"I’m proud that during my time as 35th Ward alderman, we have moved our ward and our city in a more progressive direction, and – so importantly – we’ve sought to tackle our shared challenges by building coalitions, bringing people together, and providing resources to families in need." —Carlos

• Housing
• Pandemic Response
• Neighborhood Schools
• Public Safety
• Economic Development
• Infrastructure

KEEPING FAMILIES IN THEIR HOMES

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has worked to keep families in their homes and ensure our 35th Ward neighborhoods are affordable, integrated, and diverse. 

• Since 2019, Carlos has hosted seven property tax appeal workshops to help hundreds of ward homeowners lower their property taxes. 
• Carlos successfully advocated for rental assistance to help struggling tenants at the height of the pandemic. Carlos’ ward office directly assisted over 600 families with their rent assistance applications in 2020. 
• In November 2020, Carlos voted against the proposal to raise property taxes annually for the next 36 years.
• In December 2020, Carlos supported and worked to pass the Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance to make it easier for homeowners to build new basement, coach house, and attic apartments.
• Carlos led the charge to preserve our community’s historic two- to four-flat apartment buildings – our city’s most significant source of naturally occurring affordable housing.  In 2021, Carlos passed anti-deconversion and anti-demolition ordinances for portions of Logan Square.
• On May 20, 2022, Carlos cut the ribbon on the all-affordable Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments after leading the successful effort to build the new 100-unit housing development next to the Logan Square Blue Line stop. 
• Carlos has worked with city agencies, and community organizations to help conduct outreach and assist our unhoused residents in signing up for the city's coordinated entry system - the first step to get housing. Through consistent outreach alongside our community partners, Carlos has helped house our homeless neighbors. 

PANDEMIC RESPONSE: HELPING FAMILIES IN NEED

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa worked to provide resources and support to ward residents in need. 

• Since March 2020, Carlos and the 35th Ward Office have distributed 20,000 KN95 masks, over 10,000 reusable cloth masks, and over 20,000 disposable masks to ward residents.
• Carlos partnered with healthcare providers to host three COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the ward. 
• Through direct outreach to ward seniors, the 35th Ward Office booked over 100 vaccine appointments for seniors at neighborhood clinics.
• The 35th Ward Office developed a comprehensive pandemic resource guide and helped connect residents in need to food, healthcare, and additional resources through supporting and partnering with mutual aid networks, publishing and distributing door-to-door the 35th Ward Recovery For All Newsletter, and hosting Recover For All webinars with community representatives and health experts.
• Carlos called for direct cash assistance and recovery programs to benefit our city's most vulnerable. In 2021, Carlos worked to ensure the Chicago Recovery Plan included historic investments our community has long fought for, including $274 million for housing and homelessness and $222 million for families and youth.
• Carlos and the 35th Ward Office have assisted hundreds of residents in applying for housing and rental assistance grants.

INVESTING IN OUR YOUTH

Education is critically important. Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa believes all children deserve a world-class education regardless of their background. That's why he’s worked to support our children and our neighborhood public schools. 

• After a devastating fire destroyed one of the few playgrounds in Hermosa, Carlos allocated $143,000 in funds and secured a matching donation from Allstate Insurance Company to repair and enhance the Nixon Elementary playground. The playground has now been rebuilt, and additional improvements are slated for later on this year, including a basketball court, a running track, and a new fence.
• Carlos awarded $75,000 to Henry Elementary in Irving Park to repair the new playground.
• Carlos joined with parents and community members to successfully advocate for millions in needed repairs at Haugan Elementary and funded a $280,000 fence repair for the school through Aldermanic Menu Funds.
• In 2016, Carlos initiated the push to ensure Logan Square's Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF dollars went to public schools, not connected developers. This year, our community accomplished that goal. With Carlos’ full support, the Chicago City Council allocated $10.1 million from the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF to fund needed repairs at Darwin Elementary in Logan Square.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY SAFETY

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa believes no 35th Ward resident should fear calling 9-1-1 and no 35th Ward resident should fear walking in their neighborhood. All of us deserve to live in safe, well-resourced communities. That is why Carlos has worked with city agencies, neighbors, and all stakeholders to build relationships and deliver the resources that make for safer and stronger communities. 

• Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, Carlos and the 35th Ward Office have hosted "Walk Your Block" throughout the ward, allowing neighbors to come together with local police and city departments to tackle public safety concerns.
• Carlos installed public safety cameras at hotspots throughout the ward.
• Working with the 33rd Ward Office, the City of Chicago Law Department, and the 17th Police District, Carlos initiated a Strategic Task Force to investigate problem buildings on Chicago’s northwest side.
• Carlos led the successful effort to pass the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, establishing the most democratic police accountability system in the nation and ensuring Chicagoans have a real say over policing in their communities.
• Carlos worked to ensure no Chicagoan would fear calling 9-1-1 in an emergency, amending the city’s Welcoming City Ordinance to ensure local police could not work with ICE to separate and deport families.
• Carlos worked to welcome and support the Avondale Restorative Justice Court (RJCC) at St. Hyacinth Basilica. The RJCC resolves conflict through restorative conferences and peace circles involving non-violent defendants, victims, family members, friends, and community members. The Avondale Restorative Justice Court was the second RJCC in Cook County.
• Carlos fought for and won historic investments in programs proven to reduce crime, including $85 million for violence prevention, $65 million for youth programs, and a 72.5% increase in staffing at the City of Chicago’s public mental health clinics.

SUPPORTING NEIGHBORHOOD SMALL BUSINESSES

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is working to support neighborhood small businesses. Alongside local leaders and community organizations, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has succeeded in supporting existing small businesses and spurring new investment in our commercial corridors. 

• Carlos and the 35th Ward Office have helped neighborhood small businesses identify and apply for grants and recovery programs. 
• In 2020, Carlos rezoned parcels along Milwaukee Avenue in Avondale to preserve the corridor’s main street feel and attract immediate investment. Block Club Chicago reported that following the implementation of the 35th Ward’s zoning and land use policy, "...the stretch is starting to see a resurgence with several businesses and developments in the works.”
• Carlos worked to secure $87 million for small businesses in the 2022 City of Chicago budget.

INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa is working to ensure our ward leads on pedestrian and traffic safety improvements and that our ward’s limited infrastructure dollars are distributed fairly and equitably. 

• The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) is slated to begin construction on Milwaukee Avenue (Belmont to Logan) and the Logan Square traffic circle redesign in spring 2023. Carlos worked to ensure the public and community stakeholders provided input on CDOT’s final design. The final design includes traffic and pedestrian improvements such as dashed bike lanes, raised crossings, curb extensions, new lighting, a new community plaza called La Placita, and reconfiguring the roadway around the Logan Square monument by closing off Kedzie to increase green space and pedestrian and traffic safety. 
• Carlos worked with CDOT to secure resurfacing of the following arterial streets: Diversey (from California to Central Park), Irving Park (from Kolmar to California), Kedzie (from Diversey to Addison), and Belmont (from Kimball to Western). The Kedzie and Belmont resurfacing projects will include protected bike lanes. 
• Carlos allocated $70,000 in funding to preserve and replace the existing mural at Fireman’s Park to honor the memory of the fallen firefighters who gave their lives to save others.
• In the 35th Ward, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa empowers residents to decide how to spend $1 million in improving their neighborhood – fixing specific curbs, resurfacing certain streets, or installing bike lanes – through participatory budgeting (PB). PB ensures our ward’s limited ward infrastructure improvement dollars are allocated through an inclusive and transparent process. 

In 2023, Carlos will continue our ward’s model of good governance that is delivering important victories for our neighborhoods and our families.