1. TRANSGENDER HEALTH CARE
In December, the CTA updated its insurance policy to cover transition related surgeries for transgender employees, as required by law.
Would you ensure that every City agency and private city-contractor has a policy that covers transition related healthcare and prohibits discrimination against employees who are transgender? If yes, please explain how you would implement this legal requirement in your first year in office.
MENDOZA: |
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I’m proud that Chicago is one of the largest cities to offer health coverage for transgender employees’ gender reassignment surgery. As mayor, I’ll conduct a full review of existing guidelines for city agencies and contractors to ensure that they all have a policy to prohibit discrimination against transgender employees and protect their healthcare.
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2. LGBTQ & POLICE
Members of the LGBTQ community, especially individuals who are transgender, intersex, and gender-nonconforming, and who come from communities of color, report experiencing high incidents of violence and harassment from law enforcement, which erodes trust, and leads to a fear of law enforcement.
Will you pledge to work with the LGBTQ community to update CPD policies that would reduce violence and harassment, and increase trust between the transgender, intersex and gender-nonconforming community and the CPD? If yes, please describe the elements of an updated policy that would reduce the violence and harassment faced by the LGBTQ community.
MENDOZA: |
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As part of updating police policies, I would make sure to include LGBTQ sensitivity training, nondiscrimination policies, zero tolerance harassment policies, policies that require officers’ to respect individuals’ gender identity, use individuals’ preferred name and pronoun, and explicitly prohibit searches conducted for the purpose of assigning gender based on anatomical features. I would also work to ensure that the police department conducts outreach to the LGBTQ community and expand the LGBTQ police liaison program.
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3. RELIGIOUSLY AFFILIATED HEALTH CARE
Religiously-mandated restrictions – such as the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) – tie the hands of health care providers at religiously-affiliated institutions by prohibiting a wide range of services, including contraception and other types of essential reproductive health care. Patients are harmed when religious restrictions require that their health care providers deny them basic health care services or withhold full information from them.
Will you oppose the extension of TIF and other taxpayer-funded resources to expand and advance health care institutions that deny comprehensive reproductive health care services and information on the bases of religiously-mandated restrictions?
MENDOZA: |
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While I certainly support expanding healthcare access throughout the city, we cannot do it at the expense of women’s reproductive rights. I will not use taxpayer dollars to subsidize healthcare that includes religious restrictions on basic healthcare services like contraception.
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4. BREASTFEEDING IN CHICAGO
A breastfeeding parent who is not able to regularly nurse or express breast milk through pumping is likely to experience pain, discomfort, and engorgement, and may be at risk for possible infection and/or a reduction in the amount of breast milk produced.
Will your administration insure that every municipal building and office is accessible for breastfeeding parents, including a private, non-restroom space for parents who need to pump breast milk and provide staff training on the rights of breast-feeding parents?
MENDOZA: |
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5. POLICE REFORM
In September, the City committed to reform the CPD by signing an agreement with the State of Illinois.
Do you support the consent decree between the City and the Illinois Attorney General designed to reform the CPD? What three steps would you take immediately upon taking office to ensure that the decree is effectively implemented?
MENDOZA: |
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The first three steps I would take would be:
1) Ensure that a team is in place and fully resourced to monitor the department’s progress on the decree.
2) Begin the process of updating training for the police department to reflect the decree.
3) Look at balanced approaches to reforming police governance.
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6. CHANGES TO CPD
Are there any elements of the consent decree that you would want to change? If so, what changes would you make?
MENDOZA: |
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I would begin by fully implementing the consent decree, including the reforms to implement crisis intervention training, expand community policing, and develop an early warning system for problem officers. I also want to expand diversion programs that allow officers to focus on violent individuals and take a balanced approach to reforming police disciplinary procedures.
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7. POLICE CONTRACTS
If new contracts have not been negotiated by the time you enter office, what changes would you demand in a new FOP contract in order to advance the police reform process? Do you support the 14 recommendations promoted by the Coalition for Police Contracts Accountability?
MENDOZA: |
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I would begin by demanding a complete revamp of police training, starting with the philosophy behind police training. Rather than simply being a process recruits undergo at the beginning of their service, training should continue throughout every officer’s career -- pre-service at the academy, in-service with veteran personnel on a regular basis, and in the field where commanders should use everyday examples on the street to reinforce previous training. Training should also include de-escalation and crisis intervention training. CPD’s Field Training Program must also be reformed so that officers with long disciplinary records are not placed in charge of training other officers. I would then support a balanced approach to reforming police governance, that allows for community input without removing the mayor’s accountability for the actions of the police department. While I would not support all of the 14 recommendations, I would be supportive of some of the Coalition’s reforms, including not allowing police officers to amend their statements after watching videos and ending the requirement to destroy police misconduct records. |
8. LICENSE SUSPENSION
Suspension of a person’s drivers license for unpaid tickets is currently being used as a debt collection tool. Tickets often go unpaid simply because people lack the financial resources to pay tickets on time. For these individuals, license suspensions only make matters worse. Many Chicagoans need to drive for their jobs, and even many non-driving jobs still require employees to have a valid driver’s license.
