Dear Neighbor,

I want to wish all of our new and returning students a happy and successful first day of school next week!

This week, our office co-hosted three back-to-school events across the 35th Ward at Nixon Elementary, Avondale-Logandale Elementary, and Kosciuszko Park. We provided backpacks, school supplies, food, and connections to social services for families who need them. Our Northwest Side Rapid Response Network and local school-watch networks also continue organizing to protect our immigrant families from ICE and help ensure our students can get to school and return home safely.

This past Sunday, I joined Chicago Democratic Socialists of America, the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, One Northside, local tenant unions, Alderwoman Rodriguez Sanchez, and Mayor Brandon Johnson for a rally and canvass in support of the Protecting Renters Ordinance. As Chicago faces a growing housing affordability crisis, we need to build and preserve affordable housing while also protecting the people who live in it. These are not competing goals. We can and should do both.

The City of Chicago is also holding three community engagement meetings on developing a proactive rental inspection program. Tenants and renters are encouraged to RSVP and participate. Feedback from these meetings will help inform the City’s work to establish proactive rental inspections.

The upcoming meetings are:

• Tuesday, August 25, 6-8 PM at 1900 W. Jackson: https://bit.ly/RentalInspectionsWest

• Thursday, August 27, 6-8 PM at 6301 S. Halsted: https://bit.ly/RentalInspectionsSouth

• Saturday, August 29, 10 AM-12 PM at 1145 W. Wilson: https://bit.ly/RentalInspectionsNorth

Please RSVP as soon as possible. I hope to see you at one of these meetings.

On Wednesday, I also joined a rally in support of recently unionized AFSCME workers at the Shedd Aquarium, who are fighting for a fair contract with better pay and benefits. I was proud to stand with the workers who educate and welcome tens of thousands of Chicagoans and visitors each year at one of our city’s most treasured cultural institutions.

On Wednesday, August 26, staff from the Board of Review will be at our 35th Ward and 8th District Office to assist property owners interested in pre-filing a property tax appeal. To schedule an appointment, please call our office at 773-985-3510. Second-installment property tax bills are also now available online through the County Treasurer’s website.

Finally, be sure to stop by the St. Hyacinth Basilica Parish Festival this weekend at 3635 W. George Avenue. There will be food, entertainment, and activities for kids. The festival begins tonight at 6 PM and continues Saturday from 2-10 PM and Sunday from 1:30-10 PM.

I hope you have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

Sincerely,

Anthony J. Quezada

Alderman, 35th Ward

Community Resources:

• Food Bank Locator and SNAP Updates

• Utility Billing and Relief

• Immigration Resources | Family Support Hotline 855-435-7693

• Parking Ticket Relief

• Tenants Rights Resources

Ward Updates

Upcoming Ward Nights

Our upcoming ward nights are August 24th and September 14th. Appointments are  available. We schedule Ward Night visits by appointment to ensure ample time for residents to discuss community concerns and opportunities with the alderman. To schedule an appointment to meet with the Alderman during Ward Night, please email us at [email protected] or call us at (773)-985-3510 during our hours of operation (9am - 5pm, Monday through Friday).

Call for Artists: Request for Qualifications- 35th Ward Mural Projects

In 2025, 35th Ward residents voted to dedicate funding through the 35th Ward Participatory Budgeting Program for Public Art and Beautification of Public Spaces. Two winning project proposals were the installation of murals on viaducts at 3401 N Kimball and 3040 N Sacramento. The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), in partnership with the 35th Ward Office, invites professional artists, artist teams, and arts organizations based in Chicago to submit qualifications. You can find more information and apply here. This call is open through August 28, 2026.

Belmont Equitable Transit Oriented Development (ETOD) Study Survey

Have thoughts on potential transit-oriented improvements near Belmont and Kimball in Avondale? Help shape the Belmont Blue Line ETOD Plan by taking a community survey through Aug. 31 and adding ideas to the interactive map. Complete the survey at bit.ly/BelmontSurvey and learn more at Chicago.gov/BelmontETOD.

Irving Park Department of Water Management Project 7578 Updates

This week, The Department of Water Management continued their Lead Service Line Replacements (LSLRs), completing 8 in the area! They also completed the removal and replacement of the existing catch basin and on W. Waveland Ave between N. St Louis Ave and N. Kimball Ave.

