Latest news with #Napolitano
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Aldermen advance measure allowing Airbnb bans in Chicago precincts
Aldermen took a step Wednesday toward giving themselves the power to ban Airbnb's and other short-term rentals from opening in their wards. The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the ordinance that would allow aldermen to unilaterally block new short-term rentals one precinct at a time. It could now face a final vote by all aldermen as soon as next week. Sponsor Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, called the city's current ordinance made a decade ago 'extremely sloppy.' The existing law allows short-term rentals to be blocked only when 25% of a precinct's registered voters sign a petition calling for it. 'This is the only ordinance written in the city of Chicago where, when there is a problem in the industry, the onus is put on residents to fix it,' Napolitano said. The Far Northwest Side alderman's ordinance seeks to reverse that, allowing aldermen to block short-term rentals in a precinct on their own. It would then give companies the chance to overturn the ban by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct's voters. Most aldermen in attendance backed the ordinance in a voice vote. Several cited issues in their ward with disruptive parties at short-term rentals, a problem Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said is 'on steroids' in dense downtown high rises. 'The guests are taking over common areas, pool decks, lobbies, fitness rooms,' he said. 'With the late night parties and noise complaints, et cetera, God help you if you own a condo next to one of these nightly rental units.' Napolitano argued the ordinance will not hurt short-term rental companies, but instead simply gives aldermen a tool to advocate for residents when issues arise. But Airbnb is strongly opposed to the proposal. 'Alderman Napolitano's ordinance amendment is an over-broad and misguided violation of Chicagoans' property rights, which would punish responsible homeowners and local businesses who rely on the income from travel on short-term rentals — especially in neighborhoods outside of Chicago's traditional tourism hubs,' Airbnb spokesperson Jonathan Buckner said in a statement Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Johnson is continuing to not take a side on the issue. Asked where he stood on the ordinance at a Wednesday morning news conference, he said he wanted to 'continue to ensure that we are building a safe, affordable city.' 'This particular measure, quite frankly, I'll have to look into a little bit deeper,' Johnson said. 'But I know that there are a number of alders who mean well and are trying to show up for their particular pocket of the city.' Several aldermen noted the absence of staff from Johnson's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, adding that they wished someone could answer questions about how bans could affect tax revenue. Alds. Matt O'Shea, 19th, and Bill Conway, 34th, voted against the measure, with O'Shea noting taxes on the rentals sent around $4 million to fight domestic violence. 'Have we thought of how we are going to replace that?' O'Shea asked. 'It's been my experience working with Airbnb that when a problem is identified, it's addressed.' Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, used the city's current process requiring residents' signatures to ban short-term rentals from every precinct in his Southwest Side ward. The whole-ward ban took 12,000 signatures and seven years to complete, he said. The ward is '95% single family dwellings,' and short-term rentals 'would have an adverse impact on our quality of life,' Quinn said. Asked what he thinks of Airbnb's argument that the ban is similar to historic racist efforts to keep Black and Latino people out of certain neighborhoods, Quinn called it a 'desperate statement from a company who got exactly what they wanted' when the original ordinance passed. 'I'm not saying that Airbnb isn't good in some parts of the city,' he said. 'It's just not good in the Bungalow Belt, and I have 12,000 signatures that would suggest that.' Aldermen also Wednesday advanced a measure to crack down on illegal pedicabs with potential impoundments.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Aldermen advance measure allowing Airbnb bans in Chicago precincts
Aldermen took a step Wednesday toward giving themselves the power to ban Airbnb's and other short-term rentals from opening in their wards. The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee advanced the ordinance that would allow aldermen to unilaterally block new short-term rentals one precinct at a time. It could now face a final vote by all aldermen as soon as next week. Sponsor Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, called the city's current ordinance made a decade ago 'extremely sloppy.' The existing law allows short-term rentals to be blocked only when 25% of a precinct's registered voters sign a petition calling for it. 'This is the only ordinance written in the city of Chicago where, when there is a problem in the industry, the onus is put on residents to fix it,' Napolitano said. The Far Northwest Side alderman's ordinance seeks to reverse that, allowing aldermen to block short-term rentals in a precinct on their own. It would then give companies the chance to overturn the ban by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct's voters. Most aldermen in attendance backed the ordinance in a voice vote. Several cited issues in their ward with disruptive parties at short-term rentals, a problem Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd, said is 'on steroids' in dense downtown high rises. 