WHO WINS BY DELAYING WEED SALES? — FEDS EYEING BERRIOS — UNDERWOOD SAYS IMPEACH Presented by Facebook

Good Wednesday morning, Playbookers! History will be made today. Here’s what you need to know about the impeachment proceedings.

TOP TALKER

Turns out Ald. Jason Ervin and some members of the Black Caucus may not be the only ones supporting a delay in selling recreational marijuana in Chicago. Lobbyists for two white-owned cannabis companies would benefit if Chicago held off on selling cannabis.


MedMen Enterprises, which has an Oak Park dispensary, and Green Thumb Industries (GTI,) with dispensaries in Joliet and Naperville, have a heavy lobbyist contingent in City Hall this week as aldermen debate whether to push back the sale of recreational weed until July 1 in an effort to ensure diversity among dispensary ownership.

MedMen and GTI don’t have an immediate stake in a Jan. 1 opening in Chicago. So why should they care when sales begin?

The two companies are in line to open secondary dispensary locations in Chicago in mid-2020. They’re currently going through the zoning and start-up process, which takes months. By delaying Chicago’s start-date for recreational sales, MedMen and GTI would be able to open at the same time as the current dispensary owners — Cresco Labs, Columbia Care and 4Front.

All the companies are publicly traded — and competitive, so a boost in sales from recreational marijuana is essential to keeping shareholders happy.

A delay could be especially important to MedMen, which “is losing money at an exceptional rate and forced to turn to private equity firm Gotham Green Partners for up to $280 million in financing to essentially keep its expansion strategy alive,” according to a recent MotleyFool report.

MedMen did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and a GTI spokeswoman said “that’s not correct” when Playbook asked via email whether the company is lobbying to push back cannabis sales. Asked whether GTI supports marijuana sales starting Jan. 1, the spokeswoman told Playbook, “We are watching and learning like everyone else.”

The debate comes after nearly 30 cannabis industry representatives took part in recent discussions with Mayor Lori Lightfoot about selling recreational weed. According to two people in the room, representatives from MedMen and GTI proposed various delays to opening Jan. 1. One idea called for existing cannabis dispensaries to go through the Zoning Board of Appeals, which also would have delayed opening dates.

On Tuesday, a Chicago City Council committee voted 10 to 9 to delay sales in order to make sure dispensaries are focused on diverse ownership. The Sun-Times has details on how they voted. The Black Caucus and the mayor will face each other today over the issue when the proposal goes before the full council.

IN RELATED NEWS....

Farmers gather for first hemp summit, by Capitol News’ Peter Hancock

Illinois offering low-cost cannabis loans, via the Telegraph

THE BUZZ

BLOCKBUSTER: The feds appear to be pulling back the onion. A federal grand jury subpoena obtained by the Sun-Times shows investigators are looking at former Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios and his political machine. “The subpoena seeks documents related to Berrios’ 31st Ward Democratic Organization, his Friends of Berrios campaign fund and the Mexican American Political Action Committee. The subpoena asks for information about contributions to Berrios’ retirement party and his access to private planes and boats, among other things," the Sun-Times writes.

BEST LINE: Approached by a reporter Tuesday in the bar at the Erie Cafe, Berrios said: “Write your story. I’m having a good time. I have nothing to say.”

— Connected entrepreneur of interest to feds in sprawling corruption probe, by Tribune’s Jason Meisner

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The progressive veterans organization VoteVets is endorsing former Assistant State’s Attorney and Naval Intelligence Officer Bill Conway to be the next Cook County State’s Attorney. VoteVets says Conway’s “experience in the Navy has given him the experience and knowledge to enact balanced criminal justice reform, stop the flow of illegal guns to our streets, and get politics out of an office where it never belonged.” Conway is hoping to unseat incumbent Kim Foxx in the March 17 Democratic primary.

WHERE'S THE MAYOR

Presiding over the City Council meeting.

At the James R. Thompson Center to sign the first responder pension consolidation bill into law.

Where's Toni

Presiding over the Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting.

