Ten Years of People Power and Progress

This year, 2025, marks ten years since our community overwhelmingly elected our progressive movement and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa to lead Chicago's Thirty-Fifth Ward on February 24, 2015. Logan Square-based cartoonist Connie Hernandez illustrated the image below to commemorate ten years of people power and progress in our communities. The illustration represents some of the most significant victories delivered by our movement during Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa's tenure and our movement's tenure of progressive good governance.

Here's what is pictured in the above illustration (click to learn more):

  1. Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments
  2. Oso Apartments
  3. Independence Library and Apartments
  4. The Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance
  5. Participatory Democracy
  6. Immigrants' Rights
  7. Gender Justice
  8. Workers' Rights
  9. No Cop Academy Campaign
  10. Solidarity with Palestine
  11. Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Square Redesign
  12. Historic Preservation
  13. Supporting Our Public Schools
  14. United Neighbors of the 35th Ward

1. Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments

The Lucy Gonzalez Parsons Apartments is a 100-unit housing development that is affordable for working-class families earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income. Non-profit affordable housing developer Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation built this affordable housing development just steps from the Logan Square Blue Line stop on city-owned land, replacing a public parking lot with sorely needed affordable housing. Our progressive movement and Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa had to fight to make this affordable housing development a reality. It took community pressure and a strong inside-outside strategy, which involved petitions, rallies, and public meetings, to overcome opposition from Mayor Rahm Emanuel and influential for-profit developers in order to replace a parking lot next to a transit stop with dignified, affordable homes. 

The image depicts the building and includes an illustration of Lucy Gonzalez Parsons, the revolutionary patroness of Chicago's 35th Ward. Lucy was a founder of the International Workers of the World (I.W.W.) union and, alongside her husband, Albert Parsons, led the first May Day march for worker's rights down Michigan Avenue in 1886. Lucy's legacy is deeply ingrained in the history of Chicago and the 35th Ward, and her legacy continues to inspire our movement today. Lucy died in a fire at her home at 3130 N. Troy on March 7, 1942, just a half-mile from the building that today bears her name.

2. Oso Apartments

Oso Apartments is a 48-unit housing development on Montrose Avenue near Kimball in Albany Park. Oso Apartments was the first affordable housing development built during Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa's tenure and was accomplished through the 35th Ward's Community-Driven Zoning and Development process.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Independence Library and Apartments

Independence Library and Apartments is a mixed-use development in Irving Park consisting of the Chicago Public Library's Independence Branch and 44 units of affordable housing for seniors. After a fire destroyed the leased storefront location of the Independence Branch in October 2015, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa worked in coalition to find a new permanent location for the branch, co-located with affordable housing.

 

 

 

 

4. The Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance

Chicago's most significant source of "naturally occurring" affordable housing in neighborhoods such as Avondale, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, and West Town are two-flat, three-flat, and four-flat apartment buildings. However, our communities are losing our two- to four-flat apartment buildings to demolition and conversion to luxury single-family homes. The loss of this naturally occurring affordable housing leads to higher rents, higher property taxes, and under-enrolled schools. That's why Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa worked with Palenque LSNA and a broad coalition of Northwest Side alderpeople and community organizations to pass the Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance.

The Northwest Side Housing Preservation Ordinance promotes housing affordability, mitigates displacement, and protects the historic character and diversity of our neighborhoods by:

  1. Protecting two-flats, three-flats, and four-flats from demolition via a demolition surcharge. Developers wanting to demolish multi-family apartment buildings have to pay a surcharge of $20,000 per unit or $60,000 per building, whichever amount is higher. The dollars from this surcharge go to the Chicago Housing Trust and the Here To Stay Land Trust to build and preserve affordable housing in our communities.
  2. Protecting naturally occurring affordable middle housing by disallowing the conversion of two-flats, three-flats, and four-flats to luxury single-family homes on blocks where most buildings are multi-family apartment buildings.
  3. Providing tenants with the right of first refusal and first opportunity to purchase their building when it goes on sale. Similar provisions have allowed tenants to buy their homes across the United States.
  4. Legalizing the construction of new two-flats by right in zones currently only zoned for single-family homes.

This ordinance, adopted by the Chicago City Council in September 2024, is the culmination of years of advocacy work to protect naturally occurring affordable housing and address displacement in our neighborhoods.

The illustration depicts this accomplishment with three-flat apartment buildings that are typical to the 35th Ward and Chicago's northwest side. Flying from the buildings are a Puerto Rican flag (on the left) and a Mexican flag (on the right). These flags represent Alderman Ramirez-Rosa's Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage and two of the northwest side's Latine communities that have resisted displacement.