'The guests are taking over common areas, pool decks, lobbies, fitness rooms,' he said. 'With the late night parties and noise complaints, et cetera, God help you if you own a condo next to one of these nightly rental units.' Napolitano argued the ordinance will not hurt short-term rental companies, but instead simply gives aldermen a tool to advocate for residents when issues arise. But Airbnb is strongly opposed to the proposal. 'Alderman Napolitano's ordinance amendment is an over-broad and misguided violation of Chicagoans' property rights, which would punish responsible homeowners and local businesses who rely on the income from travel on short-term rentals — especially in neighborhoods outside of Chicago's traditional tourism hubs,' Airbnb spokesperson Jonathan Buckner said in a statement Wednesday. Mayor Brandon Johnson is continuing to not take a side on the issue. Asked where he stood on the ordinance at a Wednesday morning news conference, he said he wanted to 'continue to ensure that we are building a safe, affordable city.' 'This particular measure, quite frankly, I'll have to look into a little bit deeper,' Johnson said. 'But I know that there are a number of alders who mean well and are trying to show up for their particular pocket of the city.' Several aldermen noted the absence of staff from Johnson's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, adding that they wished someone could answer questions about how bans could affect tax revenue. Alds. Matt O'Shea, 19th, and Bill Conway, 34th, voted against the measure, with O'Shea noting taxes on the rentals sent around $4 million to fight domestic violence. 'Have we thought of how we are going to replace that?' O'Shea asked. 'It's been my experience working with Airbnb that when a problem is identified, it's addressed.' Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, used the city's current process requiring residents' signatures to ban short-term rentals from every precinct in his Southwest Side ward. The whole-ward ban took 12,000 signatures and seven years to complete, he said. The ward is '95% single family dwellings,' and short-term rentals 'would have an adverse impact on our quality of life,' Quinn said. Asked what he thinks of Airbnb's argument that the ban is similar to historic racist efforts to keep Black and Latino people out of certain neighborhoods, Quinn called it a 'desperate statement from a company who got exactly what they wanted' when the original ordinance passed. 'I'm not saying that Airbnb isn't good in some parts of the city,' he said. 'It's just not good in the Bungalow Belt, and I have 12,000 signatures that would suggest that.' Aldermen also Wednesday advanced a measure to crack down on illegal pedicabs with potential impoundments.
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Alderman seeks power to ban short-term rentals from Chicago precincts
If a Far Northwest Side alderman gets his way, Chicago City Council members could gain the authority to block short-term rentals like Airbnb's from popping up in their wards. Ald. Anthony Napolitano, 41st, is pushing forward legislation that would give aldermen the ability to unilaterally ban new rentals on a precinct-by-precinct level. The rental companies could overturn the bans by collecting signatures from 10% of the precinct voters, around 150 to 200 signatures, he said. Napolitano, whose ward includes Edison Park and surrounding areas near O'Hare International Airport, argued the amendment he seeks is about 'being able to advocate for your residents when it becomes a problem,' citing party complaints in particular. 'Because it doesn't exist right now,' he said. 'We can't advocate for them at all.' The City Council's License and Consumer Protection Committee is set to consider the legislation Wednesday. If it advances, it could face a full City Council vote next week. Airbnb criticized the proposed ban, arguing in a statement it threatens to destabilize short-term rental tax revenue earmarked to fight homelessness and aid domestic violence survivors. 'The proposed ordinance amendment is an unnecessary violation of Chicagoans' constitutional property rights and echoes the city's dark history of 'Restricted Residential Zones,' which once controlled who could visit, travel through, and own homes in certain neighborhoods,' Airbnb Public Policy Manager Jonathan Bucker said in the statement. There has been a 78% decrease in the rate of party reports made to Airbnb in Chicago since 2020, according to the company. Airbnb pointed to efforts to curb parties, among them reservation screenings and support lines. It also touted the $191 million Chicago hosts earned last year, as well as the tourist spending in neighborhoods the company says the stays generate. The city's current short-term rental ordinance allows for precinct-level bans only after 25% of the precincts registered voters have signed a petition requesting the ban. Some aldermen, like Southwest Side Ald. Marty Quinn, 13th, have pushed forward with signature-collection efforts that have blocked Airbnb in large swaths of their wards. Napolitano said his measure 'flips the script' to place the onus on companies instead of residents. He likened the powers his ordinance would grant aldermen to the one they already have over new liquor licenses going into neighborhood businesses: 'Open it up, drop some in and close it again.' He said he would 'look at' a ban in problem areas immediately if the amendment passes, but would leave other spots untouched. Even after aldermen voted last month to require short-term rental companies to share more data with them, Napolitano said the added transparency is not enough because he does not have the power to fix issues 'in real time' when parties happen in his ward's single-family homes. 