband expansion will create 25,000 jobs, researchers say, by the Chicago Tribune.
• Illinois issues 48 new craft cannabis grower licenses in step that helps diversify the industry:  “Twenty of the new licenses are majority Black-owned, 17 are majority white-owned, and four are majority Hispanic-owned, with the rest owned by a partnership group or not providing specific information, ” the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago

Paul Vallas announces mayoral bid

Former Chicago Public Schools CEO and onetime city budgeteer Paul Vallas launched his second campaign for mayor of Chicago this week, saying what the city  “suffers from most is a crisis in leadership. ”

Vallas last ran for mayor in 2019 and received 5.4 percent of the vote, placing him 9th amid the crowded field of 14 candidates.

The situation is expected to be similar this cycle: in addition to Vallas, Mayor Lori Lightfoot faces competition from a growing list of declared contenders, including Ald. Ray Lopez, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, local businessman Willie Wilson, veteran cop Frederick Collins, and state Rep. Kam Buckner. Former Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and current Chicago Ald. Brian Hopkins are also reportedly polling for potential mayoral runs.

Chicago’s next mayoral election is slated for February 2023.

More from City Hall

• Will Pat Quinn run for Chicago mayor? “I don ’t know about that. I think the next couple of months I ’m going to talk to a lot of people across Chicago and participate in events, including petitions drives and we ’ll see, ” Quinn tells ABC 7.
• Life sciences developments are booming in Chicago, bringing jobs and helping fight ‘brain drain ’:  “A who ’s who of the local development community are either launching or already leasing several million square feet of new space dedicated to life sciences, forming the cornerstones of planned communities such as Sterling Bay ’s Lincoln Yards, Related Midwest ’s The 78 and the former Reese site, as well as in the rapidly expanding Fulton Market neighborhood. Experts say developers finished or started about several million square feet already, with another 2 million square feet of buildings on the drawing board, ” reports the Chicago Tribune.
• During the pandemic, homeless people turned to the CTA for shelter. With housing limited, many remain there,  by the Chicago Tribune.
• Ald. Sigcho-Lopez files complaint against Mayor Lightfoot over rezoning of Pilsen church, by the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Chicago sees wave of union activity as frontline workers across the U.S. organize,  by the Chicago Tribune.

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