This Week’s Highlights
Happy New Year, Neighbors!
As we welcome in 2025, I’m sending neighbors wishes of good health, happiness, and community in the new year. As we look back on the year behind us, I want to share some reflections on the work we’ve accomplished together over the last 12 months and the work we still have ahead. Ahead of the inclement weather expected this weekend, I’m also sharing updates on the city’s work preparing for the snow and some helpful resources for neighbors.
Listening Sessions and Constituent Services Pop-Ups
My work as Ward 4 Councilmember starts and ends with community engagement. Over the course of the last 12 months, we’ve continued to hold annual events to hear from Ward 4 neighbors and have launched new events to better help address neighbors’ concerns. We kicked off the year with our fourth annual Listen as We Climb Ward 4 community listening sessions, visiting every Ward 4 neighborhood to hear from neighbors and shape our work on legislation, government oversight, and the DC budget. Then over the summer, we held our first ever “In the Ward 4 You” neighborhood pop-ups, visiting 7 locations around Ward 4 and bringing together nearly a dozen agencies to share resources and help address constituent services issues. We’re picking this work right back up in the New Year with Listen as We Climb — I can’t wait to share more in the coming weeks!
Improving Maintenance and Repairs at Our Schools and Rec Centers
In my second year as Chair of the Council’s Committee on Facilities and Family Services, we made important progress on the work we have begun to improve conditions at our schools, parks, rec centers, and public facilities. As we approached the start of the school year for DCPS students, we toured over a dozen schools throughout DC, ensuring students and teachers had the resources they needed to start the year right. Our Committee also approved important investments through the FY25 budget in facility maintenance, including $1 million to help the Department of General Services reduce the number of open work orders in schools, parks, and rec centers, and require DGS to develop an annual plan to guide preventative maintenance. We also included critical subtitles in the budget requiring security concerns like lock and door repairs to be classified as high priority, and striking the Mayor’s rule creating exemptions from the District’s net zero energy standards. Every District resident deserves access to safe and fully functional spaces to learn, work, play, and access city services, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the last two years. In the new year, I’ll be taking on new responsibilities as Chair of the Committee on Facilities. Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter for more on the work ahead!
Standing Up for Children, Families, and People with Disabilities
As Chair of the Committee on Facilities and Family Services, I’ve also continued to push forward policies that stand up for children and families and make life easier on our neighbors with disabilities. Our FY25 budget made important progress on both of these issues, restoring funding for the clothing allowance for people with disabilities in residential placements, and preserving the Office of the Ombudsperson for Children, a crucial oversight body ensuring families involved with DC’s Child and Family Services Agency receive the best possible outcomes. My committee also passed legislation repealing DC’s broad religious exemption to child neglect laws and extending the timeframe for completing child abuse and neglect investigations to improve the quality of investigations. Finally, in October, I introduced Lisa’s Law, legislation inspired by DC resident and activist Lisa Cohen, which would give every child in DC’s foster care system their own luggage and ban the use of trash bags.
Passing the CLEAN Collections Act
In December, the Council passed the Containing Litter and Ensuring Adequate Neighborhood (CLEAN) Collections Act on its final reading, which I was proud to introduce in 2022 to address trash overflow and rodent infestation. I proposed this common-sense legislation in response to direct feedback from the community and concerns neighbors have shared about irregular trash pickup and inadequate amount of trash and recycling cans in multifamily buildings. The bill sets clear and specific standards to help keep our neighborhoods clean and well-maintained. I’m particularly grateful to our ANC commissioners who were instrumental in bringing this bill about and advocating for its passage!
Addressing Crime in Our Neighborhoods
Keeping our communities as safe and secure as they can be is my top priority as Ward 4’s councilmember, and over the past year, we’ve made important progress towards reaching this goal. At the beginning of March, and after months of consideration and input from community members, the Council passed Secure DC, a landmark public safety bill that made significant investments in our public safety infrastructure and ability to bring down crime. When we passed the DC budget, I was proud to secure additional investments in programs with a demonstrated record of success, like violence interruption, leadership training, and Safe Passage at Ward 4 schools. Another key focus of our public safety work has been ensuring our emergency response system is robust and reliable. Over the past year, the Council has advanced provisions requiring more stringent oversight for the Office of Unified Communications, and have worked with the Department of General Services to escalate facility issues at OUC, helping our 911 system. We’ve also continued the community engagement work that is so essential to keeping our communities healthy and safe — attending weekly walks led by MPD 4th District’s Commander, holding regular public safety town halls for community members, and working every day with law enforcement, agencies, ANCs, and neighbors to respond to instances of crime. Our Ward 4 community and the District at large have continued to see declining crime rates since the pandemic, and I’m committed to continuing the partnership work that will keep us headed in the right direction.
Fighting Back Against Evictions and Unsafe Housing
This year, we made critical investments to protect DC’s affordable housing ecosystem, including by adding 619 new housing vouchers for FY25, the majority of which are permanent supportive housing vouchers. I was proud to introduce the Extreme Heat Eviction Protection Act, prohibiting landlords from evicting tenants in temperatures over 95 degrees. We also saw the Secure Apartments for Everyone (SAFE) Act introduced in July, which would take decisive steps to require basic security improvements in apartment buildings and help the Attorney General hold landlords who maintain unsafe properties accountable. In the new year, I will be fighting to see this bill receive attention so every DC resident can feel safe in their home.
