Dear Neighbor,
The days are getting longer and warmer and I’m looking forward to Cherry Blossom Season March 20th -April 17th! The city is buzzing with activity and I want to keep you updated on some of the work my team and I are focused on at the Council!
Homelessness: Helping residents experiencing homelessness move into safe sustainable housing remains a top priority for me. I know neighbors share this concern and I continue to work with the Department of Human Services, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and service providers every day to accelerate this process. The CARE Pilot project has been successful in helping unsheltered neighbors move out of encampments and into housing and I am working to expand it to other sites across Ward 2. You can learn more here about the program at 20th and E St. NW and 25th and Virginia Ave. NW.
New Legislation: Working in collaboration with Attorney General Karl Racine, I introduced legislation to strengthen our consumer protection laws. District residents & visitors deserve to be treated fairly and these laws are a critical safeguard of dignity & financial wellbeing. In addition, I introduced a bill to allow DC residents to vote by mobile device. You can learn more about the importance of expanding voting accessibility while ensuring security here.
Agency Oversight & The Budget: The Council is wrapping up agency performance oversight hearings and the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget will be presented by the Mayor on March 16th. I sent a letter to Mayor Bowser on behalf of Ward 2 including my major budget priorities. I will continue to fight for funding on the issues that matter most to Ward 2 residents and businesses. You can view the full letter here.
We continue to make great strides in overcoming the pandemic, and I am confident in a robust recovery. The District’s Chief Financial Officer recently stated, “Overall, the District’s economic outlook is positive.” Together we will continue to uplift workers, businesses, teachers, students & their families.
Below you’ll find updates on the following:
Yours in Service,
Brooke
TEAM PINTO IN THE COMMUNITY
In the last few weeks, Councilmember Pinto and the team were thrilled to be in the community at events. Team Pinto:
- Spoke with neighbors at ANC 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 2F and 6E as well as the Ward 2 Redistricting Taskforce Townhall.
- Met with the DC Democratic Party to discuss the Mobile Voting Options for Turnout Equity Act.
- Kicked-Off Cherry Blossom Festival season. Peak bloom is expected March 22nd – 25th!
- Celebrated Women’s History Month with Councilmember Pinto’s colleagues who helped turn the DC Council majority women for the first time in decades.
- Lit the Wilson Building up in yellow and blue in support of Ukraine.
- Spoke with Shaw neighbors on a walk with ANC 6E (now Ward 2) Commissioner Alex Lopez.
- Broke ground for Parcel 42 in Shaw to provide over 100 affordable units of housing.
- Joined neighbors and MPD for “Coffee with the Commander”
- Let the neighborhood know about a new speed camera in the 1300 block of 9th St. NW. Neighbors in Shaw, Logan Circle, Blagden Alley & Naylor Court have seen extremely unsafe driving speeds in this area and hopefully this will help.
- Swore in and welcomed the new ANC 2E Commissioner Cimrun Srivastava.
- Celebrated the groundbreaking of the new hospital on the grounds of the St. Elizabeth’s East Campus to provide greater accessibility of health care services to Ward 7 & 8 residents.
- Joined DC’s Bravest for the opening of the new Engine & Ambulance 23 Fire Station in Foggy Bottom.
- Delivered pads and tampons to Georgetown Ministry Center to highlighting the PERIOD Act introduced by Councilmember Pinto. You can watch Councilmember Pinto’s message here.
- Attended the Ward 2 ANC Redistricting Taskforce Meetings and thanked the volunteers for their service to the endeavor of redrawing the ANC boundaries.
- Visited the Ward 2 COVID Center at 926 F St. NW
- Honored Black History Month with social media posts of Black History in Ward 2
- The Mt Zion/Female Union Band Society works to preserve & commemorate the oldest Black cemeteries in DC. Councilmember Pinto requested funding in this year’s upcoming budget to ensure there is stormwater management to protect this important historic landmark.
- Dr. Carter G. Woodson was a historian, author and journalist and called the Shaw neighborhood home. He worked tirelessly to ensure Black history was recorded, shared and celebrated, establishing Negro History Week in 1926 which we celebrate today as Black History Month.
- John A. Wilson, after whom the John A. Wilson Building which serves as the home of the DC Council is named, was a fierce advocate for civil rights working with the Student NonViolent Coordinating Committee. & National Sharecroppers Fund. He served as the first Ward 2 Councilmember & as Council Chairman.
