DC Government

From MPD:

“Today, proposed legislation to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of marijuana was introduced in Council. This is a significant issue that merits robust discussion on a broad spectrum of issues, including concerns about the risk to children with increased access, the health impact of increasingly potent plants, and conflict with federal laws. In the meantime, it is important for the community to recognize that some of the information being used as an argument for decriminalization is flawed. As I believe our community members know, MPD has not prioritized marijuana arrests. Since day one, my priority has been combatting violent crime, and the District is safer as a result. Marijuana users are simply not being targeted in the manner suggested by a recent report from the ACLU and by many advocates for decriminalization.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr. T in DC

From a press release:

Today, Councilmember Tommy Wells will hold a press conference to announce legislation to decriminalize small amounts marijuana in the District.

WHAT: Wells to Announce Legislation to Decriminalize Marijuana

WHEN: Today, Wednesday, July 10, 8:30AM

BACKGROUND:

According to a recent report by the American Civil Liberties Union, the District of Columbia leads the United States in arrests for marijuana possession. D.C. police made 846 such arrests per 100,000 residents in 2010. Nationally that number was 256 per 100,000.

The same report found that DC was among the top ten jurisdictions in the country for the highest number of Black arrests for marijuana possession. D.C. police arrested 4,648 African Americans for marijuana possession in 2010 compared to only 467 Caucasians.

@timcraigpost tweets from the press conference:

“CM Tommy Wells announces plan to decriminalize up to ounce of marijuana. Those caught will receive $100 civil fine.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user philliefan99

“Dear PoPville,

Thought I would pass along an issue I had with my DC tax refund. I have lived in DC over 13 years, e-filed as long as that option was available and never had a problem… until this year. I had almost forgotten about it, but when I rembered recently I checked the DC Taxpayer Refund status webpage.

It accurately told me when my efile return was received and said my refund was being processed, check back in a few days. After falling for that line for many, many days I called the tax office. Despite being warned by the recording of extensive waits and after trying to call in several different days of the week, I eventually made it through (expect an hour or more on hold.) I was informed that my return could not be processed until I faxed them copies of my W-2. So, my return was not being processed anymore (as the website noted) it was just sitting. I used to be a tax accountant and I can tell you that anytime there is a deficiency in your return or missing information the relevant taxing authority should contact you in writing. I requested a written notice and they refused (another tax faux pas.) It is apparently their policy NOT to send out notices for missing W2’s and only provide that information if you call and ask for it. After much haranguing I eventually got the name of the person responsible for this process… Joseph Parran is the Director of Return Processing Administration with the Office of Tax Revenue.

Moral of the story… if you haven’t received your tax refund DON’T believe the Taxpayer Refund status website. CALL the District Office of Tax and Revenue and don’t give up and until you speak with someone. There’s no telling how many 1000’s of dollars of refund money the District is just sitting on until you ask for it. If anyone else has a tax refund problem I suggest contacting Joseph and request an improvement to their ‘policy’.”

From Council Member Tommy Wells’ office:

Councilmember Tommy Wells issued the following statement after yesterday’s guilty plea by former Councilmember Michael Brown on bribery charges and last evening’s presentation of facts by U.S. Attorney Ron Machen.

Councilmember Wells’ statement:

“This is pay-to-play laid bare.

The culture of corruption appears deep and pervasive — and it has broken the public trust with our city’s elected leaders.

This is why I continue to call for tougher medicine for DC elected officials. The Council passed the buck on meaningful ethics reform and it must be fixed. This Council voted 12-1 to defeat every effort to curb pay-to-play that I put forward and instead chose to protect business as usual, and protect their privilege. Nothing can stop our communities’ progress faster than a continued culture of corruption.

This is the time for leadership. This Council must move forward with strong and aggressive reforms that have real teeth to fill the gaps where so-called reform left the city coming up short.”

From a Washington Post Editorial:

Brown accepted $55,000 in return for helping what he thought was a business seeking contracting opportunities. In reality, representatives of the business were undercover FBI agents. Mr. Brown faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, although sentencing guidelines call for less.

Photo by PoPville flickr user ep_jhu

From Council Member Tommy Wells’ office:

This morning, Councilmember Tommy Wells, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety took a tour and on-site review of the Office of Unified Communications.

“Earlier today, I visited the District’s 911 call center. During my visit, I learned that there were only 3 medical transport units available to respond to an emergency for the entire city – and all 3 were located in the northwest portion of the city. As I have stated previously, recent failures of Fire and EMS to provide transport quickly point to gaps in accountability, fleet management, and staffing.”

At Council hearings this year, the Fire and Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) leadership has repeatedly stated that a fleet of 39 ambulances are needed to cover the city. However, at today’s visit to the Office of Unified Communications by Councilmember Wells at 10:30 am — a non-peak time as defined by FEMS — 31 of those vehicles were on a response call or at a hospital, with 5 of the remaining 8 ambulances unavailable for various reasons and only 3 available to respond.

Adding to concerns about the city’s emergency preparedness and ability to respond to crisis, the FEMS Inventory Report, submitted to the Council on April 29th, showed that more than 40 percent of the city’s ambulances are inactive.

“This is exactly why we must take a long, hard look at the proposed ambulance redeployment plan. The prevailing issues with our Fire and EMS fleet readiness are of grave concern to me, the Council, and the public. My committee is looking into these issues in conjunction with a full report on the “Fire and Emergency Medical Services Ambulance Redeployment Act of 2013”.”