Standing Up for Workers and Families in the District
In July, new wage laws went into effect in DC preventing discrimination in hiring, banning employers from asking applicants about their wage history and requiring them to post salary ranges in all job postings. At the same time, DC’s minimum wage increased from $17 to $17.50, and from $8 to $10 for tipped employees. We also saw a $40 million SNAP increase go into effect in March, ensuring families facing steep grocery bills, reduced federal aid, and economic hardship will be able to make ends meet and afford to put food on the table.
Making Our Local Streets Safer and Expanding Public Transit
Over the last 12 months, we have made significant progress on making our streets safer and improving public transportation in Ward 4 and throughout the District. In May, WMATA released its Better Bus Network plan to the public, proposing a new bus system for the DC metro area. Throughout the spring and summer, we heard from neighbors from every corner of Ward 4, holding a town hall meeting, encouraging neighbors to share their feedback directly with WMATA, and compiling input into a letter to the WMATA Board of Directors. Thanks to the advocacy of hundreds of neighbors, WMATA approved a final plan that better accounts for the transit needs of more Ward 4 residents, particularly our seniors and students. We also passed the STEER Act into law, which will help the DC Attorney General hold out-of-state drivers who break our traffic laws and rack up tickets accountable, and we closed out the year on a note of progress, as DDOT finalized its traffic safety plan for Grant Circle, the product of years of work from so many community members. I’m looking forward to seeing this plan go into effect soon, which will make the circle safer for drivers, bikers, and pedestrians alike.
Investing in Our Ward 4 Libraries, Parks, Pools, and Businesses
This year’s DC budget marked continued progress on important Ward 4 community projects. We secured funding to renovate the locker room at Takoma Aquatic Center, to replace the playground at Lamond Rec Center, and conduct HVAC replacement and ADA compliance upgrades at Takoma Rec Center. We continued working towards building a library facility on Kennedy Street, preserving $2 million in funding for the project in the FY25 budget. We also continued building towards upcoming projects with the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, including modernizations for the Upshur Rec Center and Emery Heights Community Center, and construction of a new outdoor pool at The Parks at Walter Reed. We were also lucky enough to welcome many businesses to our community this year, including La Coop Coffee on Kennedy Street, Merry Pin in Shepherd Park, Beautie Essentials on Georgia Ave, and Juneberry Garage at The Parks at Walter Reed, just to name a few!
Supporting Our Ward 4 Schools, Students, and Educators
Over the past year, we have continued to invest in the success of our students and educators, and have even welcomed new schools into our community. After months of advocacy, we secured funding for temporary learning space for our Whittier Elementary School students while their building undergoes renovations. We preserved funding for the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund after the Mayor cut it in her proposed budget, ensuring early childhood educators get the compensation they deserve for their invaluable work. In April, we officially welcomed Briya School to its new location on Shepherd Street. Briya is an innovative school providing support to children 0-3 and parents alike, focusing on bilingual education and helping families navigate their transitions to the United States. One of my biggest highlights of the year was introducing legislation researched and written by Powell Elementary School students to name the Red-Backed Salamander the official amphibian of DC. In September, we held a Council hearing, where students testified in support of their bill and were able to see the democratic process in action and the Council ultimately passed their bill into law!
Showing Up for Our Ward 4 Community
This year, we hosted and took part in several events across Ward 4 to bring neighbors together, share resources, and meet unmet needs in our communities. We continued participation in some of Ward 4’s most popular yearly traditions with Petworth Porchfest, Chevy Chase Day, and Celebrate Petworth, celebrated the diverse art and culture of our community at Art All Night, and gave back to neighbors in need during our fourth annual Turkey Giveaway with the Lamond Riggs Citizens Association, just to highlight a few. We also joined neighbors and congregation at Mt. Zion Baptist Church for the official street designation ceremony for Pastor John W. Davis Way, honoring a Ward 4 faith leader who supported and brought our community together over a lifetime of service. Thank you to every neighbor who supported these events and helped make them so special.
Community News
Preparing for Snow this Weekend
With the first snow of the year in the forecast for this weekend, DC has already begun citywide preparations for the inclement weather. The Department of Public Works (DPW) has begun salting roads and will continue to do so throughout the weekend. Please be aware that the weather could result in delays or interruptions to leaf and trash collection, which DPW is currently working to mitigate. Neighbors can also refer to The District Snow Team’s website, www.snow.dc.gov, for additional resources, and volunteer to help a neighbor with snow removal by visiting Serve DC’s website. As always, please be sure to lend a hand to neighbors in need, especially our seniors and neighbors with disabilities who may need help with transportation and shoveling snow.
On Thursday, I was proud and humbled to take my oath to faithfully serve the people of Ward 4 and DC for a second term as councilmember. It is the honor of a lifetime to fight for the values and priorities our community believes in, and I look to the next four years with hope, optimism, a renewed sense of purpose, and the resolve to continue improving the lives of those of us who call Ward 4 home.
One of the greatest joys of serving as Ward 4’s councilmember is getting to work with our dedicated ANC commissioners, community leaders, and neighbors, who each care deeply about our community and are working to make it better each and every day. The new year brings a new set of grassroots leaders in Ward 4, as we swore in 24 new ANC commissioners this week. I also had the privilege of administering the oath of office to the new Ward 4 Representative to the State Board of Education. I look forward to working with our ANC Commissioners to solve problems for neighbors, and with our School Board Representative, T. Michelle Colson on protecting our schools.
Check back next week for my first regular Ward 4 Dispatch of the year and enjoy the rest of the week!
In community,
— Janeese
