DC Government

Absentee Ballots “So do you need stamps at all?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

After all the stamp debates about absentee ballots, I noticed that DC’s absentee ballot doesn’t have a ‘place stamp here’ box on the envelope, nor does it say ‘extra postage required’. So do you need stamps at all? On some legitimate sources online some say you don’t even need the correct postage because it’s real election mail so it’ll arrive no matter what.

I’m sure there are a lot of people voting by absentee.

I tweeted at the DC Election board or whatever but unsurprisingly did not get a reply. attached is a photo of the envelope. Some places write, extra postage needed on the envelope, some places have a box and say  ‘affix stamp here’, DC’s envelope says nothing, and there is that one Time article that says the USPS will deliver w/o a stamp. So what is it? “

“Anyone Have a Business License for short-term rentals? I am trying to become legal- but the process sure is not friendly.”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I’m trying to apply for a BBL for my short-term rental- (additional bedrooms on Airbnb)
The licensing department of dcra told me that I need to go through the following steps: register my ssn with Tax and Revenue, Have a Clean Hands Certificate, and get a Certificate of Occupancy. The problem is that dcra does not issue CofO for single family homes. They told me that I can apply for a Home Occupation Permit- but that will require a “change of use” of the property to a Bed and Breakfast. (more…)

Being Driven Mad by Robocalls? OAG has some tips to reduce them

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville Flickr user Eric Spiegel

From the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia:

“4.2 billion robocalls were made to US households in August 2018, and robocalls are up 33.2% in the first eight months of 2018 as compared to 2017. We put these tips together after joining a bipartisan coalition of 35 attorneys general in urging the FCC to strengthen protections against robocalls.

It’s clear that law enforcement must keep pace with technological advances. That’s why AG Racine has joined a bipartisan coalition of 35 attorneys general in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen protections against robocalls. The coalition urged the FCC to find ways to encourage service providers to implement security protocols that can help authenticate legitimate calls and identify illegally spoofed calls. We’re also working with telecom service providers to explore ways that providers can stop robocalls before consumers’ phones even ring.

Below are five ways you can reduce the number of robocalls you receive: (more…)

” This month provides an excellent opportunity for the District to demonstrate its support in ending domestic violence.”

By Prince Of Petworth

From an email:

“October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. During this month, local organizations join together to promote greater public awareness about domestic violence. This month provides an excellent opportunity for the District to demonstrate its support in ending domestic violence. Moreover, it is a wonderful opportunity to educate the public on the seriousness of domestic violence and the prevalence of this epidemic in our lives. The Coalition has compiled a calendar of events and we hope that you or colleagues can attend an event or two this month to learn more about the domestic violence advocacy community. You can find all of the events and additional resources at www.spreadlovedc.org. (more…)

“Have any other individuals or neighborhood groups been successful in getting DDOT to install a stop sign at a dangerous intersection?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

The neighbors in central Shaw could use your help seeking advice from the community on how to deal with a dangerous intersection in our neighborhood:

There was another accident at the one-way stop at 8th and Q NW on Monday–this time, an SUV ended up on the sidewalk and mangled a treebox and another vehicle. Both drivers were thankfully OK. An SUV traveling south on 8th (turning left onto Q) hit a Prius traveling east on Q. (8th St. traffic has a stop sign; Q St. traffic does not.) The driver of the SUV said she did not realize cross traffic doesn’t have a stop sign, so she entered the intersection expecting the Prius to stop.

This intersection has long been a hazard, with accidents and daily near-misses between vehicles, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians. Residents have made multiple appeals to the city to install a stop sign on Q St. to improve the safety of the intersection. In March, at the request of the local neighborhood association, Councilmember Allen wrote a letter to Director Marootian requesting conversion of this intersection to an all-way stop, but we have yet to receive a reply from DDOT regarding this. We also brought this to the attention of the Mayor’s Office of Community Relations & Service, during two walk-through visits and multiple emails over the past few years, also to no avail. Vision Zero? More like Zero Vision.

A few additional factors make this one-way stop particularly hazardous: (more…)

“Are we going to wait until a child walking to school at 8:30 in the morning is killed at the intersection?

By Prince Of Petworth

Dennis Junius reported just before 8am:

“another accident at Taylor and 13th place NE. How many more until we get a traffic pattern change or someone gets killed? Been happening for years now with no action.”

Chris Baronner also reported just before 10am:

“@kenyanmcduffie Are we going to wait until a child walking to school at 8:30 in the morning is killed at the intersection of Taylor St NE/13th Place before making 13th Pl one ways or at least a 4-way stop? @PoPville Too many accidents/way too many near misses on daily basis!”

“Commercial Airbnb Hosts Add Strain on Single Mothers Across D.C.”

By Prince Of Petworth

Yukia Hugee, lives in North East and is part of the It’s Time DC coalition.

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.


Photo by PoPville flickr user DCbmyers

Ed. Note: You can read “The DC Council will vote Tuesday on legislation that would place severe restrictions on short-term rentals in DC.” posted yesterday here.

Commercial Airbnb Hosts Add Strain on Single Mothers Across D.C.
By: Yukia Hugee, single mom and Northeast D.C. resident

Safety is a main concern for any mother. This concern is only heightened for a single mother, like myself, that lives in a hustling and bustling city like D.C. and is safety is always one of the main concerns I have for my young family and I. Consequently, knowing the members of my community that surround me, work near my home, and protect my neighborhood is very important to me as I raise my children in our vibrant city.

That is why I am so disheartened to see my community unwrapped by commercial operators running illegal hotels that are creating a revolving door of strangers who don’t have an attachment to our community.

That isn’t creating a safer neighborhood for me or my family – it’s breaking it down. (more…)

My 20 year old self disagrees but ultimately this is a good thing

By Prince Of Petworth

Thanks to Mark for sending yesterday:

“I saw this at 7-11. Apparently they added $2 tax on all cigarettes and raised the age to 21 effective today.”

So how much does a pack a cigarettes cost these days?

Council of DC also tweeted yesterday:

“Effective today, the Prohibition Against Selling Tobacco Products to Individuals Amendment Act of 2015 is fully funded for the first time”

311 App – Effective or Not?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user 311

“Dear PoPville,

Just going through the comments in the post on Park Road and I got to thinking about how ineffective the DC311 mobile app has been for me. I’m curious what other readers’ experiences have been?”

Ed. Note: I haven’t used the app but when I call or tweet 311 I’ve had very good success. You guys?

“The DC Council will vote Tuesday on legislation that would place severe restrictions on short-term rentals in DC.”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by PoPville flickr user dullshick

Jim Havard lives in 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.

Open Letter to DC Communities and the DC Council
By Jim Havard

DC Short-Term Rental Legislation – An Allowance Should be Made for “Plus One” Properties, Without “Caps”

The DC Council will vote Tuesday on legislation that would place severe restrictions on short-term rentals in DC. The bill on the table would, among other things, ban any short-term rentals from properties outside of the primary residence, and limit owners pursuing short-term rentals when away from primary residences to 90 days a year. To be clear, the primary impact of this legislation for DC would not be to regulate some big corporation (like AirBnB or VRBO); rather, it would be to cripple short-term rental small businesses in DC, including those owned by local people – like widows, seniors, and parents with challenging medical conditions – who are renting out their small “plus one” properties in an effort to make ends meet. These folks should be allowed to keep their businesses; this bill is too restrictive and should be amended. (more…)

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