The Latest Breaking News from City Council

The Landlord Behind Massive Los Angeles Eviction Has Spent More Than $1 Million on City Elections

Douglas Emmett Inc.’s surge in donations began after a city councilman opposed evictions.

Capital & Main · Feb 20, 2024

Follow the law on arbitration for Chicago police accused of serious misconduct

If City Council members don’t like the law, they should try changing it.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 15, 2024

Democratic ward committeeperson’s job has lost its luster for City Council members

A growing number of sitting alderpersons are either not running at all or have been forced to withdraw and perhaps run as write-in candidates after failing to gather the number of signatures needed to get on the ballot.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 15, 2024

Chicago’s acting planning commissioner vows to “get more shovels in the ground and more ribbons cut”

Ciere Boatright says she will use tax increment financing, the Neighborhood Opportunity Fund and what she called the “entire financial toolbox” to remove roadblocks she encountered as a real estate executive known for her work on community revival.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 9, 2024

Real estate interests seek to block ‘Bring Chicago Home’ referendum

A coalition of real estate and development groups filed suit Friday seeking to knock the binding referendum off the ballot, calling it an example of “log-rolling,” a legislative tactic of combining a politically unpopular proposal with popular one so voters will swallow the bitter pill.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 5, 2024

Ed Burke still in line for hefty payouts from pension, campaign funds after corruption conviction

The Chicago City Council icon turned felon is entitled to more than $540,000 he paid into a city pension fund and a nearly $2.5 million payout from his campaign fund.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 5, 2024

Arbitrator reaffirms police disciplinary ruling, urges City Council to rethink rejection

Arbitrator Edwin Benn said state law guarantees Chicago police officers accused of the most serious wrongdoing the right to bypass the Police Board in favor of arbitration. Benn also criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson and the 33 City Council members who rejected his earlier ruling.

Chicago Sun-Times · Jan 4, 2024

This West Texas town has a lot of money in the bank. Why can't it pick up its trash?

Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair.

The Texas Tribune · Jan 4, 2024

Here are the top stories that made the news in Chicago in 2023

New arrivals and a new mayor grabbed city headlines while old political figureheads went down and long-standing conflicts flared up. The Sun-Times was there for it all.

Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 27, 2023

Ed Burke and City Council members who call his conviction ‘a tragedy’ suck the life out of Chicago

What’s sad is that corruption continues to be so normalized in this town, an Irving Park resident writes.

Chicago Sun-Times · Dec 27, 2023