>>> MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON'S ADMINISTRATION RECENTLY RELEASED IS 223 PAGE TRANSITION REPORT.

THE WORK OF HIS 400 MEMBER TRANSITION COMMITTEE AS A BLUEPRINT TO MAKE CHICAGO A QUOTE MORE JUST AND VIBRANT CITY FOR ALL.

THE REPORT REFLECTS MUCH OF THE PROGRESSIVE AGENDA HE CAMPAIGNED ON.

HERE IS SOME OF WHAT MAYOR JOHNSON SAID IN THE REPORT'S RELEASE.

>> BLUEPRINT REPRESENTS A PLATFORM THAT I READ ON, BUT IT IS ALSO A REPRESENTATION OF HOW WE WILL GOVERN.

IT REPRESENTS DEMOCRACY, WHERE EVERYONE LITERALLY HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE NO MATTER YOUR COMMUNITY, HOW RICH OR HOW POOR YOU ARE.

>> JOINING US NOW, PART OF THE MEMBERS OF THE TRANSITION TEAM, WITH THE ILLINOIS LATINO AGENDA TO .0, AND MEMBER OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSITION COMMITTEE, AND THE COCHAIR FOR THE PORCH REGION -- PUERTO RICAN AGENDA, AND THE TRANSITION COMMITTEE.

AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LA CASA NORTE , AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE TRANSITION COMMITTEE, AND THE COCHAIR OF THE ILLINOIS LATINO AGENDA AND PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE LATINO POLICY FORM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

I WANT TO START WITH YOU SYLVIA, A VERY INTERESTING TOPIC, HOW DID YOUR ORGANIZATION WORK WITH MAYOR JOHNSON ON GETTING LATINO REPRESENTATIVES ON THE TEAM?

DO YOU THINK HE WILL BE MORE RESPONSIVE ACTUALLY TO LATINO COMMUNITIES THAN THE LAST MAYOR?

>> WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS THAT WE HAVE A VERY DIVERSE LATINO COMMUNITY, SO WHEN WE SAY RESPONSIVE TO THE LATINO COMMUNITY, IT IS WITH SECTORS, BECAUSE WE HAVE GROWN IN POLITICAL STRENGTH AND REPRESENTATION BUT I DON'T THINK THERE IS ONE COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THE PURPOSE OF THE AGENDA IS TO HAVE CONSENSUS FROM A KEY GROUP -- KEY GROUP OF LATINO PEOPLE AND THE COMMUNITY OF CHICAGO, SOMETHING THAT WE WORK COLLECTIVELY TO TRY TO FOSTER.

EARLY ON WE DID NOT KNOW WHO THE LATINO REPRESENTATIVES WOULD BE, WE MET AND IDENTIFIED OVER 100 PEOPLE, THE COULD HAVE BEEN MANY MORE, LATINO LEADERS IN THE CITY NAMES AND THE ADMINISTRATION, WE DID NOT WANT THERE TO BE AN EXCUSE, THAT WE DON'T KNOW WHO THE LATINO LEADERS ARE, AND A GOOD NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS DID MAKE IT ON THE VARIOUS TRANSITION TEAM.

>> GREAT.

JOS÷, WHAT IS THE MOST PRESSING NEED YOU SEE IN HOUSING FOR CHICAGO, PARTICULARLY AMONG LATINO COMMUNITIES?

>> A LONG-TERM ISSUE WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS THE GENTRIFICATION OF MANY COMMUNITIES, THE VILLAGES IN THE PARK AND A LONG-STANDING ISSUE WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS.

THE MOST IMMEDIATE CONCERN IS THE MIGRANT ISSUE, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS COMING TO THE CITY OF CHICAGO, BEING SHELTERED IN POLICE STATIONS, PART DISTRICTS, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A WAY FOR THEM TO COME IN, THAT IS THE CRISIS THAT WE ARE DEALING WITH.

>> YES WE WILL TOUCH A LITTLE BIT MORE ON THAT AS WELL .

>>> MOVING ON WITH YOU ONE, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE COMMITTEES APPROACH, JUAN CUT TREATING SUBSTANCE USE, IT MAKES ONE REFERENCE TO HARM REDUCTION BUT NOT MUCH DETAIL ON THAT, CAN YOU EXPLAIN?

>> WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN PARTICULAR WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS SHIFT THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT IT AS BEING A HEALTHIER ISSUE, DRUG ABUSE QUITE OFTEN CAN LEAD TO AN INDIVIDUAL LEAVING A CRIME AND WE ARE LUCKY A PERSON UP AND THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY GETTING THE TREATMENT THAT MIGHT HELP THEM AT THE END OF THE DAY, SO WHAT THE REPORT TRIES TO DO IS TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE NEED TO SHIFT THE WAY WE ARE EVALUATING THESE ISSUES AND TREAT THEM AS A HEALTHCARE ISSUE.

THAT WAY WE ARE TREATING THE INDIVIDUAL AND HOPEFULLY REHABILITATING THEM IN A WAY THEY CAN CAN TO BE PRODUCTIVE IN SOCIETY.

>> THAT WILL DEFINITELY HELP THE YOUTH HERE IN THE CITY.

>>> MARIANNA, CPS AS YOU KNOW HAS BEEN SHRINKING IN NUMBERS IN THE PAST YEARS, THE NUMBERS OF STUDENTS, UNTIL THIS YEAR, WHEN IT ADDED CHILDREN, A RECENTLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS RIGHT?

SO WHAT ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD SUPPORT CPS LATINO STUDENTS WHO NOW COMPRISE THE MAJORITY OF THE SYSTEM INCLUDING THOSE ARRIVALS?

>> A REALLY GOOD QUESTION.

SOME OF THE KEY THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT WITHIN THE REPORT WERE HOW DO WE LOOK AT HOW WE ARE REPRESENTED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE REPORT YOU WILL SEE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO LOOK AT THE PIPELINE FOR EDUCATORS, WHETHER THAT IS LOOKING AT ACTUAL STUDENTS FROM CPS HER PARENTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND REALLY THINK ABOUT A DRILL YOUR OWN FOCUS TO HAVE EDUCATORS THAT REFLECT THE COMMUNITY.

AND YOU ALSO FIND SOMETHING I THINK IS CRITICAL, A FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, INCLUDING FROM BIRTH, AND WE KNOW THAT 80% OF THE BRAIN IS DEVELOPED IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS AND 90% IN THE FIRST FIVE, RECOGNIZING THAT FOUNDATION WILL BE CRITICAL TO HELP LATINOS AND YOUNG CHILDREN BE ABLE TO BE SUCCESSFUL THROUGH THE TRAJECTORY OF THEIR EDUCATION.

>> SYLVIA, HOW CAN YOU ENSURE THAT MAYOR JOHNSON REPRESENTS ACTUALLY LATINOS AT A TIME OF HEIGHTENED TENSION BETWEEN THE BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES IN CHICAGO?

>> THE MAYOR SAYS EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO THE TABLE AND WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER.

AND WE AS LATINO LEADERS AND THE AGENDA, AND THE ORGANIZATION WE REPRESENT, ARE COMMITTED TO THAT CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE.

I WILL SHARE THAT WE HAVE CONVENED SOMETHING CALLED THE WELCOME TO ILLINOIS COALITION, WHICH DOES BRING TOGETHER MANY PROVIDERS WORKING ON THE MIGRANT CRISIS, AND THEN WERE VERY DELIBERATE IN REACHING OUT TO LEADERS FROM THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN IMMUNITY WHERE THERE ARE SOME TENSIONS TO INVITE THEM TO THE TABLE TO HAVE CONVERSATION.

>>> IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT IT GETS A LOT OF MEDIA ATTENTION, BUT THERE ARE COMMUNITY GROUPS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERS AND FAITH-BASED LEADERS ACROSS THE CITY COMING TOGETHER TO AGREE TO ADDRESS THE MIGRANT COUNSEL AND WELCOMING THEM.

>> WHAT YOU THINK IS THE BASE FOR THE TENSION BETWEEN THE BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES?

