Ald. Jason Ervin: CPS needs to follow through on the municipal employee pension payment
First, a little context is needed. All the way back in 2020, CPS and the city of Chicago signed an agreement that called for CPS to ramp up payments to the Municipal Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund (MEABF) pension fund over the coming years because CPS employees make up a majority (more than 60%) of the beneficiaries of this particular pension fund. The City Council does not decide how many people CPS hires or for what positions, so we cannot indefinitely pay for their employees' pensions.
For the past five years, CPS has made their portion of the pension payment. Last year in good faith, Mayor Brandon Johnson reduced the amount that CPS would have to pay from almost $300 million to $175 million to demonstrate our partnership with the school district and to provide some relief to CPS' budget.
In October, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez came before the City Council and committed, unequivocally, that CPS would pay its share of the MEABF pension payment in exchange for a larger tax increment financing surplus. In response, the City Council appropriated the largest TIF surplus in the history of Chicago and gave CPS a record $300 million to help cover the cost of the payment.
Now, in the final weeks before Chicago reconciles its budget for the past fiscal year, the CEO is reversing course and urging board of education members to reject their obligation to make the payment.
Martinez defends this reversal by saying that CPS has no legal obligation to make this payment. No member of the City Council disputes this. The issue at hand is that members of the council voted to appropriate such a large surplus because we were operating with the understanding that CPS would follow through on the pension payment. By refusing to make the $175 million payment, CPS is jeopardizing more than $300 million in potential surplus next year alone.
As the chair of the Budget Committee, I can tell you that it would be near impossible to convince council members next year to give CPS anywhere near the dollars that we appropriated for the past two budgets if district officials were to turn their backs on us now.
The impact on the city's finances would be dire. We would end this year with a deficit, putting our city's credit rating at risk and making it more difficult for the city to balance its budget next year.
Essentially, Martinez may make your taxes go up because he refused to follow through on the commitment he made to the City Council. Furthermore, Martinez is sending a clear message to CPS employees that he is not responsible for fully compensating them with the incomplete budget he proposed. Instead of spending his time generating a comprehensive solution, now he is pointing the finger at the citizens of Chicago and expecting us to pick up the tab.
There is even reporting that suggests that Martinez inserted language into the proposed budget amendment in an attempt to get the city to take on debt to pay for CPS' pension payment. I can say with certainty that no City Council member would take on any amount of debt to make this payment on CPS' behalf.
The board of education will host public budget amendment hearings this Thursday and Friday. I encourage all Chicagoans who care about fiscal responsibility and transparency to show up and demand that CPS follow through on their commitment to make this payment. We need a productive working partnership with our school district to improve our schools, not a political showdown between the City Council and CPS.
Ald. Jason Ervin, who represents the 28th Ward, is chairman of the Chicago City Council's Budget Committee.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Monaco billionaire developer says he's bailing on Carmel-by-the-Sea, a 'strange community'
Patrice Pastor spent big bucks on Carmel-by-the-Sea, in part because of cherished childhood memories, vacationing with his father in this charming, if quirky, coastal town. But after snapping up more than $100 million in properties in the area in recent years, the Monaco billionaire has grown increasingly infuriated by delays on his development projects, including a mid-sized retail and residential development that he has been trying to get approved. After six years of hold-ups and redesigns on that project — due, he said, to townsfolk endlessly nitpicking his plans — he has decided to bail on Carmel. "It's time to leave this strange community, if you can call it a community," Pastor said in a statement after the City Council this month delayed taking any action on the development, which he named the JB Pastor project in honor of his great-grandfather. City officials, he wrote, have used "reasons that are akin to a schoolyard" to stand in his way, and it is time, he said, to "reconsider my investment in Carmel." Read more: Why is a Monaco billionaire buying so many properties in Carmel and Big Sur? In Carmel-by-the-Sea, development — including upgrades to private homes — is notoriously slow. This wealthy Monterey County enclave strictly regulates architecture to maintain the much-vaunted "village character" of a place filled with cottages, courtyards and secret passageways. Residents in the one-square-mile town, population 3,200, have long sought to keep out the so-called trappings of city life. They have no street addresses, instead giving their homes whimsical nicknames like Almost Heaven and Faux Chateau. And they have no streetlights or sidewalks in residential areas. Over the last decade, Pastor has bought at least 18 properties, including The Hog's Breath Building, the site of the pub once owned by actor and former Carmel-by-the-Sea mayor Clint Eastwood; and the L'Auberge Carmel hotel, which houses a Michelin-star restaurant. In 2023, he paid $22 million for Cabin on the