DATELINE D.C.

— UNDERWOOD, BUSTOS to back Trump impeachment: Reps. Lauren Underwood and Cheri Bustos “are two of 31 Democrats representing districts Trump won in 2016 and the group has been closely watched for defections,” writes Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet.

CHICAGO

— Could Eddie Johnson face more fallout from the scandal that got him fired? "Chicago Inspector General Joe Ferguson’s office won’t describe the scope of its investigation in the drinking-and-driving scandal that led to former Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson’s firing. But the probe raises questions about whether Johnson could lose more than his job," writes WBEZ's Chip Mitchell.

— Chicago’s top government lawyer gives up pass for exclusive ‘Bat Cave’ road: “The city of Chicago’s top attorney under Mayor Lori Lightfoot has given up his pass to an obscure but exclusive road designed to avoid traffic en route to McCormick Place, the mayor’s office said Tuesday. Corporation Counsel Mark Flessner, who the mayor’s office said lives in the South Loop, had a pass to a nearly 3-mile roadway known as the McCormick Place Busway,” via Tribune’s Gregory Pratt. Some history about the “Bat Cave.”

— Chicago-area residents rally in support of ousting Trump, via Tribune.

— Ex-Madigan alderman moves from City Council to ComEd: "Frank Olivo, the former 13th Ward Chicago alderman, is a registered lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison, city records show. Eight months after leaving office in 2011, Olivo signed on to lobby the mayor’s office and his former city council colleagues for the public utility, which has come under intense scrutiny in recent months following a series of federal raids in Chicago and Springfield," NBC Chicago's Carol Marin and Don Moseley report.





DAY IN COURT

— Exelon sued over lobbying investigation: "Exelon faces a potential class-action lawsuit over its entanglement in a federal investigation of its lobbying practices. A lawsuit filed this week by Joshua Flynn accuses the ComEd parent company of making false and misleading statements this year about the investigation, which repeatedly led to losses in its stock price," the Sun-Times' Jon Seidel reports. “Exelon disclosed in July it and ComEd had received a grand jury subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago seeking information about its lobbying activities in Illinois.”

COOK COUNTY AND COLLARS

— County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski resurfaces nearly 3 months after feds raided his office: “After missing nearly three months of Cook County Board meetings, embattled Commissioner Jeff Tobolski surprisingly returned to action Tuesday by attending the Forest Preserve District meeting. But although Tobolski resigned from his leadership posts on the Cook County Board and Forest Preserve District last month saying health issues had stopped him from attending, he would not discuss his health outlook on Tuesday” or the FBI raids, reports Tribune’s Lolly Bowean.

— Oak Lawn expects to reap at least $500K from ‘penny per push’ video gaming tax, believed to be first of its kind in Illinois: “The ‘push tax,’ which is akin to a sin tax on people who gamble in Oak Lawn, will assess users a penny for each push or play of a video gaming terminal beginning Jan. 1.,” reports Daily Southtown’s Zack Koeske.

LEGISLATION

LOBBYIST-REVOLVING DOOR BAN: Rep. Amy Grant has filed a bill amending the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. HB4002 “Provides that no person who has served as a statewide elected official, the executive or administrative head of a State agency, the deputy executive or administrative head of a state agency, or a member of the General Assembly shall, within 2 years after the termination of service or employment, become a lobbyist.”

STATE NEWS

— Investigations of ComEd, Exelon lobbying threaten Illinois energy transition: "A Grand Jury investigation, FBI raids on Illinois legislators and utility lobbyists, and sudden resignations by top utility executives could turn the state's emerging energy transition into a missed opportunity," Utility Dive's Herman K. Trabish writes. "But stopping Illinois from moving toward clean energy 'is not going to happen,' [Clean Energy Jobs Act] chief sponsor Rep. Ann Williams, D, told Utility Dive."

