The Best Progressive Platform Ideas of 2023
The Big Ones
These have become standard campaign planks for progressives this year and have broad support.
Treatment Not Trauma - Redirecting police funding to mental health crisis response
Bring Chicago Home - Increasing real estate transfer tax on transactions over $1,000,000 to create a dedicated fund for providing housing for those who don't have it (I have seen some good critique that a more graduated tax would create less market manipulation than the $1,000,000 cutoff alone, but the idea as a whole is good)
Just Cause Eviction - Creating requirements to demonstrate cause for eviction within clearly defined categories and to provide relocation assistance when tenant is not at fault
Reopen and fully fund the city’s Department of Environment
Additional Good Ideas
Ranked Choice Voting - Daniel LaSpata (1)
Incentivize and support the creation of worker-owned cooperative businesses - Kam Buckner, Oscar Sanchez (10), Vicko Alvarez (15)
Sustainable Community Schools - Integrating wraparound mental health and other supports into schools and transforming school discipline to a restorative approach - Brandon Johnson, Rossana Rodriguez (33), Angela Clay (46)
Implement the state's data-backed evidence-based funding formula for schools - Brandon Johnson, Kam Buckner
End the ShotSpotter contract - Brandon Johnson, Denali Dasgupta (39), Angela Clay (46)
Anjanette Young Ordinance - Banning no-knock police raids and creating additional requirements for raids to prevent harm and provide accountability and transparency - Brandon Johnson
Rideshare Living Wage and Safety Ordinance - Creating minimum pay requirements, caps on cuts rideshare companies can take, other regulations for safety and transparency - Brandon Johnson
Expansion of the Additional Dwelling Units (ADU) Ordinance city-wide. - Chuy García, Larry Svabek (48)
Cumulative Impact Ordinance addressing environmental harm - Oscar Sanchez (10), Denali Dasgupta (39), Angela Clay (46), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48)
Unique and Creative
"Create sanctioned race car meetups to ... to stop unsanctioned meetups" - Ambria Taylor (11) [this was a major issue in 11th Ward when I was there]
"Advocate for new policies and regulations that allow public oversight and repair of rail bridges and the viaducts underneath them" - Ambria Taylor (11)
A "Publicly-Financed Fair Elections Pilot, where candidates who opt in and agree to only accept smaller donations can have their donations matched seven times over, so that more people can run for office and create a healthier democracy" - Andre Vasquez (40)
"Creating our city's first Demolition Surcharge Citywide Ordinance, which will protect our Ward from gentrification by making property owners and developers pay a fee to demolish single homes, townhouses or two-flats" - Andre Vasquez (40)
"Lower property taxes by requiring buildings to share water usage data with the Cook County Assessor’s Office. Doing so will minimize vacancy tax fraud and reduce the property tax burden on homeowners" - Marianne Lalonde (46)
"A joint LSC meeting of all 46th Ward schools to take place twice per year. Best practice sharing between LSCs and parent investment in public education in general can elevate all of our schools." - Marianne Lalonde (46)
"Introduce an ordinance to eliminate the tipped minimum wage in Chicago, ensuring that all tipped employees receive the same hourly wage guaranteed to all Chicagoans, which will especially assist low-wage restaurant workers" - Nick Ward (48)
"Modernize our waste-management system by integrating city-wide composting" - Larry Svabek (48)
"Pass ordinance that guarantees paid family leave for biological, adoptive, and foster parents regardless of sex" - Larry Svabek (48)
"Convene a Youth Council to encourage participation from our neighbors who are ages 13-18. Over the course of the year, members of the council will work alongside staff to implement a ward-level project." - Larry Svabek (48)
"Give the Inspector General independent authority to publicly release full reports on investigations" - Isaac Freilich Jones (48)
Am I missing a good idea or a candidate's published support of one of these? Let me know in comments or chat! Generally I'm looking for specific policy proposals rather than broad expressions of support.
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