Dear Neighbors, I’m writing to you for one last time this year to share some quick but important updates about DC government and our community leading up to the holidays. DC Council Final Legislation Meeting. Last Tuesday, the Council held its final legislative meeting, where we passed the second and final vote on my Safe Routes to School Act to make major traffic safety improvements around schools; Metro for DC to make MetroBus free in DC, expand bus service, and later on create a monthly transit subsidy for DC residents to ride MetroRail; the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights to provide essential workplace protections to house cleaners, nannies,

On Tuesday, December 20, the DC Council unanimously passed the second and final vote on the Safe Routes to School Act, which would require sweeping traffic safety improvements around both DCPS and public charter schools in the District. The Safe Routes to School Act comes at a time when the District is struggling with a high number of traffic fatalities. Zy’aire Joshua and Timothy Abbott in Ward 4 were two of many young lives lost on our streets in recent years. And across our city, dangerous driving leads to severe injuries, daily near-misses, and widespread fear among families for their

Dear Neighbors, The end of the year is exciting! We are gearing up for our final legislative session on Tuesday, holding our last hearings for 2023, choosing which office spaces we want, readying to find out our new Council committee assignments, and wrapping up our work for the end of the year. This will also be my last full newsletter until after the holidays, so please take a close look. We have updates on school repairs, public safety, bivalent boosters for children 6 months and older, school lottery applications, leaf collection, and many holiday events right here in Ward 4! Council Roundtable

Dear Neighbors, Are you done with your holiday shopping yet? Me either! Thankfully this installment of the Ward 4 newsletter features six holiday markets and pop-ups for you to find just the right gift for the special people in your life — while also supporting our community. And those are not the only fun events we have coming up! Also, I share updates about the DC School Lottery applications opening up next week, WMATA increasing bus frequency on two key lines, road adjustments for the Northern Bus Barn project, and the status of leaf collection. I know it’s nearly impossible to keep

Dear Neighbors, There’s a lot to look forward to this week! The Council is advancing several major bills next week, taking on critical issues like public housing and lead service line removal, and we’re preparing for the next Council term. We are also taking a major step towards expanding public transit and making it free in DC! Do you have yard signs you’re looking to recycle? There’s a great opportunity to recycle them on Saturday. We also have fun events coming up this weekend, like the Miracle on Upshur Street, Pajamarama shopping and the holiday market in Takoma, the holiday

Dear Neighbors, As we gather to share Thanksgiving meals with loved ones, I want to take a moment to wish each of you and your families a happy Thanksgiving! In my family every year, we go around the table and each share one thing we’re thankful for. This year I’m especially grateful for our DC government workers, who work hard to keep our city running and get our community the resources we need. Thank you to the wonderful staff at our COVID Centers, the DPW workers who are up early serving our communities, our dedicated educators and staff in DC

Dear Neighbors, As we gear up for Thanksgiving, here is my update on what’s going on in our community, on our streets and intersections, in the District as a whole, and at the DC Council. Ward 4 and Council News What the DC Council Passed This Week On Tuesday we held our third-to-last Committee of the Whole meeting and legislative session for this year and for this two-year Council term. Here are highlights on the bills voted on, as well as some other legislative updates: At 14.3%, DC has one of the highest rates of food insecurity for seniors in

Dear Neighbors, I want to start by thanking every Ward 4 resident who exercised their sacred right to vote in this election. Ward 4 has the third highest tally of votes cast, and the second highest participation rate in this election based on the number of registered voters in each Ward. I also want to thank everyone who stepped up to run for office, serve as a poll worker, or otherwise engage in voter outreach. Having a vibrant and active democracy is critical for creating strong communities. I’m grateful for everyone who will be representing Ward 4 in elected leadership

Dear Neighbors, I’m writing to update you on the latest from the DC Council, NPS’ announcement on Upper Beach Drive, our Election Day on November 8, the start of leaf collection next week, vaccine clinics in Ward 4 congregations, community events, local news, and more. Check it out! Ward 4 and Legislative News Council News: DC’s Criminal Code Revision On Tuesday, the Council unanimously passed the first of two votes on a bill to revise DC’s criminal code. This legislation is the outcome of a 16-year process, multiple public hearings, and the recommendations of an independent commission made up of key stakeholders from the US

Dear Neighbors, This week I’m sharing updates on community safety, DPR winter programs, leaf collection, pumpkin and gourd composting, the start of early voting, the end of street sweeping, neighborhood events, and two dozen Halloween events across Ward 4. Check it all out! Community Safety Updates This week we had our first Mayor-Council breakfast since before the pandemic. The discussion focused on public safety given our citywide gun violence crisis. I made several requests to strengthen our ongoing efforts to prevent gun violence on Kennedy Street. I asked Mayor Bowser and her administration to collaborate with me to purchase or use eminent domain to take