— Who pays the price for out-of-state student placements? "Illinois taxpayers typically spend at least $25 million per year to place hundreds of students outside the state, in residential treatment centers, therapeutic boarding schools, and other private facilities designed to serve students with special needs," NPR Illinois' Dusty Rhodes reports. "Because the cost to the home school district is so much higher for public instead of private placement, many special education advocates argue that Illinois’ funding structure leaves public facilities starved for resources while incentivizing placement in private facilities."

— Syverson draws more scrutiny for ties to casino business: “Records filed at the Illinois Secretary of State’s office reveal direct financial links between state Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) and an insurance company that does business with the general contractor who won the city’s approval to build the proposed Hard Rock casino project,” reports WCIA’s Mark Maxwell. Separately, Maxwell reports that Syverson flouted Senate rules when he got Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen to the Senate floor. (Cue music: "I Want You to Want Me.")

— Sports betting is coming to your phone in Illinois. That means big money for the state — and big worries about addiction, by Tribune’s John Keilman.

— 20 Illinois laws to know for 2020, by WTTW’s Kristen Thometz: “On Jan, 1, 2020, more than 250 new laws take effect in Illinois, ranging from legalized recreational marijuana to a ban on animal-tested cosmetics to educating students about consent and safeguarding genetic information. Last week, state Senate Democrats and Republicans released their top new laws for 2020. (See Democrats’ picks here; Illinois GOP members’ picks can be found here.)”

— Statehouse dome inspection reveals damage: “A Capitol dome study conducted earlier this month revealed ‘some obvious flaws on the exterior of the dome,’ a state employee said Tuesday. Inspectors also found cracks inside the structure and changes made over the years that have altered the Statehouse’s historical profile. The flagpole atop the Capitol needs to be replaced and the holiday lights will probably need to be hung in a different manner, Harl Ray, senior project manager for the secretary of state’s Department of Physical Services, said at a Capitol Architect board meeting,” by Capitol News’ Rebecca Anzel.

SPOTTED

— Former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s holiday party at Luxbar drew a who’s who crowd Tuesday, including Gov. J.B. Pritzker, insurance mogul Pat Ryan, Clayco President Lori Healey (who served as Daley’s chief of staff), R4 Services CEO Trisha Rooney, former Ebony magazine owner Linda Johnson Rice, Mesirow Financial VP Les Coney, Corporate Cleaning CEO Neal Zucker, Terminal Getaway Spa CEO Marko Iglendza, businessman Joe Gutman, former Chicago Public Library Commissioner Mary Dempsey, Rev. Michael Pfleger, restaurateur Steve Lombardo, Check, Please! Executive Producer David Manilow, and Daley’s daughter, civic leader Nora Daley.

— Jacob Meister, a Democratic candidate for clerk of the Circuit Court, held a holiday happy hour Tuesday, so of course everyone dropped by, including former Gov. Pat Quinn, Rep. Sam Yingling, Rep. Andre Thapedi, Rep. Theresa Mah, attorney Coco Soodek, state legislative candidate Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, political consultant Kitty Kurth, Justice Jesse Reyes (who’s running for state Supreme Court), Judge Jamie Shapiro and political consultant Frank Calabrese.

NATION

— Trump impeachment clouds Pelosi’s second act, by POLITICO’s Heather Caygle, John Bresnahan and Sarah Ferris

— Impeachment and the crack up of the conservative mind, by POLITICO’s John Harris

— How Harvard made Buttigieg the moderate that progressives love to hate, by POLITICO’s Michael Kruse

TRANSITIONS

Julia Stasch, former president of the MacArthur Foundation, joins Brookings as a distinguished nonresident senior fellow in the organization's Metropolitan Policy Program.

EVENTS

Saturday: A TOY DRIVE and “Monster Truck Parade” are being sponsored by Sen. Kimberly Lightford, Rep. Chris Welch, and the Village of Maywood. Details here

Jan. 9: Ariel Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson and Wynn Resorts co-founder Elaine Wynn will sit down for a conversation put on by the Executives’ Club. Details here

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg, a civil rights attorney and New Trier Township trustee.

Follow us on Twitter Shia Kapos @shiakapos