'It isn't fixed by Friday or Saturday, but they're gone by Sunday, and then the neighbors are left to deal with the problem, and then it pops back up two, three weeks later,' he said. Pre-existing short-term rental units would be allowed to continue operating if rentals were banned in a precinct, Napolitano said. He shared concerns that the rentals drive up housing costs or harm tax revenue brought in by hotels, but added that his goal is 'not to hurt Airbnb.' 'We can't go into this and destroy an industry,' he said. 'It does work in a lot of areas, it does work well, it does help some residents to keep a home because it brings a substitute income.' The one-bed, one-bath Airbnb that Jackeline Torres and her husband rent out from their Norwood Park home would be grandfathered in if Napolitano, Torres' alderman, banned rentals in her area. Still, the City Council effort to control where Airbnb's can go bothers Torres. The paralegal rents out the separate upstairs space to help pay for rising property taxes, she said. Short-term rental bans would be 'intrusive to my privacy' and rights, she argued. 'An alderman shouldn't restrict who I allow into my home and my freedom of allowing people to stay in my home,' Torres said. 'One person shouldn't determine that.' Her unit is rented out over half the year, she said. It's been available for three years. Most of the guests she welcomes are traveling professionals or tourists visiting nearby family. Safety is top of mind for the mother of three young children, and it has never been an issue while renting, she said. 'We always had a positive experience with the people who were staying here,' she said. 'It supplemented our already existing income and gave us a little extra cushion to make sure we were in a better financial position.' Three different guests have even decided to look for homes in the area after their stays, she added. But while Torres said her Airbnb rental has helped keep her in her home, Ald. Jessie Fuentes worries rentals might push her residents out of theirs. Parts of Fuentes' Northwest Side ward include some of the city's fastest-gentrifying neighborhoods, she said. And in pockets of her 26th Ward like East Humboldt Park, where many of the ward's short-term rentals are concentrated, Chicagoans are making the difficult decision to stay and face higher costs or leave, she said. 'When you begin to short up the amount of units in our communities because we're putting so many of them online for Airbnb, it sort of begins to also inflate those prices,' she said. Fuentes added that she gets 'a lot of concerns' from residents about rental parties that are 'disruptive to the natural ecosystem.' 'I am not anti-Airbnb,' she said. 'I just think there needs to be some form of regulation.'
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fire Country fans left outraged as TWO fan-favorite characters are 'killed off' in season finale
Fire Country shocked viewers on Friday night during the two-part season three finale. The latest episode of the CBS drama saw three of its seven main cast members on the brink of being killed off, igniting fury from upset fans who took to the internet to air their grievances. It was previously teased that Jordan Calloway's character Captain Jake Crawford could exit the show, but it will be Stephanie Arcila's Gabriela Perez and Billy Burke's Vince Leone who don't make it to season four. The information comes from Deadline, who spoke with sources as well as interviewed co-creators and executive producers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan, and executive producer/showrunner Tia Napolitano. Rater explained of the character cuts: 'It really just comes down to what's the best creatively.' Napolitano chimed in, 'That's a reality — there's danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes.' One person wrote on the social media platform X, 'Killing Vince and legit losing the anchoring couple of the show is f***ing crazy bruh' It was added by the showrunner that Fire Country is 'leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing. People die, they leave.' One person wrote on the social media platform X, 'Killing Vince and legit losing the anchoring couple of the show is f***ing crazy bruh.' Another disappointed fan said, 'So I guess I'm no longer watching my favorite show. Forcing two of the best cast members to leave because they wanted to "shake things up" and "be creative."' The person wrote the word 'money' in parenthesis and added, 'What a waste of an absolute hit show.' Referencing a similar television series, ABC's 9-1-1, one social media user joked, 'Damn, if I had a nickel for every time a firefighter show killed a main character and blamed it on creativity and not the real reason (money) I'd have two nickels.' Someone else stated plainly, '"What's best creatively." They sound stupid.' Referencing a similar television series, ABC's 9-1-1, one social media user joked, 'Damn, if I had a nickel for every time a firefighter show killed a main character and blamed it on creativity and not the real reason (money) I'd have two nickels' Amid the season three finale cliffhanger, the series' executive producers confirmed actress Stephanie's exit, but not Billy's. They noted that they intent to have her return as guest star in future seasons. 