- The Brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi are committed to community service, social action, mentoring & scholarship programs and so many alumni are devoted leaders in DC. In Dupont Circle you'll find the historic Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity House in 1700 block of S St. NW.
IN THE NEWS
WAMU’s The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi and Tom Sherwood. Councilmember Pinto made her debut on The Politics Hour to discuss public safety and business recovery. You can listen to the full show here.
The Washington Post: Councilmember Pinto's Mobile Voting Options for Turnout Equity Act was featured in The Washington Post.
ABC 7 News DC: ReOpen DC Bill: Councilmember Pinto spoke with ABC 7 News about the passage of the ReOpen DC Bill. You can learn more about the bill below in Legislative updates.
ABC News 7 DC on Mobile Voting: Councilmember Pinto spoke with News 7 about the mobile voting bill to provide greater accessibility during elections.
WDVM 25: Councilmember Pinto spoke with Lex Juarez about the Consumer Protection Bill she introduced to strengthen these laws with Attorney General Karl Racine
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
ReOpen DC Bill: The Council passed the ReOpen DC Bill extending innovative business practices from the pandemic and allowing new practices based on lessons learned.
- The bill extends streateries for all of 2022 and 2023 to prevent small businesses from having to pay to deconstruct and store streatery equipment during the winter months.
- Councilmember Pinto worked with the Sierra Club DC to require bars & restaurants in commercial lifestyle centers to serve beverages in reusable cups through a deposit refund system. Councilmember Pinto hopes this will serve as a model for zero waste practices in other venues across the city.
- Councilmember Pinto worked with ANC 2E to ensure that businesses applying for streatery permits have to notify the Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commissions of their application so that the affected ANC can weigh in with any resident concerns.
- The bill provides incentives for grocery stores to locate in Wards 7 & 8 which currently have only four grocery stores. This is critical to ensuring access to healthy foods for over 150,000 District Residents.
Oversight Hearings: The full oversight schedule can be found here. Councilmember Pinto recently participated in the following hearings.
- Committee of the Whole: DC Public Schools and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education. Read updates here.
- Committee on Housing & Executive Administration: DC Housing Authority. Watch Councilmember Pinto’s opening remarks on getting folks into housing here.
- Committee on Government Operations & Facilities: Department of General Services which manages all government buildings. Read update here.
- Committee on Housing and Executive Administration: Department of Human Services which provides housing and homelessness assistance. Read update here.
- Committee on Transportation & Environment: Department of Transportation – Read update here.
- Committee on Transportation & Environment: Department of Public Works – Read update here.
- Committee on Business & Economic Development: Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development.
- Committee on Judiciary & Public Safety: Metropolitan Police Department.
- Committee on Judiciary: Deputy Mayor for Public Safety & Justice
- Committee on Government Operations & Facilities: Office of Advisory Neighborhood Commission
- Committee on Health: Department of Behavioral Health - Read update here.
- Committee on Recreation, Libraries, and Youth Affairs: Department of Parks & Recreation - Read update here.
- Committee on Business and Economic Development: Events DC - Read update here.
- Transportation & Environment: Department of Motor Vehicles and Deputy Mayor for Operations and Infrastructure- Read update here.
Redistricting: The new Ward 2 boundaries are now official! The Ward 2 ANC Redistricting Taskforce is now meeting to provide the Council with recommendations on how the ANC boundaries should be redrawn. The next meeting is March 8th and is open to the public to view. There will be a townhall on March 14th. The full list of meetings can be found below and you can register for all the meetings here.
Legislation co-introduced by Councilmember Pinto: Here are some of the bills recently co-introduced by Councilmember Pinto.
- Metro for DC Act to provide $100 monthly transit benefit to DC residents to encourage use of public transportation.
- No Senior Hungry Act to coordinate resources to ensure programs are reaching Seniors and providing meals to all those who need them.
- Diaper Affordability and Access Act to provide additional assistance to TANF recipients to be used for diaper expenses.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
We're Hiring! Councilmember Pinto's team is seeking a Legislative Director and Communications Director. For more information visit www.dccouncil.us/jobs
Tax Assistance: AARP Foundation has Tax Aide Sites across the District including at the Georgetown Library at 3260 R St. NW. Wednesdays and Fridays from 10AM-2PM. 202-656-1825
Street sweeping has resumed! Make sure you check the signs when you park!
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