5. Participatory Democracy

Building a local government that is truly "of, by, and for the people" requires inclusive democratic processes and structures that promote neighborhood residents' active participation and collaboration in making critical community decisions.

Shortly after taking office, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa worked with neighbors and local organizations to build our community's capacity for self-governance by instituting Participatory Budgeting (P.B.) and Community-Driven Zoning and Development (C.D.Z.D.).

P.B. empowers 35th Ward residents, regardless of their immigration status, to have a say in how our Ward allocates $1 million annually in public infrastructure dollars. C.D.Z.D. ensures local zoning, land use, and development decisions are made in an inclusive and transparent manner that prioritizes our neighborhoods and working families.

"El pueblo manda" [the people govern] in our 35th Ward. Throughout his tenure, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has invited all ward residents to get involved, take the lead, and collectively determine the future of our neighborhoods.

6. Immigrants' Rights

Our community has been at the forefront of the movement to protect and integrate immigrants throughout Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa's tenure. Shortly after taking office, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa brought together immigrant leaders and advocacy organizations to form the Chicago Immigration Policy Working Group. The Working Group, alongside Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, successfully worked to remove the carveouts from Chicago's sanctuary city law, the Welcoming City Ordinance, to ensure Chicago police could not work with ICE in any case, with no exceptions. Following the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa founded the 35th Ward's Community Defense Committee, which worked to protect immigrant families from deportation by ensuring families were informed of their constitutional rights and had support throughout their deportation cases. This included Alderman Ramirez-Rosa successfully advocating for the creation of Chicago's Legal Defense Fund to ensure immigrant families facing deportation are afforded legal representation.

7. Gender Justice

Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and ward residents have worked to protect Chicago's trans and gender-diverse community over the past ten years. This includes fostering a safe and welcoming community in our 35th Ward, such as raising the Progress Pride flag in Logan Square and introducing and championing important legislation. In 2016, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and our community worked to pass Chicago's equal access bathroom ordinance to ensure trans-Chicagoans could use the bathroom consistent with their gender identity. In 2022, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa partnered with Alderwoman Rossana Rodriguez to pass Chicago's Bodily Autonomy Ordinance, which prohibits the Chicago Police Department and city agencies from assisting in the enforcement of out-of-state laws that seek to restrict reproductive or healthcare rights, especially the right to abortion or gender-affirming care. Most recently, at the February 19, 2025, meeting of the Chicago City Council, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa worked with advocates to pass the Transfemicide Working Group Ordinance, which requires the Chicago Commission on Human Relations and the Chicago Police Department to work with community stakeholders to review and recommend city policies related to hate crimes, particularly those impacting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) transgender and gender-diverse communities.

8. Workers' Rights

Since taking office, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has labored to advance workers' rights and economic justice. During his first term, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa sponsored legislation to raise Chicago's minimum wage to $15 and tie it to inflation. As part of his work to raise Chicago's minimum wage, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa was arrested at a Fight for $15 action outside of McDonald's HQ in Chicago in October 2018.

In November 2018, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa worked with Aldermen Ameya Pawar and John Arena to enact legislation creating the Chicago Office of Labor Standards (OLS). OLS protects Chicagoans by enforcing our city's labor laws, primarily our minimum wage and paid leave laws. The creation of OLS was an essential step in safeguarding Chicago's most vulnerable workers, and Alderman Ramirez-Rosa partnered with Arise Chicago and Raise the Floor Alliance to advance this critical legislation.

In 2023, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and our progressive movement were instrumental in passing two pro-worker ordinances: Paid Leave and One Fair Wage. Paid Leave ensures that employees across Chicago can take time off to care for themselves or their loved ones without fear of losing income. By prioritizing workers' well-being, the ordinance fosters a healthier, more equitable workplace culture. It provides much-needed support for individuals juggling the demands of work and personal life. Through the passage of One Fair Wage, restaurant workers in Chicago saw a meaningful boost to their paychecks. This policy marked a significant step toward pay equity by raising the minimum wage for tipped workers from $9.48 to $11.02 per hour, benefiting nearly 44,000 individuals employed in the restaurant industry. By increasing the base wage, the ordinance aims to reduce wage disparities, improve economic stability for workers, and ensure that tipped employees are less reliant on unpredictable gratuities to make ends meet. 

In addition to passing important workers' rights and economic justice legislation, our ward has been at the forefront of supporting striking workers and workplace organizing campaigns over the past ten years. This is why the illustration includes people marching down Milwaukee Avenue with banners that say "Worker Solidarity," "OFW" for One Fair Wage," "CTU" for Chicago Teachers Union, and "SEIU" for Service Employees International Union.

