In this week’s edition of Spotlight Politics:

Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveils a $16.4 billion budget proposal – but bows to political reality and drops a property tax hike linked to inflation.

The Latino Leadership Council urges U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia to run again for Chicago mayor, but this time around he would be unlikely to have the backing of the Chicago Teachers Union, which has already endorsed Brandon Johnson.

The Chicago Police Department agrees to ensure arrestees are allowed a phone call within three hours under the terms of a court-ordered consent decree.

And Illinois’ economy surpasses $1 trillion in value for the first time ever – another indication of the state’s strong recovery from the depths of the pandemic.

Our politics team of Amanda Vinicky, Paris Schutz and Heather Cherone takes on those stories and more.