Latest news with #LicenseandConsumerProtectionCommittee
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wrigleyville alderman wants more transparency from vacation rentals like Airbnb
Vacation rental companies like Airbnb might soon be required to share more information with the city in a bid to boost transparency as Chicago aldermen again seek to get more control over the industry. Wrigleyville Ald. Bennett Lawson is behind a push to get his City Council colleagues the addresses and management contact information for the rentals that make up a significant portion of the apartments in some neighborhoods. It's information the city needs to address a host of potential problems, like parties in rented homes getting out of control or an influx of short-term units taking up much-needed housing stock, Lawson said after the ordinance advanced in the City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee Tuesday. 'It became clear that we just need the data,' Lawson, 44th, said. 'We need to add some transparency.' The regularly updated database Lawson wants rental companies to help the city build would also include details like the unit's maximum occupancy, an apparent attempt to help neighbors ward off rowdy parties. The city already receives some information about the units, but not much, he added. Two recent parties in vacation rentals have ended in shootings in the ward, Lawson said. 'I've had some that have gotten way out of hand,' he told aldermen. 'Instead of always trying to figure out on the backside who is this, who rented it, if we know that there are some concerns on the front end, we can work with the platform, we can work with neighbors and address them proactively.' The summer party months are fast approaching in Lawson's ward, which includes the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field and the surrounding packed bars of North Clark Street, plus the Northalsted festivals that bring in thousands of LGBTQ+ people. Many of the revelers rent apartments and make a weekend of it, bringing a frat house vibe to stretches of the North Side that lots of year-round residents don't appreciate. Aldermen have struggled for years to rein in the burgeoning vacation rental industry, installing ordinances to ban the rentals on a precinct-by-precinct basis and complaining that the operators can too easily slip through the cracks of the regulations in place. In addition to local and state hotel taxes, Chicago short-term rental units face targeted fees with revenues earmarked for domestic violence and homelessness services. The city expects the short-term rental taxes to raise over $12.2 million this year. The committee advanced the measure Tuesday unanimously. It could face a final City Council vote next week. There are around 235 short-term rental units scattered throughout Lawson's ward, he said. Building owners can often make more through short-term rents than long-term leases, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Wrigleyville, he added. Added up, those units put a dent in the city's housing stock, he said. 'Potentially there are 1,000's of units that are not available to Chicagoans,' he said. 'Having a little bit more information is going to help us chart through the summer and next steps if we need.' The committee also approved ordinances Tuesday to ban the sale of marijuana-like hemp products in Ald. Felix Cardona's ward, including the Hermosa and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods, as well as to renew an 'emerging business' permit for a delivery company that uses small, rolling robots. Moments later, the Workforce Development Committee advanced an ordinance allowing for work experience deemed equivalent to a college degree to be considered for eligibility in hiring for city jobs. Tribune reporter A.D. Quig contributed.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Wrigleyville alderman wants more transparency from vacation rentals like Airbnb
Vacation rental companies like Airbnb might soon be required to share more information with the city in a bid to boost transparency as Chicago aldermen again seek to get more control over the industry. Wrigleyville Ald. Bennett Lawson is behind a push to get his City Council colleagues the addresses and management contact information for the rentals that make up a significant portion of the apartments in some neighborhoods. It's information the city needs to address a host of potential problems, like parties in rented homes getting out of control or an influx of short-term units taking up much-needed housing stock, Lawson said after the ordinance advanced in the City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee Tuesday. 'It became clear that we just need the data,' Lawson, 44th, said. 'We need to add some transparency.' The regularly updated database Lawson wants rental companies to help the city build would also include details like the unit's maximum occupancy, an apparent attempt to help neighbors ward off rowdy parties. The city already receives some information about the units, but not much, he added. Two recent parties in vacation rentals have ended in shootings in the ward, Lawson said. 'I've had some that have gotten way out of hand,' he told aldermen. 'Instead of always trying to figure out on the backside who is this, who rented it, if we know that there are some concerns on the front end, we can work with the platform, we can work with neighbors and address them proactively.' The summer party months are fast approaching in Lawson's ward, which includes the hallowed grounds of Wrigley Field and the surrounding packed bars of North Clark Street, plus the Northalsted festivals that bring in thousands of LGBTQ+ people. Many of the revelers rent apartments and make a weekend of it, bringing a frat house vibe to stretches of the North Side that lots of year-round residents don't appreciate. Aldermen have struggled for years to rein in the burgeoning vacation rental industry, installing ordinances to ban the rentals on a precinct-by-precinct basis and complaining that the operators can too easily slip through the cracks of the regulations in place. The committee advanced the measure with unanimous consent. It could face a final City Council vote next week. There are around 235 short-term rental units scattered throughout Lawson's ward, he said. Building owners can often make more through short-term rents than long-term leases, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Wrigleyville, he added. Added up, those units put a dent in the city's housing stock, he said. 