Chicago City Council Democratic Socialist Caucus

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 five members, out of the 50 aldermen that comprise the Council. Members of the caucus identify as democratic socialists.[2][3][5]

Democratic Socialist Caucus
ChairCarlos Ramirez-Rosa
Founded2021 (2021)
IdeologyDemocratic socialism
Political positionLeft-wing
Seats in Chicago City Council
5 / 50

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.[3] 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.[1]

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.[6] 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.[7]

On May 1, 2021, five members of the group formally organized as the Democratic Socialist Caucus, with Ramirez-Rosa serving as the chair.[4][5][8]

Membership

The following table lists current aldermen who are affiliated with the caucus since its formal organization in 2021.[4] 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.[3][4][8]

Member Party[lower-alpha 1] Ward Main Community areas Joined First elected
Daniel La Spata Democratic [9] 1 West Town, Logan Square 2021 2019
Jeanette Taylor Democratic [10] 20 New City, Woodlawn, Englewood 2021 2019
Byron Sigcho-Lopez Democratic 25 Lower West Side, Near West Side 2021 2019
Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez Independent [11] 33 Irving Park, Avondale, Albany Park 2021 2019
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa Democratic[12] 35 Logan Square, Avondale, Hermosa 2021 2015

See also

Notes
  1. Aldermanic elections are officially nonpartisan; party affiliations are informational only.

References
  1. Blumberg, Nick (2019-07-03). "City Council Caucus Chairs on Chicago's Future". WTTW News. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  2. Bloom, Will (2019-04-03). "A Socialist Wave in Chicago". jacobinmag.com. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  3. Sato, Mia (2019-07-02). "What The Gov: What Does It Mean To Have Six Democratic Socialists on the Chicago City Council?". Better Government Association. Retrieved 2019-07-25.
  4. Kapos, Shia (2021-05-03). "BUSTOS' EXIT AND THE REMAP — DUCKWORTH'S DUCKS IN A ROW — SCHOOL BOARD HEAD-TURNER". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  5. "Democratic Socialists ratify 5-member City Council caucus to make policy work 'that much more effective'". The Daily Line. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
  6. 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". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  7. La Spata, Daniel; Taylor, Jeannette; Sigcho Lopez, Byron; Rodriguez Sanchez, Rossana; Ramirez Rosa, Carlos; Vasquez, Andre (2020-06-08). "Cutting funding for police could lead to a better and safer Chicago". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  8. 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". Twitter. Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  9. LaSpata, Daniel (December 10, 2018). "2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. p. 3. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  10. Taylor, Jeanette (December 10, 2018). "2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. p. 3. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  11. Rodriguez, Rossana (December 10, 2018). "2019 IVI-IPO Chicago Aldermanic Questionnaire" (PDF) (Interview). Interviewed by Independent Voters of Illinois-Independent Precinct Organization. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  12. Sandvoss, Steven S., ed. (September 18, 2019). "State of Illinois Central Committees" (PDF). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Board of Elections. pp. 75–78. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
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