Please see below for further details on the work soon to be performed in the upcoming week:

Sewer & Water Schedule - August 24th, 2026 - August 28th, 2026

DWM will begin the installation of a new sewer main Westward on W. Waveland Ave between N. St. Louis Ave and N. Central Park Ave. They will continue service transfers for various addresses in the area as well - each respective home owner should receive notice on when this work will commence.

***PLEASE NOTE: There are no scheduled watermain shutdowns scheduled on N. St. Louis for next week during LSLR’s. Only the water service to the scheduled addresses will be interrupted on the day of the service transfer.***

Road Closures / Traffic Control:

During working hours, no residential parking/through traffic will be allowed on N. St. Louis Ave between N. Elston Ave and W. Waveland Ave or on Waveland between Drake and Bernard.  (No Parking Signs have been posted)

Fullerton Avenue Arterial Resurfacing

This week the contractor has continued paving in stage 1 of the project (Karlov to Lockwood), which is expected to be completed next week. In stage 2 of the project (Karlov to Kimball), the contractor is continuing to remove concrete, frame and pour new concrete, and install new catch basins within the project area. 

Upcoming Paseo Prairie Garden Work Days

The Friends of Paseo Prairie Garden will be hosting upcoming volunteer work days. Each work day will be held from 10am-11:30am at Paseo Prairie Community Garden, located at 2614 N Kedzie, and volunteers can assist with weeding, trash pickup, watering and planting.

Upcoming dates:

August 22nd

August 29th

Cook County Board of Review Pre-File Appeals NOW OPEN

The Cook County Board of Review has officially opened the tax year 2026 session and ALL property owners may Pre-File an appeal with the Cook County Board of Review now OR you can wait and file an appeal when your township appeal period opens. If you have already had a reduction through a successful appeal in the last 2 years, we would not encourage you to file another appeal this year. As a reminder you can appeal your assessment every year with the Cook County Assessor's Office and with the Cook County Board of Review. You can appeal online via this link. If you need assistance, feel free to call the office of Commissioner Jessica Vásquez at 312-603-6386 or stop into our shared office at 2934 N. Milwaukee Unit C.

Small Business Improvement Fund - Chicago Program Highlight

The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) opens for applications in September in the Fullerton/Milwaukee TIF district. Apply at chicago.gov/sbif by Sept. 30, and register for an informational webinar at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2 bit.ly/sept26sbif

Policy and Zoning Updates

Request to Lift Liquor Moratorium for New Taproom at 3658 W Wrightwood

The 35th Ward Office has received a request to lift the moratorium on new consumption on-premises liquor licenses on West Wrightwood Avenue between Central Park Avenue and Lawndale Avenue. 

Brutalist Brewing, Chicago’s first co-operatively owned brewery, is seeking to lift the moratorium to establish a new taproom at 3658 W Wrightwood Ave. In line with 35th Ward Office policy, the applicants attended the CAPS meeting for beat 2524 on Thursday, August 20, 2026, to introduce themselves and answer questions from neighbors. 

In line with our process for evaluating requests to lift liquor moratoriums, we will accept feedback on this request until Friday, September 5, at 5 pm.  At the end of this feedback period, the Alderman will determine whether to introduce an ordinance to lift the moratorium in the City Council based on the feedback we receive. To share you feedback, please fill out this form.

Update on Zoning Map Amendment Request for 3019-3021 W Belmont

On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, our office hosted a community-driven zoning and development meeting to gather feedback on a zoning map amendment request for 3019-3021 W Belmont Ave. In response to the feedback received at this meeting, the applicant has opted to amend the proposal to incorporate the community input. We will provide an update when there is a revised proposal for review.

35th Ward Participatory Budget Process

The 35th Ward invites you to submit infrastructure improvement ideas for brick-and-mortar projects for our Participatory Budgeting program to be implemented in 2027. Ward residents get to submit ideas and vote on how the 35th Ward office and the Volunteer PB Committee prioritizes Aldermanic Menu Program funds.

