photo by Victoria Pickering

Jenny Hunter is a labor lawyer, policy consultant and freelance writer living in Ward 4.

PoP-Ed. posts may be written about anything related to the District and submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line.

“In 2018, when DC voters last considered an initiative to phase out the subminimum wage for tipped workers, the restaurant industry unleashed a well-funded campaign of sketchy arguments and fearmongering, dressed up as concern for workers. It didn’t sway voters, who decisively approved Initiative 77. But the industry convinced the DC City Council to thumb its nose at voters and repeal the measure.

This November’s ballot includes Initiative 82, a near-replica of I-77. I-82 would gradually raise the tipped subminimum wage of $5.35 so that by 2027 tipped workers would earn at least the regular minimum wage, now $16.10, with tips on top of that. Yes, that’s right, today tipped workers in DC can be paid $5.35 per hour–just a smidge more than the federal minimum wage in 1997, when DVD players first became available in the US and “SpiceWorld: The Movie” came out.

So, the restaurant industry is dusting off its specious old arguments. Read More

PoP-Ed. posts may be written about anything related to the District and submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line. No guarantess they’ll be published but I’m always happy to take a look. Thanks.

Francisca writes:

“Earlier this year, Councilmember Elissa Silverman announced the Domestic Worker Employment Rights Amendment Act of 2022 and just this month, the Committee on Labor & Workforce Development held a public hearing on the legislation. I want to share why it is so important for the council to pass this for domestic workers.

In a city like Washington, DC, many people rely on nannies like myself. Nearly from the moment I moved here, I have gotten up every morning and gone to work helping families care for their kids. The work I do is essential. Without it, working moms and dads wouldn’t be able to do their own jobs.

Throughout the pandemic, thousands of nannies in this city did the same work that I do. I was extremely fortunate to have employers that continued to pay me for six months during the lockdown when I could not go into work. However, some either never stopped working or lost their jobs and all income. The types of protections others typically have in their jobs, we don’t and it is time to change that. Read More

4618 14th Street, NW photo by PoPville

“Dear PoPville,

We are writing in response to the Dance Loft on 14/Heleos press release that was circulated on PoPville on April 11, 2022. We represent a group of 16th St Heights neighbors who are opposed to this development as currently proposed. We’re writing this letter to clarify that our objection to this project has been mischaracterized. We are not objecting to affordable housing. What we are objecting to is the size, density and scope of the project: Read More

Ileana Schinder is an architect in Washington, DC. She graduated with a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba (Argentina, 2000) and a M.A. in Communications from the American University (Washington DC, 2006)

Ileana is the Author of “Housing for Humans: A book to imagine, Create and Design a New Housing Model in America” Ileana was born and raised in Argentina. She lives in Washington, DC with her family and her dog, Cecilia.

As public debates of new zoning rules and livability plans heat up in the region, we wonder: can zoning solve our current housing crisis? Yes, and here is how.

The lack of innovative housing options is the result of an outdated zoning approach to residential design. In the past, homes and every other activity was divided by swaths of land: work, play and life were tied by wide roads and car dependent. Limiting one house per also kept limited offer of housing while population grew at a faster pace.

Also, not only zoning rules limit how many, and which shape the homes will be, they also limit the number families that can occupy a property. So, with today’s zoning code, a homeowner can easily erect a garage, or a storage shed, but it bans the same homeowner in creating an additional dwelling unit of the same shape. Even if the architectural addition were to be identical, the zoning code is clear: you are not allowed to house more humans, but you have permission to create space for more cars and stuff. Read More

photo by fromcaliw/love

Dave Statter covered public safety in the District of Columbia and the region as a reporter for WTOP Radio & WUSA-TV. His website, STATter911.com, focuses on fire, EMS and 911 issues and videos. Dave currently runs STATter911 Communications in Arlington, VA.

PoP-Ed. posts may be written about anything related to the District and submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail(dot)com please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line.

Between the pandemic and the wave of violence in the District of Columbia, no one wants another reason to fear for their health and safety or for the well-being of their family. But there’s another crisis. One that’s mostly being ignored by political leaders and the news media. DC 911 is in desperate shape.

Handling almost two million calls each year, there’s no other local public safety agency in the region with more impact on our health and safety than DC’s Office of Unified Communications (OUC). Right now, the person in charge of OUC is struggling to get staff to show up for work and making sure those who do, put in a full shift. And with Covid cases rising among the unvaccinated, this 911 staffing problem may soon get much worse. OUC is the DC agency with the lowest percentage of vaccinated workers – less than 35%. Read More

Photo by Lorie Shaull

The following was written by Tony T, “Tony Tomeldon is a DC native, dad of three all-virtual students, husband of a physical therapist and owner of The Pug, Partner at Union Trust and Brookland’s Finest.”

