Dear Neighbors, I know it has been a very heavy week. Like many of you, I cannot stop thinking about the massacre in Texas and the devastating impact that guns have on our nation and our communities. I hope this update brings some encouragement or respite during a difficult time. Ward 4 and Legislative News Ward 4 Summer Safety Strategic Meeting In Ward 4, we are working collaboratively with our DC agencies and coordinating with residents to help improve safety. We try to be as vigilant as possible throughout the year, but crime tends to spike during the summer months.

The June 21 DC Primary Election has already begun with the first wave of mail-in ballots hitting mailboxes last week. The information below can help you exercise your right to vote and answer many of the questions you may have. Key Points for Voters to Know There’s still time to register to vote. Register before May 31 to receive a mail-in ballot, or register in person at any Vote Center during Early Voting (June 10-19) or on Election Day (June 21). Voter registration and proof of address requirements are here. Voter registration forms in languages other than English are here. Check your voter registration

Dear Neighbors, This week I’m sharing updates on our DPR Center Readiness Tour, the DC budget, Hellbender, spray parks, booster shots for kids ages 5-11, free COVID tests from the federal government, Metro, the Shepherd Park Garden Tour, Bike to Work Day, and more… Let’s get into it all! Ward 4 News and Legislative Updates Launching the Ward 4 DPR Center Readiness Tour I’m excited to share that this week we kicked off our DPR Center Readiness Tour. I’m visiting every rec center in Ward 4 with DPR and DGS agency staff to help ensure each center is ready for

Last week, the Council gave initial approval to a DC budget that includes a major win we secured for Ward 4 schools. First, allow me to share some background on the problem. Roosevelt High School currently shares its building with Roosevelt STAY, an opportunity academy serving 16-24 year old students in a critical period of their lives. This arrangement worked when STAY was primarily a night school, but DCPS moved them to daytime programming recently. This change led to severe overcrowding for both schools, which has been exacerbated by increasing enrollment. Next year Roosevelt was projected to be the most overcrowded DCPS school with

Dear Neighbors, This week I’m excited to share a major win for our Ward 4 schools secured in the DC budget. Check out the details below, and stay tuned to hear about more of our Ward 4 investments once the budget is finalized in two weeks. It’s a characteristically busy weekend in Ward 4 with community events at Barnard and Whittier, a reunion event for the Lamond Riggs Boys and Girls Club, a Mother’s Day Swap by Ward 4 Mutual Aid, Takoma PorchFest and Community Yard Sale, and our farmers markets back in action. And don’t miss out on our

Dear Neighbors, From supporting DC Circulator workers on the picket line and protesting at the Supreme Court to passing legislation and working to finalize the DC budget, it’s been a wild week! I wanted to report back on our work and other DC services, community resources, and neighborhood events that could be of interest to you. I also want to wish all of our amazing moms in Ward 4 a happy Mother’s Day! You are truly the bedrock of our families and our community. I hope you feel the love this weekend and have the wonderful day that you deserve!

Dear Neighbors, This week the Council has been working on amendments to the proposed DC budget. On Wednesday, we had a marathon budget work session where each Committee explained its proposals and Councilmembers highlighted needs that are currently unmet. If there’s something you believe is important but is not currently included in the budget, the next few days are your last chance to advocate for it to be added. I’m excited that this week I introduced two pieces of Green New Deal legislation: a bill to create social housing in DC, which I believe is the critical missing piece to confronting our

Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George and five other Councilmembers introduced the Green New Deal for Housing Act to revolutionize how the District produces and preserves affordable housing by creating sustainable, climate-neutral social housing. Social housing is publicly-owned, mixed-income housing that generates deeper affordability by reinvesting rent payments in lowering costs for tenants and establishing more social housing across the city. “Social housing is the critical missing piece in confronting our severe affordable housing crisis,” said Councilmember Lewis George. “By putting the profits and the power in the hands of people, we can generate more of the affordable housing that

This piece originally appeared in Petworth News under Councilmember’s Corner. Growing up in Ward 4, my neighborhood block was like a village.  I knew the name of all of my neighbors, and our families looked after each other. All the other children on my block were considered my cousins – whether we were related or not – and we all went to the same school together. Our neighborhoods were places where working-class families could afford to live. My neighbor three doors down was a WMATA bus driver. Across the street, my history teacher. At my home, my mother supported our

Dear Neighbors, Happy Friday! This weekend we are honoring Earth Day with no less than eight community cleanups across Ward 4 – find the one nearest to you and join. On Saturday, we also have a great community health fair in Petworth, a huge spring celebration and egg hunt at the Parks at Walter Reed, and the grand re-opening of Midtown Youth Academy on Georgia Avenue. I’m also excited to share that I am hiring to expand our team, so please spread the word. And in this first section, I report on changes made to the budget in the committee markup process and lay