Ald. Brian Hopkins (2), chair of the Committee on Public Safety, is pictured at a City Council meeting on April 17, 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Public Safety will hold two subject matter hearings Tuesday and take up a measure to crack down on drug dealing near schools, parks and playgrounds.

The public safety committee is set to convene for a hearing at 10 a.m. and will reconvene a meeting recessed last week at 11:30 a.m. to take up outstanding business.

Ald. Debra Silverstein (50), chair of the Committee on License and Consumer Protection, is pictured at a City Council meeting in October 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on License and Consumer Protection on Tuesday will take up measures to amend the number of liquor licenses allowed along Chicago’s lakefront and to renew a location-based ban on short-term rental housing.

The committee will meet at 12:30 p.m. in Room 201A at City Hall.

From top left, Jennifer Custer, Jessica Biggs, Victor Henderson, Hilario Dominguez and Sendhil Revuluri are running for CPS Board President. [Campaign photos]

Of the five candidates competing in the first at-large Chicago school board election, two are current members of the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Board of Education, one is a former board member, one sits on the board of a local charter network and the fifth holds a key political role with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

Ald. Bennett Lawson (44) questions members of DOB and CFD during a zoning committee hearing on single-stair apartment reforms on June 4, 2026. [Livestream]

Citing fire safety concerns, representatives from the city’s Department of Buildings (DOB) and Chicago Fire Department (CFD) on Thursday threw cold water on a proposal from a North Side alderman to allow some mid-size residential buildings to have just one exit stairway, creating an uphill battle for housing advocates that support it. 

Proponents plan to continue to negotiate, as they believe the ordinance will help increase the city’s housing stock, make it easier and cheaper to build, drive down rents and incentivize larger, family-sized dwellings.

Ald. Matt Martin (47), sponsor of the single-stair reform ordinance, is pictured at a City Council meeting on April 15, 2026. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

The City Council Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards on Thursday will hold a public hearing on a proposal from a North Side alderperson to allow some mid-size residential buildings the flexibility to only install one set of exit stairs, a policy that could make it cheaper to build housing.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza stars in her first 2027 Chicago mayor's race ad. [Campaign video]

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza announced she is running for Chicago mayor next year, marking the second time she will seek the city’s highest office. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson is pictured at a City Hall press conference on April 1, 2025. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line] 

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration is proposing a sweeping update of the city’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance (RLTO), which would mark the first major modernization of the rental code since it was established four decades ago.

Mayor Brandon Johnson presides over a City Council meeting on Oct. 30, 2024. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city Department of Housing on Monday unveiled a new program to help some prospective homeowners with down payments and closing costs. The grant program is the latest to be funded through Johnson’s $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development bond package.