THIS MARCH MADNESS: PLACE YOUR BETS ON DC

It goes without saying that this damn virus has impacted a huge number of businesses in DC. I’ve lost track of the bars and restaurants that have closed, and the friends who have watched their dreams disappear. We say it over and over again, but even in the best of times, our margins are incredibly narrow. The grants and aid packages have been very helpful, but as a friend says, we’re not running P & Ls we’re running L & Ls. Also, don’t forget congress gave us territorial aid, not state aid. We still need help.

Last year, DC legalized sports betting for wagering on games through apps and in-person. I’m too emotionally involved in my teams to bet. My big gamble was getting involved in the hospitality business. Someday, I’ll let you know if that bet paid off. I’m just a bartender, so it may be above my paygrade, but I’m hoping (almost begging) that some of the tax revenue raised on betting in DC can be used to help my industry. Read More

Photo by Erin

“Dear PoPville,

As a DCPS teacher (who would prefer to stay anonymous) I wanted to send this because, while most of the DCPS reopening focus has been on the health and safety factors of reopening (understandably so), very little discussion has been had on how logistically terrible the plan is for students, families, and teachers.

As an example, I am a fifth grade math teacher in a school with 50 5th graders. 10 of our Students will be back in school, and will be taught by either myself or the 5th grade ELA teacher. This means that the remaining 40 students would no longer have access to the teacher they have spent the last two months learning routines, skills and structures from. DCPS has offered no further clarity on who would take on that teaching role, but I don’t think it’s out of turn to say that they wouldn’t not be as effective working with the group as I would be. Read More

1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

ANC6B10 Commissioner Denise Krepp is a resident of Hill East. PoP-Ed. posts may be written about anything related to the District and submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line.

Ed. Note: The Post also published an editorial on this subject, ‘D.C. has gone too far on criminal-justice reform’

“DC Council and Violent Crime

Over the weekend, The Washington Post published an article about legislation under review by the DC Council that enables individuals convicted of rape and murder to be released early from prison. Instead of helping rapists, DC Councilmembers should be asking why the Department of Justice isn’t prosecuting rapes occurring in Washington, DC; why millions of DC tax dollars are being spent on sexual harassment settlements; and why DC agency employees who commit sexual harassment are still employed.

Currently, DC law enables judges to reduce prison sentences for crimes committed by individuals under the age of 18. There are no disqualifying crimes. The law simply states that the individual must served 20 years in prison.

Until recently, judges reviewing petitions for early release were required to consider the nature of the crimes committed. The DC Council removed that requirement from the law in January 2019.

Now, the DC Council wants to expand the early release policy to individuals who committed crimes under the age of 25. And again, there is no limitation on crimes. An individual can commit rape and receive early release if that individual was under the age of 25 when the crime occured. Read More

example photo of curb extensions from the DDOT proposal

“Dear PoPville,

I know many readers have been following the city-wide conversation about making our streets safer to prevent the kinds of senseless pedestrian and cyclist deaths we’ve been even more attentive to since the tragic deaths of Dave Salovesh and Abdul Seck.

One of the places we have a chance to make some real improvements right now is Bloomingdale. Already this year drivers have killed two pedestrians on North Capitol Street, and residents are nervous it’s only a matter of time before something similar happens on the pedestrian-heavy 1st Street NW. Despite being a residential road, commuting cars cut through and speed through the stop signs to catch the lights at the intersections of 1st and Florida and 1st and Rhode Island. Just last week covered a violent crash right in this area on Tuesday that spilled onto the sidewalk. Read More

Cycling in D.C. was written by Joel Hoard. Joel lives in Adams Morgan.

PoP-Ed. posts may be written about anything related to the District and submitted via email to princeofpetworth(at)gmail please include PoP-Ed. in the subject line.

“Eight years ago when I had just started riding a bike in D.C., I found a slip of paper inside a candy wrapper. On it was a quote by H.G. Wells: “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of mankind.”

I’m 36 years old, and I love bikes. I ride them. I build them. I fix them. I talk about them to anyone who will listen. I ride to work. I ride to the grocery store. I ride to my friends’ houses. Sometimes I ride to nowhere in particular just because I love it.

I also love Washington, D.C. This is my home. I’ve lived here for 11 years, and I have no plans to leave. I’ve biked across all four quadrants of this city countless times. Seeing the place I love by bicycle is perhaps the simplest joy in my life.

But sometimes riding in this town sucks. For every leisurely ride around the Mall, there’s a driver speeding through a red light to shave 30 seconds off his morning commute. For every Saturday morning ride through Rock Creek Park, there’s an Uber driver swerving into a bike lane to drop somebody off or a car door flinging open. With cars clocking in at an average weight of 4,000 lbs, when one hits a cyclist, it’s clear who’s going to win. And if you open a car door or swerve in front of us, you might as well be a brick wall. We don’t stand a chance.

On September 24, Tom Hollowell was killed as he rode his bike to work when a driver sped through a red light and hit him. Read More