Press Release

SIX CANDIDATES SELECTED BY THE DISTRICT COUNCIL NOMINATING COMMITTEE TOFILL THREE UPCOMING VACANCIES ON THE COMMUNITY COMMISSION FOR PUBLICSAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY (CCPSA)

Date:

March 12, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Nicole Garcia
Nicole.Garcia@cityofchicago.org

SIX CANDIDATES SELECTED BY THE DISTRICT COUNCIL NOMINATING COMMITTEE TO
FILL THREE UPCOMING VACANCIES ON THE COMMUNITY COMMISSION FOR PUBLIC
SAFETY AND ACCOUNTABILITY (CCPSA)

The District Council Nominating Committee has nominated six candidates for three upcoming
vacancies on the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability. The vacancies
will occur in June when Vice President Angel Rubi Navarijo and Commissioners Aaron Gottlieb
and Abierre Minor reach the end of their terms.

The nominees, listed in alphabetical order, are:
● Angelique Guzman (North Side and youth representative)
● Hamza Jilani (South Side and youth representative)
● Darrion Johnson (South Side and youth representative)
● Rebecca Levin (North Side resident)
● Javier Vasquez (North Side and youth representative)
● Anjanette Young (South Side resident)
Under the CCPSA Ordinance, vacancies on the Commission trigger a formal selection process
led by the Nominating Committee, a group of twenty-two District Councilors, one appointed
from each of Chicago’s District Councils. The Nominating Committee must nominate at least
two candidates for each vacancy and submit those nominees to the Mayor, who then appoints
one nominee for each vacancy. All appointments must be confirmed by the Chicago City
Council.

“The Nominating Committee approached this work with a deep sense of responsibility to ensure
the Commission reflects the communities it serves,” said Elianne Bahena, 10th District Councilor
and member of the Nominating Committee. “Over the past several months, we worked to
identify candidates who not only meet the qualifications established by Ordinance, but who also
bring a clear vision for collaboration with District Councils, a strong commitment to police
accountability, and a focus on centering the voices of those most impacted by public safety and
policing issues in our city.”The CCPSA Ordinance requires that two members of the seven-member Commission are between the ages of 18-24 at the time of appointment. The Ordinance also requires geographic representation, with two Commissioners residing on the South Side, two on the West Side, and two on the North Side. Because the three outgoing Commissioners currently occupy the Commission’s two North Side seats and two youth seats, the Nominating Committee was required to provide the Mayor with sufficient nominees to ensure that these requirements can
continue to be met.

The sixty-day nomination process began on January 7 and included a citywide search for
qualified candidates. The Nominating Committee conducted extensive outreach, particularly
among North Side communities and youth organizations to raise awareness of the opportunity
to apply. The process resulted in more than fifty qualified applications. The Nominating
Committee evaluated anonymous versions of the applications based on the qualifications
outlined in the Ordinance, selected at least four candidates to interview for each vacancy, and
conducted interviews using a community-informed rubric.

Since the election of District Councils in 2023, the Nominating Committee has led multiple
nomination processes to identify and recommend qualified candidates to serve on the
Commission. In 2024, the Nominating Committee submitted nominees for all seven seats on
the first-ever permanent Commission, replacing the interim Commission established in 2022.
Later that year, the Nominating Committee also conducted a nomination process to fill a
vacancy following the unexpected resignation of Commissioner Kelly Presley.
Below are brief biographies of the six nominees:

Angelique Guzman is a North Side resident and one of the candidates for the Commission’s two
youth seats. She is a senior at Mather High School, where she serves as class vice president.
Angelique has extensive community engagement experience, particularly through her work as
president of the North River Commission’s Youth Council, where she advocates for equitable
economic development, sustainability initiatives, and community wellness. She also interns in
her 40th Ward aldermanic office, where she has gained deep insight into the needs of North Side
neighborhoods. Angelique has stood out as a youth leader in organizing communities
concerned about federal immigration enforcement.

Hamza Jilani is a South Side resident and one of the candidates for the Commission’s two youth
seats. As a policy analyst at Civic Consulting Alliance, he provides pro-bono consulting services
to government and civic organizations. Hazma previously served as an intern in the
administration of former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, where he worked on issues related to economic
and neighborhood development. He also serves on the Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission’s
Youth Advisory Board, where he advocates for justice-impacted young people. Hazma has alsoworked as a health justice organizer with Southside Together and as a coordinator for the
Treatment Not Trauma campaign. In 2024, Hamza earned a Bachelor’s Degree in economics
and political science, with a minor in environmental and urban studies, from the University of
Chicago.

Darrion Johnson is a South Side resident and one of the candidates for the Commission’s two
youth seats. He is a youth organizer and co-founder of Good Kids Mad City–Englewood. Over
the past five years, Darrion has helped organize young people in Englewood and collaborated
with organizations such as the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). His commitment to youth
engagement is reflected in the campaigns he has championed, including advocacy for the
Peace Book Ordinance and other youth-centered violence reduction strategies. Darrion
graduated with honors from Innovations High School in 2023.

Rebecca Levin is a North Side resident and community organizer with more than twenty years
of experience working on public health and safety issues. She currently serves as the Vice
President of Policy at Treatment Alternatives for Stronger Communities. Rebecca is also a
member of the Illinois Network for Pretrial Justice and Illinois Harm Reduction and Recovery
Coalition. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a
Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University.

Javier Vasquez is a North Side resident and one of the candidates for the Commission’s two
youth seats. He works for Chicago Public Schools as a special education classroom assistant.
Javier has collaborated with community organizations like the Northwest Side Community
Development Corporation, helping to strengthen the relationships between local businesses and
neighborhood residents. He has received various academic and service awards, including the
Illinois Promise Joseph Pedott Spirit Award and the Marks Award for Academic Excellence and
Peace and Justice. Javier earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of
Illinois at Chicago in 2025.

Anjanette Young is a South Side resident and a licensed clinical social worker, clinician, and
community advocate with over twenty years of experience. She is the founder of Café Social
Work, an initiative focused on increasing the representation of minority and underrepresented
individuals in the social work profession. Her clinical experience includes medical social work at
the University of Illinois Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children, where she supported
individuals and families through mental health interventions, crisis management, and clinical
assessments. Following a wrongful and botched police raid on her home in 2019, Anjanette
became a leading advocate for police reform in Chicago, particularly around the Chicago Police
Department’s no-knock policy. She is a graduate of the University of Illinois Chicago’s Jane
Addams College of Social Work and has held roles in various mental health organizations.

The Nominating Committee has submitted the six nominees to Mayor Brandon Johnson for
consideration. By Ordinance, the mayor has 30 days to review the candidates and select three
nominees from the list provided by the Nominating Committee. A detailed report on the
nomination process will be published in the coming weeks. To learn more about the nomination
process and the work of the Nominating Committee, visit the CCPSA website at
ccpsa.chicago.gov.

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