DC Government

Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

From the DC Attorney General’s Office:

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced an estimated $224,000 judgment in its lawsuit against Xquisite Basements & Kitchens, Inc., a home renovation contractor, and Newton Gaynor, its owner and operator, for providing illegal and incomplete construction work to District consumers and for failing to pay workers. The Office of Attorney General (OAG) filed suit against Xquisite and Gaynor in June 2018 alleging violations of the District’s consumer protection and wage laws. Now, a judge has ordered the company to refund harmed consumers, many of them seniors, and to return stolen wages and damages to workers, and pay civil penalties to the District. OAG will attempt to collect these amounts from the defendants in order to provide relief to those who were harmed. The judge’s order also bans Xquisite and Gaynor from providing home improvement services in the District for ten years. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Jeremy Kirkpatrick

From a press release:

“Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC, today announced that Washington, DC attracted a record 21.9 million domestic visitors in 2018, the ninth consecutive year for tourism growth for the District. Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of DDC, announced tourism’s impact on DC with city leaders and stakeholders at the organization’s annual Travel Rally held on Woodrow Wilson Plaza at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center on Tuesday, May 7.

“An additional 1.1 million domestic visitors to DC year-over-year is a big deal for the city,” said Ferguson. “As we market the city through our ‘Discover the Real DC campaign,’ we continue to show potential visitors that there’s so much more to see and do in Washington, DC beyond the federal government and build on our momentum that’s sustaining visitation to the city.”

Visitor spending in 2018 amounted to a record $7.8 billion, according to IHS Markit, up 4.3%, resulting in $851 million in local taxes realized by the District. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Tim Brown

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled the Safe Cannabis Sales Act of 2019 – legislation that allows for the sale of recreational cannabis in Washington, DC. The bill enhances public health and safety, provides clarity on the use of cannabis and cannabis products, and advances equity to ensure that the benefits of the new regime go to DC’s most vulnerable communities through jobs and investments in housing. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user Lorie Shaull

From DPW:

“Residents of the District of Columbia are recycling more, and they are recycling more effectively, keeping items that are not recyclable out of their recycling bins. Between October 2017 and June 2018, DC residents increased the amount they recycle by 9.5%, which equates to an average monthly increase of 200 tons. Residue, the leftover material in the recycling stream that cannot be recycled, decreased by eight percentage points from 27% in 2017 to 19% in 2018. (more…)

Photo by PoPville flickr user John Goucher

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, City Administrator Rashad Young, and Chief Resilience Officer Kevin Bush joined 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) to release the District’s first resilience strategy, Resilient DC: A Strategy to Thrive in the Face of Change. The inaugural strategy provides a roadmap for preparing the city for new challenges and promoting actions related to inclusive growth, climate, smart cities, health, and equity.

“Washington, DC is one of the strongest, most diverse, and most vibrant cities in the United States; for our growth and prosperity to continue, we must make sure that we are prepared for the unexpected and are resilient in the face of change and challenges,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Through Resilient DC, we have the opportunity to work together across disciplines to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow and make DC a model for cities across the nation.”

Resilient DC is the outcome of a robust process lasting nearly two years, and which has resulted in a deeper, cross-sector understanding of some of the District’s most important challenges. In total, more than 100 community leaders and subject matter experts contributed, in addition to the 1,100 residents, from all eight wards, who shared their ideas for building resilience. (more…)