9. Empowering Communities for Public Safety Ordinance

 

In July 2016, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) introduced the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) ordinance to establish a new democratic system of civilian oversight of the police. CPAC would have created a democratically elected citywide civilian commission to hire and fire the police superintendent, set police policy, and address police misconduct. In late 2020 and early 2021, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and CAARPR worked with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA) to create the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance. ECPS married GAPA's proposal and CAARPR's CPAC proposal. Adopted by the Chicago City Council in July 2021, ECPS significantly advanced civilian oversight of the police by creating a system of three civilians elected to represent each of Chicago's 22 police districts. These police district councillors help select a citywide commission empowered to hire and fire the head of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), set CPD police, and play a role in selecting the police superintendent. Following passage of ECPS, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and the 35th Ward worked to elect a progressive and pro-accountability majority to the district councils. The citywide commission succeeded in deleting the city's flawed and racist "gang database." ECPS is paving the way for community control of the police.

10. No Cop Academy Campaign

No Cop Academy was a grassroots movement that opposed the construction of a new $95 million police academy in Chicago, instead advocating that those funds be directed towards schools, mental health, and community services. The campaign was organized by Chicagoans, particularly Black youth on the West Side. As 35th Ward Alderman, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa was a strong ally of the movement and cast the sole "no" vote against the new police academy. In response to his support for the No Cop Academy campaign, Ramirez-Rosa was expelled from the Chicago City Council Latino Caucus, a move that sparked public outrage. Following a wave of public outcry and pressure, he was readmitted to the caucus days later. While the No Cop Academy campaign was not successful in diverting the $95 million in public funds to community needs, the campaign paved the way for increased community organizing and activism for police reform and for investment in programs proven to reduce violence and crime in our communities. Two years after the No Cop Academy campaign, ten thousand people would march down Milwaukee Avenue to protest the police shooting of 13-year-old Adam Toledo. The 35th Ward Office and Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa supported the peaceful march. The illustration depicts handcuffs being broken by roses, symbols that have been used by the No Cop Academy and subsequent campaigns to dismantle carceral systems. The drawing also depicts people marching down Milwaukee Avenue, as has happened many times over the past ten years, including on April 16, 2021, for Adam Toledo and victims of police violence.

11. Solidarity with Palestine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12. Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Square Redesign

The Milwaukee Avenue and Logan Square redesign project – previously known as the Logan Square Bicentennial Improvement project – is a $27 million-plus investment in Milwaukee Avenue from Belmont Avenue to Logan Square Boulevard. Most notably, the redesign will rework the existing traffic circle at Logan Square and reroute Kedzie Avenue to increase traffic safety, increase outdoor community space in the square and surrounding area, and create a new public plaza at Kedzie, La Placita. This major infrastructure project will include improvements to pedestrian, bicycle, and bus stops, as well as new traffic signals, landscaping, and lighting to suit better the needs of our Logan Square and Avondale communities.

This project is the direct result of community advocacy and input. Logan Square Preservation began advocating for a square redesign in the 1980s. The early 2000s saw renewed interest in redesigning the square, and a decade ago, residents began advocating for the Bicentennial Improvement Project proposal. Today's project came to fruition after a years-long community input process and overwhelming support from area residents. In 2017, Alderperson Carlos Ramirez-Rosa worked with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to convene a Project Study Group of local stakeholders, including businesses, neighborhood organizations, and residents, to identify improvements along Milwaukee from Belmont to Logan Square Boulevard and discuss changes to Logan Square and Kedzie. Traffic engineers observed how pedestrians, vehicles, and cyclists interacted in the space, took measurements, and collected data. Public meetings were held in 2017 and 2018 to share preliminary findings and design ideas and to gather input on design and use from area residents. As part of this process, CDOT and Alderperson Ramirez-Rosa held six meetings, including three stakeholder and three large public meetings. After incorporating extensive public feedback from these meetings, CDOT finalized designs that include more pedestrian safety measures, new public outdoor gathering spaces, and business amenities such as expanded space for sidewalk cafes.

13. Historic Preservation

 

Our ward's communities know that our diversity and our history are our strengths. That is why Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has worked closely with Logan Square Preservation to preserve our history and historic built environment. This includes his championing and passing the Vintage Sign Ordinance, the Milwaukee Avenue Special Character Overlay District, and the Adopt-A-Landmark Grant for the Minnekirken. 

In 2021, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa helped secure $250,000 in Adopt-A-Landmark funds to help restore Logan Square's beloved "Red Church", the Minnekirken, or the Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church. The church is a hub of community activity, having hosted many public meetings, including public forums and candidate debates. The church is also a reminder of Logan Square's history as a home to Nordic immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These funds helped make much-needed facade repairs, helping to secure the church for generations to come. The illustration depicts the church that is visible from Logan Square proper.