Rocks, the only oceanfront home ever designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Last year, the California Coastal Commission approved his 'visionary plan' to restore public access at Rocky Point, a seaside property he bought for $8 million in nearby Big Sur with views of the picturesque Rocky Creek Bridge. In Carmel-by-the-Sea — where, according to Zillow, the average home price is $2.3 million — Pastor's purchases have become a source of intrigue, and, for some, downright suspicion. Pastor is the scion of a powerful real estate family that built much of mega-rich Monaco, a dense, one-square-mile nation on the French Riviera. His defenders in Carmel-by-the-Sea have questioned whether he has been discriminated against because he is too rich. "We are not treated the same as everyone else," Pastor wrote this month. "I suppose we are now at the point where we need to accept we are not wanted and draw the necessary conclusions." The city has rejected several of Pastor's design proposals, including multiple pitches for a mixed-use development on the site of what locals call The Pit. Pastor bought the massive, unsightly hole in the ground — the site of a downtown construction project whose previous owners ran out of money seven years ago — for $9 million in 2020 and is still trudging through the city's permitting process. Pastor, in his statement, called the delays with that project a "grotesque situation." The latest opposition to his JB Pastor development may have been the final straw. Pastor's most recent plans call for a 12,971-square-foot, two-story complex on Dolores Street that includes eight upstairs apartments, roughly 5,100 square feet of ground-level retail space, and a dozen parking spaces. Plans submitted to the city in 2021 called for the demolition of a former bank annex once used as a community room. Because it was less than 50 years old, it did not qualify as a historic structure — but after it turned 50 in October 2022, the Carmel Historic Resources Board voted to add it to the city's historic resources list. Pastor agreed to build around the annex. Then, another issue arose: The project would require the removal of a small concrete wall, decorated with exposed aggregate and inlaid rocks, built in 1972 by a man local historians dubbed the 'father of stamped concrete.' In the fall of 2023, the City Council said the wall was too important to be moved and sent Pastor's company back to the drawing board. This April, the city's Planning Commission approved the project, marking a major milestone. Two weeks later, 11 residents and business owners filed an appeal. They argued that the development, which includes three buildings, exceeds the city's limit of 10,000 square feet. Each building is smaller than that. But the opponents said that since two buildings are connected by a second-story exterior walkway they should be considered a single structure — one bigger than 10,000 square feet. They also argued that the site would not have enough parking and that planned rooftop gardens would not meet the city's landscaping requirements because they would not be on the ground floor. "The plans that were submitted and approved in April are still outside of the guidelines and the rules of the city's codes," Courtney Kramer, one of the appellants, said during a City Council meeting Aug. 4. She said it was frustrating to residents who have "been through excruciating renovation projects and followed the rules" to see certain projects get a pass. City codes, she said, "need to be applied consistently in order to preserve this village in the forest." During the six-hour meeting, the City Council delayed making a decision on the appeal, putting everything on hold again. Ian Martin, one of the appellants, said in an interview Friday that the push-back against Pastor's projects is "absolutely nothing personal at all" and that longtime locals also go through the same long process. "Of course, Clint Eastwood was so frustrated with the planning process that he ran for mayor," Martin said. "Pastor is not being singled out." Eastwood, who was mayor in the 1980s, ran for office after fighting with the City Council over what he said were unreasonable restrictions on the design of an office building he wanted to erect. Pastor now owns that building. Martin said that of the 11 appellants, two are former City Council members and three, including himself, are former planning commissioners. They are "very well versed in the general plan and the municipal code and the design guidelines," he added. The group, he added, is "not opposed to the project." They just believe it has to play by the rules. Chris Mitchell, managing director of Esperanza Carmel LLC, the local branch of Pastor's international real estate company, said in a statement that "this process has made a mockery of the city's own rules." "Our project was reviewed for six years, redesigned five times, and approved by the Planning Commission and City staff," he wrote. He called the appeal a "last-minute" political maneuver and stall tactic. "The message from City Council is clear: it doesn't matter how much you follow the rules, if your business is not wanted here, you won't be treated fairly,' Mitchell wrote. The city administrator, city clerk and members of the City Council did not respond to requests for comment. Read more: There are no street addresses in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Some say it's time to change Karyl Hall, co-chair of the Carmel Preservation Assn., said Pastor has bent over backward to listen to the community and to design — and redesign — his projects with the town's traditional architectural styles in mind. Hall, a retired research psychologist, is an adamant supporter, albeit a surprising one. Hall believes modern architecture — which she describes as "Anywhere, USA" buildings with sterile facades and box-like structures — poses an existential threat to Carmel-by-the-Sea. She co-founded the preservation association in response to the first proposal for The Pit: a contemporary design approved by the Planning Commission for the previous owners that she called "the ice box." Hall said she was heartened by Pastor, who proposed more traditional buildings. In an interview Thursday, she said some in town believe "that one person who owns so many properties is kind of scary." But the billionaire, she said, has been treated unfairly. 