Will you support ending the use of driver’s license suspension as a penalty for non-moving violations, including unpaid parking and compliance tickets? What concrete policy changes will you initiate or support?
MENDOZA: |
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I support reforming the system by which ticket debt accumulates on Chicagoans. I would explore ways to use technology to build in leniency where it makes sense, so that Chicagoans can be warned about potential violations before they even happen and won’t see continuous repeat tickets for the same violation, forcing some residents into bankruptcy. I would begin by limiting the use of driver’s license suspension and work to eliminate it fully as a penalty for non-moving violations. |
9. PARKING TICKET DEBT
Implementing “ability to pay” hearings and affordable payment plan terms would benefit low-income Chicago residents by allowing them to keep driving legally and avoid having their cars towed or booted.
Will you support creating a citywide process to determine a person’s ability to pay fines and fees, and adopting standards to ensure that payment plans for people who owe ticket debt must be affordable and accessible?
MENDOZA: |
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As mayor, I will launch a top to bottom review of city fines and penalties and make reforms to reduce penalties, reduce the rate at which penalties escalate, allow for amnesties where appropriate, and work to allow payment plans for people who owe debt to the city. |
10. WELCOMING IMMIGRANTS
Chicago prides itself on being a welcoming city for immigrants, newcomers and asylum-seekers. The current policy that the City is defending against a challenge by the Trump Administration is considered inadequate by many, since the policy allows someone to be reported to ICE if they have a prior felony conviction, a criminal warrant, a pending felony prosecution, or they are on the City’s gang database – a database that is notoriously inaccurate.
Will your administration support closing the loopholes listed above, in the Chicago Welcoming City Ordinance?
MENDOZA: |
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I am the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants who showed me the value of a hard work ethic. Understanding the positive contributions that immigrants provide our city, makes me a strong supporter of Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city. Having said that, I don’t believe that those with criminal warrants, especially for violent offenses, should be protected from arrest. We need to do more to ensure that those who commit violent crimes, regardless of their immigration status, are held accountable while still maintaining protections for our immigrant communities; a balanced approach that can protect human rights and overall public safety. |
11. TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT
Open, transparent government is a critical value in our system of government. Over the past several years, the City has refused to release material about important public policy matters, even when requested through the Freedom of Information Act process. Such denials have led to litigation and delays in releasing information to the public.
Will your administration commit to ensuring that city, and all of its agencies, promptly and completely respond to FOIA requests? How will you act to implement your commitment?
MENDOZA: |
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As comptroller, I was proud to take on the issue of transparency in government, which is why I helped pass the Debt Transparency Act to give taxpayers a window into state finances. It made government officials more accountable to citizens and as mayor, I’ll uphold that standard of transparency when it comes to FOIA responses and more generally. To accomplish that, I’ll require transparent logs of FOIA requests and empower the Inspector General to review FOIA requests, responses, and appeals. |
12. SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
As one of the most surveilled cities in the world, Chicago collects vast amounts of sensitive information about its residents every day. The city employs an extensive, unchecked, surveillance camera system that is utilized by an unknown number of agencies, including CPD.
What specific steps would your administration take to limit and regulate the use, and how will you ensure that the public knows how these systems work, and what technology is being utilized?
MENDOZA: |
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I will work to strike the correct balance between using technology to enhance public safety and protecting citizens’ constitutional rights. Because of Chicago’s history with police surveillance, there has to be strong transparency when it comes to surveillance programs so that citizens understand how and why surveillance tools are being used. I would continue to hold surveillance activities of First Amendment protected activity to high standards, including requiring legal monitoring and oversight by the CPD’s Office of General Counsel. I would also work to develop appropriate retention and privacy parameters so that civil liberties are protected and surveillance data cannot be stolen and misused by nefarious actors. |
13. FACIAL RECOGNITION
The use of facial recognition technologies by law enforcement has been criticized because those systems have been shown to be susceptible to discrimination and bias.
What steps would your administration take to limit and regulate the use of facial recognition technologies by law enforcement and private businesses? How would your administration generally support or oppose the use of facial recognition technology in Chicago?
MENDOZA: |
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In 2008, as a member of the Illinois General Assembly, I voted in favor of the groundbreaking Biometric Information Privacy Act. As mayor, I would continue to support efforts that protect citizens’ biometric data. In the limited cases where law enforcement may use facial recognition technology for public safety, I would support strong checks to ensure that there is no violation of civil liberties in the process. I would also be aware of continued inaccuracies in facial recognition systems and take steps to make sure that the police findings from facial recognition technology are corroborated by other evidence in criminal investigations. |
14. SURVEILLANCE DATABASES
Do you believe in using civilian oversight to ensure transparency and accountability for police practices, including the use of automated and surveillance technologies for law enforcement decision-making? How would you incorporate civilian oversight and ensure transparency in CPD’s use of automated and surveillance technology?
MENDOZA: |
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I will listen to the concerns of the community, including groups like the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability (GAPA), while ensuring that the mayor ultimately has strong accountability and responsibility for the actions of the city’s police department. I will negotiate a set of governance reforms that balances the need for a greater community role in police decision-making with the need to ensure law enforcement experts are able to develop strategies to reduce crime. |