DC Government

“An Open Letter from District Bicycle Shops regarding Vision Zero”

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“Dear Mayor Bowser,

As DC bike shop owners, we’re committed to keeping our customers mobile and active. Your administration has made this more difficult. We are demanding that you implement policies and practices that make Vision Zero a reality, not just a campaign promise.

Dave Salovesh was not just a customer, but a good friend, loyal supporter, and vocal critic of the DC government’s sluggish pace when it came to Vision Zero. We will miss his tireless advocacy. We now have to attend to his unfinished business.

People from every Ward and all walks of life use bikes as their primary mode of transportation, their means of making a living, and their gateway to a healthy life. We are committed to making sure that these customers, friends, riding partners, and neighbors have safe and connected infrastructure to ride on. Some of our customers use the roads and parks for recreation and training, things that make living in this city and region enjoyable. Some of our customers use their bikes to get to work or do their job. These DC residents and visitors are no less important but far more vulnerable than a car user and should be prioritized in planning decisions. (more…)

“I kind of saw it like gentrification of the weed market.”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I came across a really interesting event Wednesday night in Adams Morgan. Basically a DC grey-market cannabis entrepreneur called for an open meeting in the community to discuss the new cannabis legalization proposal by Muriel Bowser. There were about 100 grey-market cannabis entrepreneurs in the house and they picked apart the bill and the overall consensus was that they thought the bill was bad for LOCAL DC entrepreneurs and favored big money and cronyism. (more…)

Council Members “Request Attorney General’s Opinion on $46 Million Tax Abatement for Line Hotel After D.C. Hiring Requirements Not Met”

By Prince Of Petworth


1780 Columbia Road, NW

From a press release:

“D.C. Councilmembers Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) and Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward 1) sent a letter earlier this week asking D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine to give his legal opinion on whether the executive branch has authority to waive District resident hiring requirements put into law as conditions for the Line Hotel receiving a $46 million tax abatement. The D.C. Council passed special legislation in 2011 requiring the hotel to meet specific hiring targets beyond the District’s First Source hiring law in order to receive the subsidy. The Line Hotel opened last year in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Ward 1 and is still in the process of being deemed eligible for the tax abatement.

The request to Attorney General Racine was made in response to a recently released Department of Employment Services (DOES) determination that, even though the hotel did not meet the hiring targets for D.C. residents clearly outlined in law, the agency had the authority to create a “substitute compliance” that would allow the Line Hotel to qualify for the $46 million in property tax abatements. (more…)

Gotta be a typo right?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Got a ticket the other day parked on this side of the road, Wednesday at 10:22 A.M. Had to think about this one for awhile but to me, this sign means no parking from Wednesday at 9:30 P.M. to Thursday at 11:30 A.M. However, after the ticket, I believe this sign is misprinted and should say A.M. instead of P.M. (more…)

“AG Racine Wins $224K+ Judgment Against Home Contractor for Illegal, Shoddy Construction and Wage Theft”

By Prince Of Petworth


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…)

“Washington, DC attracted a record 21.9 million domestic visitors in 2018”

By Prince Of Petworth


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…)

“Mayor Bowser Unveils Legislation to Establish Legal Sales of Marijuana”

By Prince Of Petworth


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…)

“Residents of the District of Columbia are recycling more, and they are recycling more effectively”

By Prince Of Petworth


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…)

7th Sign of Spring DDOT “will begin the annual spraying of the female ginkgo street trees tonight”

By Prince Of Petworth

From DDOT:

“The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will begin the annual spraying of the female ginkgo street trees tonight, Tuesday, April 30. The spraying will occur overnight from 9 p.m. through 6 a.m., weather permitting.

The annual spraying serves to reduce the formation of mature ginkgo fruit, which emits an offensive smell when it falls on sidewalks and roadways. DDOT will use the same spray it has used for the past 20 years, Shield-3EC 24(C). (more…)

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