Chicago City Council Democratic Socialist Caucus Explained

Democratic Socialist Caucus
Leader1 Title:Chair
Leader1 Name:Carlos Ramirez-Rosa
Seats1 Title:Seats in Chicago City Council
Ideology:Democratic socialism
Position:Left-wing
Colorcode:Red

The Democratic Socialist Caucus of the Chicago City Council is a bloc of aldermen in the Chicago City Council. The block was unofficially organized as the Socialist Caucus in 2019, and later organized as a formal caucus with its current name in 2021.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] It currently has six members, out of the 50 aldermen that comprise the Council.[6] Members of the caucus identify as democratic socialists.[7]

History

The caucus was initially organized as the Socialist Caucus following the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election by six aldermen, all of whom were members of the Chicago chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. All six members also joined the larger Progressive Reform Caucus. The two caucuses pursue similar policy goals, but the Socialist Caucus' stated goal is to push a wider and more aggressive range of left-wing policies. When asked about the distinction between the two caucuses in a July 2019 interview, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa provided the example of a municipal takeover of the electric utility company ComEd as one distinctive policy that the Socialist Caucus would pursue.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois, members of the caucus called for a wide-ranging recovery package including an paid emergency leave, emergency housing, an end to ICE check-ins, and weekly payments to workers and families.[8] During the George Floyd protests, the caucus called for cutting funding to the Chicago Police Department and increasing funding for programs such as substance-abuse treatment, mental health care and after-school programs.[9]

On May 1, 2021, five members of the group formally organized as the Democratic Socialist Caucus, with Ramirez-Rosa serving as the chair.[10]

Membership

The following table lists current aldermen who are affiliated with the caucus since its formal organization in 2021. Andre Vasquez was also a member of the caucus when it was unofficially organized in 2019, but was not part of the founding membership in 2021.

MemberPartyWardMain Community areasJoinedFirst elected
Daniel La SpataDemocratic Democratic [11] 1West Town, Logan Square20212019
Jeanette TaylorDemocratic Democratic [12] 20New City, Woodlawn, Englewood20212019
Byron Sigcho-LopezDemocratic Democratic25Lower West Side, Near West Side20212019
Rossana Rodriguez-SanchezIndependent Independent [13] 33Irving Park, Avondale, Albany Park20212019
Carlos Ramirez-RosaDemocratic Democratic[14] 35Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa20212015
Angela ClayDemocratic Democratic46Uptown, Lakeview20232023

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: City Council Caucus Chairs on Chicago's Future. Blumberg. Nick. 2019-07-03. WTTW News. en. 2019-07-25.
  2. Web site: A Socialist Wave in Chicago. Bloom. Will. 2019-04-03. jacobinmag.com. en-US. 2019-07-25.
  3. Web site: What The Gov: What Does It Mean To Have Six Democratic Socialists on the Chicago City Council?. Sato. Mia. 2019-07-02. Better Government Association. en. 2019-07-25.
  4. Web site: Kapos. Shia. 2021-05-03. BUSTOS' EXIT AND THE REMAP — DUCKWORTH'S DUCKS IN A ROW — SCHOOL BOARD HEAD-TURNER. 2021-05-03. POLITICO. en.
  5. Web site: Democratic Socialists ratify 5-member City Council caucus to make policy work 'that much more effective'. 2021-05-05. The Daily Line.
  6. Web site: Evans . Joe Ward, Alex V. Hernandez, Maxwell . 2023-03-06 . Chicago's Progressive Alderpeople Retain Seats, Look To Expand Influence On City Council — And Even Mayor's Race . 2023-11-13 . Block Club Chicago . en-US.
  7. Web site: New City Council includes an apparent record number of women to be sworn in, overall progressive shift . 2023-11-13 . The Daily Line.
  8. Web site: Rodriguez. Rossana. Ramirez-Rosa. Carlos. Sigcho Lopez. Byron. La Spata. Daniel. Taylor. Jeanette. 2020-03-16. If we want everybody to stay home during a coronavirus crisis, we need deep change to make that possible. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200316214051/https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/3/16/21181845/chicago-city-council-progressive-caucus-democratic-socialists-coronavirus-illinois-recovery-all . 2020-03-16 . 2020-06-09. Chicago Sun-Times. en.
  9. Web site: Daniel. La Spata. Jeannette. Taylor. Byron. Sigcho Lopez. Rossana. Rodriguez Sanchez. Carlos. Ramirez Rosa. Andre. Vasquez. 2020-06-08. Cutting funding for police could lead to a better and safer Chicago. 2020-06-09. Chicago Sun-Times. en.
  10. Web site: Chicago's Democratic Socialist Caucus. 2021-05-01. Today, May 1, 2021, we're announcing the formal creation of the Democratic Socialist Caucus of the Chicago City Council.. live. 2021-05-03. Twitter. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210502011544/https://twitter.com/ChiSocialists/status/1388524977616474121 . 2021-05-02 .
  11. LaSpata. Daniel. Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. 2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire. October 9, 2019. December 10, 2018. 3. March 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190302225610/http://www.iviipo.org/2019QResps/2019QALD01_LaSpata_Daniel.pdf. dead.
  12. Taylor. Jeanette. Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. 2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire. October 9, 2019. December 10, 2018. 3. March 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190302225754/http://www.iviipo.org/2019QResps/2019QALD20_Taylor_Jeanette.pdf. dead.
  13. Rodriguez. Rossana. Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. 2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire. October 20, 2019. December 10, 2018. March 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190302225907/http://www.iviipo.org/2019QResps/2019QALD33_Sanchez_Rosanna.pdf. dead.
  14. Web site: September 18, 2019. Sandvoss. Steven S.. State of Illinois Central Committees. October 14, 2019. Illinois State Board of Elections. Springfield, Illinois. 75–78.