'Potentially there are 1,000's of units that are not available to Chicagoans,' he said. 'Having a little bit more information is going to help us chart through the summer and next steps if we need.' The committee also approved ordinances Tuesday to ban the sale of marijuana-like hemp products in Ald. Felix Cardona's ward, including the Hermosa and Belmont Cragin neighborhoods, as well as to renew an 'emerging business' permit for a delivery company that uses small, rolling robots. Moments later, the Workforce Development Committee advanced an ordinance allowing for work experience deemed equivalent to a college degree to be considered for eligibility in hiring for city jobs.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago fur ban rejected by City Council: 'About personal choice'
CHICAGO — Aldermen rejected an effort Wednesday to ban the sale of new fur products in Chicago. The failed ordinance aimed to fight animal cruelty with 'compassion and empathy,' sponsor Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said. But the opponents who won out argued the regulation would put family-owned fur stores out of business in an act of government overreach. The City Council struck down the measure in a 26-to-19 vote. Ald. Stephanie Coleman, chair of the aldermanic Black Caucus, argued furs are an important part of Black culture 'about embracing elegance in a world that has not been kind to us.' 'Let's support policies that uplift businesses rather than shut them down. Let's respect consumer choice rather than dictate decisions,' Coleman, 16th, said. 'And let's focus on policies that actually matter to people in Chicago.' The measure breezed through a first vote in the City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee last week, but faced tougher scrutiny Wednesday as the Black Caucus organized to strike it down. A critical bloc of 15 Black aldermen voted against the measure, while several progressives joined Lopez and his allies in its support. Mayor Brandon Johnson appeared to remain neutral as aldermen jockeyed for votes. Before the vote, Lopez argued his ordinance was a compromise and said there were 97 other business regulations up for a vote during the meeting. 'That is the job of this body. To regulate, to set guidelines for what expectations are in our community,' he told colleagues. 'That isn't new.' The ordinance would help 'an industry on the decline' prepare for the future, Lopez added. 'This body knows how to walk and chew gum at the same time,' he said. 'This is a principle moment. This, yes, is about morality. This is our moment to show how things are all related.' Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, joined Coleman and a group of Black pastors before the Wednesday meeting to argue the vote is 'about personal choice.' 'Are we going to ban leather next? Are we going to ban beef? Are we going to put Ronald McDonald out of a job?' he said. 'I can't believe we're here today, that this is actually going to come to a vote at this time in our city. We need to be focused on public safety, on public health, on our schools, on attracting business, on supporting business.' To drive his point home, O'Shea later sang to his colleagues the song made locally famous in the advertisements for one of his ward's two furriers: 'Feel the worth and luxury that you deserve, Andriana Furs.' Michael K. Harris Jr., government manager for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, predicted the ordinance would have banned the sale of shearling and sheepskin products, such as the popular Ugg boots. Lopez told the Tribune he does not believe the ordinance would ban such products and was not intended to. 'Gentlemen, every woman in your life has Ugg boots,' Coleman said during the floor debate to laughs. The ordinance would have allowed the sale of used fur products and included clear exceptions for leather, cowhide and deerskin products. It also intended to make exceptions to allow the sale of secondhand fur products, as well as new fur products used in religious and cultural practices. Lopez is the latest Chicago City Council member to court controversy with a proposal aimed at animal rights. North Side Ald. Joe Moore in 2006 got the council to ban foie gras, prohibiting restaurants from serving the delicacy made by force-feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their livers. Mayor Richard M. Daley at the time called the foie gras ban 'the silliest law the City Council has ever passed' and warned it would hurt economic development. Two years later, restaurateur Ald. Tom Tunney led a successful effort to overturn it. Gerard Brown, owner of Beverly's 31-year-old Island Furs, said before the vote a ban would put his store out of business. It is one of three black-owned furriers in the country, according to O'Shea. 'I can understand if people don't want to wear my product. That's okay, that's what makes my country, freedom of speech, freedom of choice,' Brown said. 'My creativity will stop because they've dictated to me how I should create my fashion.' Aldermen also approved in a 34-to-15 vote Wednesday a $280,000 deal to settle a lawsuit against the city from Miracle Boyd, an activist whose front tooth was knocked out when a police officer punched her at a July 2020 protest. ____