'We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on,' Phelan said. 'We're hoping that that we can bring that character back, because we think that they have such great chemistry, and the audience is really invested in the two of them,' he added. Echoing the sentiment, Napolitano shared, 'We hope to see her back very soon to give her a proper, not goodbye, but see you later. 'In the epic love story of Bode and Gabriela, sometimes it's very useful for a longing, to miss her, to miss them, to really crave seeing them on screen together, whatever they mean to each other.' 'Season 1 is the only good season this show has,' an upset viewer wrote online Burke is understood to be among multiple series regulars who were asked to reduce their episodes for next season earlier this year. According to Deadline, all the actors declined, subsequently resulting in the official departures. Rater denied that it had anything to do with the cast members' exits, telling the publication, 'No, it's really coming out of us wanting to be exciting storytellers. One angry fan lashed out at the statement, complaining that the show has gone downhill. 'Season 1 is the only good season this show has,' the person wrote on X, adding, 'But now the writers want to be "exciting storytellers" by sending two very popular characters packing?? Sure..'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Chicago dubbed America's murder capital as Democrat leaders 'demonize' police, splurge on migrants: alderman
A Chicago alderman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that city officials still want to divert funding away from the police department, even though the city was once again the nation's homicide capital in 2024. "I said this for the last two mayors too," said 41st Ward Alderman Anthony Napolitano. "It's not even so much so that these last two administrations are turning a blind eye. They're ignoring the crime rate because their objective … is to demonize the police department, make it seem like there's not there's not as much of a crime issue as there is, because their goal is to steal the police budget." In 2024, Chicago had 573 homicides, leading the nation in that category for the 13th year in a row. The homicide rate per 100,000 residents in the city was five times higher than New York City's 377, and three times higher than Los Angeles' 280, according to an analysis by Wirepoints. Chicago O'hare Airport Shooting Leaves 1 Injured After Fight Erupts Inside Terminal "They want to take that police budget because it's an extremely high budget and allocated to other resources or projects that they want to accomplish in their tenure in office," said Napolitano. "It's destroying our city. It's evident what's going on." One of those projects, INVEST South/West, was an "epic fail," according to Napolitano. Read On The Fox News App According to the city, $250 million in taxpayer funds were allocated for that project, which began in 2019, in an attempt to revitalize southwest Chicago in the hopes of luring businesses to the area. "INVEST South/West is one of the biggest epic fails that they've had," Napolitano said. "Instead of investing in just one neighborhood, in one area, why don't we make the entire city safe by investing in our police force and the safety of our city, so that investors on a larger scale want to come to all of Chicago, not just specific neighborhoods? They refuse to do that." Napolitano also noted that the city's leadership has used immense resources to support illegal migrants for political purposes, thinking they would get more aid from the federal government if former Vice President Kamala Harris had won the November election. Chicago City Council Approves $70M For Migrant Care Despite Voter Backlash "The federal government didn't give us anything when [Democrats] were in office," he said. "Now when the administration changed, we're getting absolutely nothing at all because we're remaining a sanctuary city, which I was adamantly against in my 10 years in office. So this is just one failure after the next." He also said that his constituents are furious because in his ward, there is not a lot of violent criminal activity, meaning that police resources are directed away from the district to deal with violent crime elsewhere. That means when a burglary or other minor crime takes place in the 41st Ward, residents have a more difficult time getting the help they need. "So it's an evolution of just pure bull---- by these people," he said. "The last two administrations are the worst this city has ever seen." Fox News Digital reached out to Mayor Brandon Johnson's article source: Chicago dubbed America's murder capital as Democrat leaders 'demonize' police, splurge on migrants: alderman
