DC Government

“Dear PoPville,

I have seen this license plate now and then and I can never make out what it is. It definitely has a DC theme but I’m curious to know what these are all about. Does anyone have any information on this type of license plate?”

DC DMV tells us it is “a low tag, and they are assigned by the Mayor or the Council.” I guess it’s to reward political allies. Not the most impressive of rewards but I guess some folks like them.

We’ve previously spoken about other specialty license plates here.

Photo taken 515PM Thursday.

“Dear PoPville,

Recently the city decided to change the traffic light timing on the signal at 16th and Military Rd, southbound side. The result is a ridiculous amount of new traffic where there previously was none. I asked one of the S2/4 bus drivers about it, and she said that the signal’s green time has been reduced by about 1/2, yet the buses are still expected to stick to their original schedules. This is poor planning on the city’s part and has made life more difficult for bus drivers, city residents and commuters alike.”

“Dear PoPville,

I got a parking ticket the other day. This ticket is complete B.S. An overgrown tree clearly obscures the sign. I’ve enclosed 4 pictures of the parking spot. Note that the car pictured is not mine, but my car was parked where the car is parked in the pictures. The third picture is actually a close up of the sign, and even then you can barely see the sign.

What’s worse is that the officer had the gall to write “Sign Clearly Visible Front.” I’m contesting the ticket, but it disturbs me that a public servant has made a written statement that is clearly a lie. How many other false tickets has this officer written?”

More photos after the jump. (more…)

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’.”