In 2023, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa sponsored and passed Chicago's Vintage Sign Ordinance, which creates a pathway for preserving vintage signs with architectural or historic quality, like the Grace Furniture sign on Milwaukee Avenue. The ordinance provides small businesses with more options for murals and artwork on their storefronts. The illustration depicts the historic Grace's Furniture sign that hangs over Milwaukee Avenue, which, thanks to the Vintage Sign Ordinance, will be able to be preserved as part of a future redevelopment of this site.

In 2024, the Chicago City Council enacted the Milwaukee Avenue Special Character Overlay District, sponsored by Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa. A Special Character Overlay District (SCOD) is a zoning tool that protects a neighborhood's character and considers the relationship between place and architecture, including the area's demographics, culture, and environment. The Milwaukee Avenue SCOD includes design guidelines to help ensure that future Milwaukee Avenue construction projects are compatible with the neighborhood's character. The SCOD design guidelines will ensure that all development in the corridor – whether the rehabilitation of existing buildings or the construction of new buildings – will be of a high design standard and contribute to a vibrant, walkable, and pedestrian-oriented commercial corridor on Milwaukee Avenue. The Milwaukee Avenue SCOD is the result of years of community advocacy and input to promote the rehabilitation of Milwaukee Avenue's historic buildings and preserve the corridor's neighborhood main street character.

14. Supporting Our Public Schools

Throughout his tenure, Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa has championed increased public funding for our neighborhood public schools. Over the past ten years, Carlos has delivered and overseen funding for outdoor recreational enhancements at 35th Ward schools, including Henry Elementary, Haugan Elementary, and Goethe Elementary, improving local students' access to quality play spaces.

Alderman Ramirez-Rosa led the reconstruction of Nixon Elementary's playground in Hermosa following a devastating fire, securing both public and private funding, including a partnership with Allstate Insurance, to add new amenities such as a basketball court and running track.

During his first term, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa introduced the TIF Surplus Ordinance. If enacted, this ordinance would have ensured that public TIF dollars went to our public schools, not corporate welfare. While the ordinance did not pass, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa and our progressive movement continued to advocate for the use of TIF dollars to help fund our public schools, and in 2024, Chicago's budget delivered the highest TIF surplus in Chicago's history, delivering hundreds of millions of dollars for our Chicago Public Schools.

In 2022, Alderman Ramirez-Rosa, working with CPS leaders and the local principal, helped deliver $15 million in TIF funds for sorely needed repairs, including a new roof, windows, and plumbing at Logan Square's Darwin Elementary School.

The illustration depicts the newly rebuilt Nixon playground in Hermosa, which is positioned above a participatory budgeting (P.B.) ballot box. This reflects the fact that many of our schools have received funding through the democratic allocation of aldermanic infrastructure dollars. 

15. United Neighbors of the 35th Ward

In September 2014, our grassroots movement launched our campaign for 35th Ward Alderman. We did so with a commitment to people power and truly participatory and liberatory politics. As we knocked on thousands of our neighbors' doors in the cold late months of 2014 and early 2015, we committed to 35th Ward residents that regardless of the outcome of the aldermanic election, win or lose, we would continue to knock on doors and build our movement.

Following our movement's victory in the aldermanic race on February 24, 2015, we immediately got to work making good on our promise. By May 2015, we had launched United Neighbors of the 35th Ward (U.N.35). In Chicago's organizing tradition, U.N.35 is known as an "independent political organization," which is a membership-based hybrid organization—hybrid in the sense that its members engage in electoral and grassroots community organizing and independent in the sense that the organization is beholden solely to its members and the community, not the old school Chicago Democratic machine or powerful moneyed interests.

Since its founding in May 2015, U.N.35 and its members have played a pivotal role in reshaping the politics of the city and delivering significant progressive policy wins. From helping to elect squad member Delia Ramirez to Congress and Anthony Quezada to the Cook County Board, to helping pass the nation's most democratic and progressive system of civilian oversight of police – the Empowering Communities for Public Safety (ECPS) ordinance, to ensuring Chicago is a true immigrant sanctuary where local police cannot work with ICE in any case–no exceptions, to building affordable housing developments in the ward's neighborhoods, United Neighbors of the 35th Was has been at the forefront of progressive change in Chicago, and ultimately the nation. U.N.35 has played a pivotal role in so many of the victories in the illustration. By building a base in the community, U.N.35 will continue to play a significant role in ensuring a more responsive government and delivering positive community change for years to come.

 

 

This is a political website, for city services visit www.aldermancarlosrosa.org.

 

Paid for by Carlos for Chicago. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is (or will be) available on the Board’s official website (www.elections.il.gov) or for purchase from the State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois.

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