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chicago fur ban set to face City Council vote
Aldermen are set to vote Wednesday on an ordinance that would ban the sale of new fur products in Chicago. The ordinance is an effort to fight animal cruelty, sponsor Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said. But opponents say it will close historic family-owned businesses and is a government overreach. Several speakers during public testimony at the beginning of the council meeting urged aldermen to pass the ban, saying animals are tortured in order to collect furs. The measure breezed through a first vote in the License and Consumer Protection Committee, but could face tougher scrutiny Wednesday as the City Council's Black Caucus ramped up a fight to strike it down. Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, joined Black Caucus chair Stephanie Coleman and a group of Black pastors at a news conference before the Wednesday meeting to argue the vote is 'about personal choice.' 'Are we going to ban leather next? Are we going to ban beef? Are we going to put Ronald McDonald out of a job?' O'Shea said. 'I can't believe we're here today, that this is actually going to come to a vote at this time in our city. We need to be focused on public safety, on public health, on our schools, on attracting business, on supporting business.' Michael K. Harris Jr., government manager for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, predicted the ordinance would ban the sale of shearling and sheepskin products, including the popular Ugg boots. Lopez told the Tribune he does not believe the ordinance would ban such products and is not intended to. The ordinance, set to go into effect one year after passage, allows the sale of used fur products and makes clear exceptions for leather, cowhide and deerskin products. It also makes exceptions to allow the sale of secondhand fur products, as well as new fur products used in religious and cultural practices. Mayor Brandon Johnson appears to have stayed out of the debate over fur products, even as many Black aldermen rally around Beverly furrier Island Furs. The store is one of three Black-owned furriers in the country, O'Shea said. Gerard Brown, who has owned Island Furs for three decades, said the ban would put his store out of business. 'I can understand if people don't want to wear my product. That's okay, that's what makes my country, freedom of speech, so freedom of choice,' Brown said. 'My creativity will stop because they've dictated to me how I should create my fashion.' Other issues in the city deserve more attention, argued Walter Turner, pastor of South Shore's New Spiritual Light Missionary Baptist Church. Turner painted the ordinance as an overstep harming Black Chicago. 'We have a whole lot of other serious issues going on in our communities. Our babies are being shot every day. We need to deal with our school system,' he said. 'This is about shutting down businesses that have been a staple.'
Chicago Tribune
12-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Chicago fur ban set to face City Council vote
Aldermen are set to vote Wednesday on an ordinance that would ban the sale of new fur products in Chicago. The ordinance is an effort to fight animal cruelty, sponsor Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, said. But opponents say it will close historic family-owned businesses and is a government overreach. Several speakers during public testimony at the beginning of the council meeting urged aldermen to pass the ban, saying animals are tortured in order to collect furs. The measure breezed through a first vote in the License and Consumer Protection Committee, but could face tougher scrutiny Wednesday as the City Council's Black Caucus ramped up a fight to strike it down. Ald. Matt O'Shea, 19th, joined Black Caucus chair Stephanie Coleman and a group of Black pastors at a news conference before the Wednesday meeting to argue the vote is 'about personal choice.' 'Are we going to ban leather next? Are we going to ban beef? Are we going to put Ronald McDonald out of a job?' O'Shea said. 'I can't believe we're here today, that this is actually going to come to a vote at this time in our city. We need to be focused on public safety, on public health, on our schools, on attracting business, on supporting business.' Michael K. Harris Jr., government manager for the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, predicted the ordinance would ban the sale of shearling and sheepskin products, including the popular Ugg boots. Lopez told the Tribune he does not believe the ordinance would ban such products and is not intended to. The ordinance, set to go into effect one year after passage, allows the sale of used fur products and makes clear exceptions for leather, cowhide and deerskin products. It also makes exceptions to allow the sale of secondhand fur products, as well as new fur products used in religious and cultural practices. Mayor Brandon Johnson appears to have stayed out of the debate over fur products, even as many Black aldermen rally around Beverly furrier Island Furs. The store is one of three Black-owned furriers in the country, O'Shea said. Gerard Brown, who has owned Island Furs for three decades, said the ban would put his store out of business. 'I can understand if people don't want to wear my product. That's okay, that's what makes my country, freedom of speech, so freedom of choice,' Brown said. 'My creativity will stop because they've dictated to me how I should create my fashion.' Other issues in the city deserve more attention, argued Walter Turner, pastor of South Shore's New Spiritual Light Missionary Baptist Church. Turner painted the ordinance as an overstep harming Black Chicago. 'We have a whole lot of other serious issues going on in our communities. Our babies are being shot every day. We need to deal with our school system,' he said. 'This is about shutting down businesses that have been a staple.'