Projects must be located within the 35th Ward and must be on the public way or the property of a City of Chicago sister agency, such as the Chicago Park District or Chicago Public Schools. You can review a map of the 35th Ward here: https://app.chicagoelections.gov/documents/general/35th%20Ward.pdf

Examples of common infrastructure improvement projects are:

• sidewalk repair

• street resurfacing

• alley resurfacing

• concrete alley aprons

• lighting improvements (piggy back lighting, new light poles)

• pedestrian sidewalk bump-outs (detached bump-outs or curb extensions)

• pedestrian refugee islands

• traffic circles

• protected or painted bike lanes

• curb and gutter replacement

• beautification improvements (light pole repainting, planters, murals)

  
  

Please contact our office if you have any questions at (773) 985-3510 or at [email protected].

Upcoming Community Events

Paradise Garden Logan Square Upcoming Events

Join Paradise Garden Logan Square (2214 N Drake) for a Classical Open Mic Night on Friday August 21st at 6pm. This is an opportunity for musicians in the classical realm of music to show off their talents.

Paradise Garden Logan Square is kicking off their Teen Screams in the Park horror film series with a showing of Night of the Living Dead on Saturday, August 22nd at 7:30pm. Free. Join us!

Constituent Resources

35th Ward Office Phone: 773-985-3510

35th Ward Office Email: [email protected]

DSS recycling and garbage schedule:  chicagorecycles.org

Parking Zone Lookup:   http://smartchicago.github.io/zone-parking/  

Snow Plow Tracker: https://plow-tracker-chicago.hub.arcgis.com/

Street Sweeping Schedule: 2026 Street Cleaning Schedule

Street Sweeper Tracker: www.cityofchicago.org/sweepertracker

Street Sweeper “We The Sweeple” App: https://www.wethesweeple.com/Elected Official Lookup: https://chicagoelections.com/en/your-voter-information.html

Backyard service rodent abatement: (312) 746-5230

35th Ward Staff

Scott Jaburek - Chief of Staff

Alberto Cuevas - Ward Superintendent

Sara Rodriguez - Neighborhood Services Director

Chas Sirridge - Policy Director

Juan Cardenas - Neighborhood Services Advocate

Food Resources

On May 1, nearly 120,000 neighbors in Illinois lost their SNAP benefits due to new work requirements and other eligibility changes. This is the largest drop in SNAP participation in our state’s history, and we know local hunger is rising.

No one should have to worry about putting food on the table while navigating these changes. If you or someone you know relies on SNAP, take action to protect your benefits or reconnect to SNAP today. You might qualify to apply for an exemption from the new work requirements. There are also free resources like Job Ready Illinois and Serve Illinois to help you connect to job training, work, and volunteering, if you are not exempt.

Visit SaveOurSNAP.org for resources or contact the Illinois Department of Human Services at 1-800-843-6154 to talk to someone about your benefits.

35^th Ward Food Access Sites

Chicago Hope Inc.

2505 N Kedzie Blvd

Regular Program Hours:

Monday- 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Thursday- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

New Community Covenant Church
2649 N Francisco Ave  

Regular Program Hours:

Wednesday 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Friday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM

St Sylvester Parish

2915 W Palmer St

Regular Program Hours:

Wednesday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Life Impacters Foundation
2100 N Kildare Ave  

[email protected]

Regular Program Hours:

Monday 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Wednesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

August Schedule for Northwest Side Solidarity Network Events - 3000 N Kedzie Ave (All food given on a first-come, first-served basis)

August Community Dinners  

Date: August 27th

Time: 12:00 - 1:30 pm

Location: 3000 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

Employment Opportunities

The Illinois Department of Human Services is hiring! Check out open positions here.

People’s Gas is also hiring! You can find open positions in the region on their website.

The City of Chicago is hiring for several positions. You can find these positions at www.cityofchicago.org/jobs.

To find open positions at the Chicago Park District, please visit this link.

Goodwill is hiring for their new location in Avondale. You can find out more about the position and apply here.

Public Safety (CAPS) Meetings

CAPS meetings are an opportunity for residents to meet with the Community Engagement officers of their local police districts to discuss public safety concerns in their neighborhoods. The 35th ward includes portions of the 14th, 17th, and 25th districts of the Chicago Police Department. Visit the CPD website to find your beat.