Chicago Department of Housing Comm. Lissette Castañeda [Courtesy of Mayor's Press Office]

Mayor Brandon Johnson made numerous appointments to administrative leadership roles last month, including to the city’s housing department.

The appointment of a new housing commissioner comes as the mayor’s office launches a new initiative aimed at reducing the red tape that can slow new developments and as the city may have new revenue available soon to fight homelessness if voters approve an increase to the real estate transfer tax for high-end properties.

The city inspector’s office became the first to be released from a federal court monitor, and the Cook County zoning board will hold its first meeting of the year Wednesday.

Chicago's skyline is pictured in this file photo.

The city and its partner organizations released the findings of a heat disparity study last month, and the results helped visualize how different communities across Chicago experience heat because of their geographic surroundings and infrastructure. 

Chicago was one of 18 communities selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) back in April to participate in the agency’s annual urban heat island mapping program, a project to record and track heat disparities across geographic areas in municipalities. NOAA has run the project, which is funded through the NOAA Climate Program Office, since 2017. 

Related: Chicago heat study aims to provide policy solutions for disparities, dangers related to extreme temperatures 

Onni Fulton Market is pictured in this post from the company's Instagram. [@onnifultonmarket on Instagram]

The Chicago Plan Commission held its final meeting of the year Thursday and approved a proposed amendment to a Fulton Market planned development and heard a presentation on the next phase of a previously approved planned development in Garfield Ridge.

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends a ribbon-cutting for the new Maria Elena Sifuentes Apartments in Albany Park on Dec. 20, 2023. [Chicago Department of Housing]

The city marked the completion of a new affordable housing complex in Albany Park on Wednesday — the Maria Elena Sifuentes Apartments, located at 3559 W. Lawrence Ave. The complex is a six-story, mixed-use development with most of the residential units designated as affordable housing.

The $26 million project received substantial assistance from the city after it was selected in the Department of Housing’s 2019 funding round.

The Cook County flag flies over the county government building in downtown Chicago. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The Cook County President’s Office on Thursday will release its second Policy Roadmap, an overarching strategic plan that will guide the legislative and administrative actions of the Offices Under the President for the next four years.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is pictured during a City Council meeting in September 2023. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The city government continued to defend its actions Tuesday regarding the death of a 5-year-old migrant boy following a medical emergency at a temporary shelter at 2241 S. Halsted St. in Pilsen Sunday.

Though other children and teens from the same shelter were reportedly hospitalized, according to the Chicago Fire Department, the city Tuesday denied the incidents were related to the boy’s death.

Concept art shows one of the planned mixed-use buildings that is part of the LeClaire Courts project. [Department of Planning and Development]

The Chicago Plan Commission will hold its final meeting of the year Thursday and take up a short agenda that includes a proposed amendment to a Fulton Market planned development and a presentation on the next phase of a previously approved planned development in Garfield Ridge.

The plan commission is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. in City Council chambers at City Hall, although the meeting will also be livestreamed here. 

Dr. Thaer Ahmad, top right, speaks to the Committee on Health and Human Relations on Dec. 18, 2023. [Livestream]

The City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations approved a resolution Monday that calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza War and is supportive of the recent United Nations General Assembly vote for a ceasefire in the region.

The city was not able to fully celebrate a milestone of moving thousands of migrants out of police district stations Monday, as just under two dozen new arrivals had been recorded as staying in stations. Meanwhile, the mayor and city’s Family and Support Services department announced the opening of the city’s latest center for individuals leaving prison.

Comm. Alma Anaya (D-7) attends an October 2023 meeting of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The same week the City Council approved a resolution calling for work authorization for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed its own parallel resolution calling for the same protections for undocumented people.

The county increased the amount of federal dollars it will use to assist small businesses as part of a grant program, and the city won an award for its use of bond transactions for the Chicago Recovery Plan.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and alderpeople supportive of the Welcoming City Ordinance hold a press conference Thursday. [Michael McDevitt/The Daily Line]

The City Council quashed a measure during a special meeting Thursday that would have asked voters if they’d want to amend Chicago's sanctuary city designation.

The resolution’s sponsor, Ald. Anthony Beale (9), took to the floor following the item’s defeat to chastise the alderpeople who voted against its consideration for silencing the ability of residents to weigh in on the issue.

Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26) is pictured during a City Council meeting on the budget in October. [Don Vincent/The Daily Line]

The City Council Committee on Health and Human Relations will meet Monday and consider a resolution calling on the federal government to address the misuse of a Puerto Rican tax incentive program. 

The health and human relations committee will meet at 1 p.m. in council chambers. 

Mayor Brandon Johnson unveiled a new plan to improve public safety through actions taken to invest in underserved neighborhoods and to provide outreach to people living in those areas who are at risk of becoming violence victims. Additionally, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved a new paid leave law that affects county employers.