>> PEOPLE FEEL THAT THERE ARE LIMITED RESOURCES, IF ONE GROUP GET SOME THAT ANOTHER GROUP DOESN'T GET ANY, I THINK SOMETHING COMMENDABLE THAT I WANT TO COMMEND THE MAYOR ON IS THAT HE HAS CREATED A DEPUTY MAYOR FOR IMMIGRATION, THE FIRST TIME I THINK WE SEE SOMEBODY AT THAT LEVEL, IN THE ADMINISTRATION.

WE ARE ALL REALLY PLEASED THAT IS A POSITIVE AND WE KNOW THE PERSON IN THAT ROLE NOW, SHE HAS A HUGE CHALLENGE BUT WE REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH HER AND COLLABORATING WITH HER.

>> THE ADMINISTRATION FAVORED PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS TO BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING HERE IN CHICAGO, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOUR COMMITTEE WOULD LIKE TO SEE?

>> YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE BUDGET, THE HIS THE CITY HAS TO DEVELOP A BUDGET, THE AMBITIOUS PILOT IT HAS IN PLACE, BUDGETS ARE BASED ON VALUES AND YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THE VALUES OF THIS PLAN WHICH FOCUSES ON EQUITY, INVESTMENT, COMMUNITY AND SUPPORTING AND ADDRESSING ISSUES THAT PLAGUE THE COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES ARE GOING TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS BY HAVING PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AND MAKING SURE THAT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ARE INVESTED IN THE PLAN, AND THAT ALL OF US ARE COMING TO THE TABLE TO HELP SUPPORT THE PLAN.

>> GOING BACK WITH YOU, ONE OF THE SHORT-TERM GOALS IN THE REPORT WAS DECLARING A HUMAN SERVICES EMERGENCY, WHAT WILL THAT ACCOMPLISH?

BIGGER WHAT IT WILL ACCOMPLISH IS PUT A RIGHTFUL SPOTLIGHT ON WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR CITY RIGHT NOW, FOR ANYBODY WHO'S BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, YOU HEARD ABOUT THE MIGRANT CRISIS, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY IN ONE RIGHT NOW, SO I THINK DECLARING THE CRISIS AND GALVANIZING SOME RESOURCES LOOKING TO MOVE AS QUICKLY AS WE WOULD OTHERWISE, HAVING THE DECLARATION REALLY HAS IS PUTTING THE TIME GETTING RESOURCES OUT AND ADDRESSING THEM AND ENSURING THAT FOLKS WERE COMING INTO THE CITY ARE GETTING SETTLED.

>> THE STATES BOARD OF EDUCATION, RECENTLY RELEASED THE PLAN, A LITERACY CRISIS AMONG SCHOOL KIDS.

THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS UNDER COMMUNITIES RADAR AS WELL?

>> ABSOLUTELY, IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, ALL ASPECTS OF EDUCATION, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE TRANSITION REPORT AIMS TO LOOK AT IS THE FAMILIES WALKED THE CHILDREN TO SCHOOLS AND THE COMMUNITY AND THE SCHOOL SHOULD BE ABLE TO DELIVER A HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION.

WITH LITERACY, CERTAINLY ONE OF THE AIMS THAT I'M VERY INTERESTED IN, IS A PAST CPS PARENTS AND WITHIN MY OWN ENTITY, I THINK IT IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT OF WORK BUT IT IS BEYOND LITERACY, IT'S LOOKING AT THE WHOLE COMMUNITY AND CHILD AND FAMILY, THIS REPORT TRULY LOOKS AT THE SCHOOL AS THE CENTER OF COMMUNITY AND THINKING ABOUT HOW CAN FAMILIES ACCESS RESOURCES AND NEEDS THAT LIMIT THEM BEING ABLE TO MEET THEIR DREAMS AND EDUCATIONAL GOALS.

>> AND REALLY FOCUSED ON EQUITY AND JUSTICE, AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT ANYONE WOULD DISAGREE WITH WITH, IS A VISION FOR THE CITY AND WHAT WE WANT FOR THE COMMUNITY, THE CHALLENGE IS THAT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO DISCERN PRIORITIES, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MEASURE SUCCESS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HOW ARE WE GOING TO FUND ROBUST NEW