'The one thing we can always count on with him, which is why I've been supportive, is he's done quality work and he's done work that reflects Carmel's character," Hall said. "You can't say that about most of the developers who move in here. They just want to make big bucks." It remains unclear what Pastor means by "leave" Carmel. Will he halt his ongoing projects? Or sell his properties? Tim Allen, a real estate agent who has handled most of the billionaire's local purchases, said Thursday that Pastor is weighing his options. 'We need new infrastructure. We need new housing — it's mandated by the state. He's building these things," Allen said. "I hope this town rallies around Patrice, or he's gone." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Sign in to access your portfolio
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
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Evanston commission corrects error after preventing citizens from speaking on controversial project
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Newsweek
5 hours ago
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ICE Arrests Influencer Tatiana Martinez During Live Stream
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Colombian immigrant TikTok influencer was detained by immigration agents after a confrontation outside her Los Angeles residence that unfolded live on social media. Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez was apprehended by federal authorities while streaming on TikTok from her Tesla on Friday, August 15, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek that Martinez was arrested because of a prior DUI conviction in Los Angeles. Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez was apprehended by federal authorities on Friday, August 15, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez was apprehended by federal authorities on Friday, August 15, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Twitter Why It Matters Immigration authorities have been under heightened scrutiny amid allegations of misconduct, with the agency at the center of the national debate over immigration policy. That spotlight has widened since President Donald Trump ordered a ramp-up in arrests to fulfill his pledge of mass deportations, prompting renewed questions about the legality and human impact of ICE's enforcement practices. The widespread deportation efforts have attracted resistance from immigrant rights advocates. What To Know Martinez—who entered the U.S. in 2022, according to DHS—posts under the handle @tatianamartinez_02. She has gained attention for documenting ICE operations, sharing "know your rights" guidance, and offering commentary on immigration enforcement. Footage circulating on social media appears to show Martinez seated in a Tesla when federal agents approached, opened the driver's side door, and pulled her onto the pavement. The video shows her being restrained face down with a covering placed over her head, and observers can be heard calling for medical assistance before she appears motionless. McLaughlin added that the arrest was further complicated when "an individual unlawfully towed a government police vehicle." Footage on social media shows a federal agent running after a vehicle after the tow truck removes the car. "He mocked and videotaped ICE officers chasing after him. Secretary Noem has been clear: Anyone who seeks to impede law enforcement will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," McLaughlin said. Following the incident, Martinez was transported to White Memorial Hospital and subsequently transferred to a downtown detention center, according to L.A. Taco. McLaughlin said Martinez reported shortness of breath during her arrest and was given medical treatment. The influencer, who has amassed more than 37,000 followers on TikTok, has been actively creating content that documents immigration enforcement since Trump directed his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status. DHS has claimed that ICE agents are facing a 1000 percent increase in assaults against them; however, the agency has not provided any detailed breakdowns of the allegations. What People Are Saying Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: "On August 15, ICE arrested Leidy Tatiana Mafla-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Colombia who was convicted for driving under the influence in Los Angeles. This criminal illegal alien entered the country in 2022 and was RELEASED by the Biden administration. During her arrest, Martinez claimed to experience shortness of breath. She was given proper medical treatment and will be held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings." The Sidewalk School, an immigrant rights group, wrote in a post on Instagram: "She was pulled screaming from her Tesla, later taken by ambulance to the hospital." David Earl Williams III, a Democrat, wrote on Facebook: "ICE violently arrested activist-journalist Tatiana Martinez in LA, slamming her to the ground on livestream. After a brief hospital release, she was taken back into custody. In a wild twist, one of ICE's SUVs was towed mid-arrest—turning their crackdown into a symbol of resistance." What Happens Next Martinez will remain in ICE custody pending further removal proceedings.
