DC Government

“Legislation Will Give DC Consumers Needed Protections After Expiration of Debt Collection Relief Provided by COVID-19 Legislation”

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by angela n.

From the office of Attorney General Karl Racine:

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today issued the following statement after the DC Council passed emergency legislation — introduced by Chairman Mendelson earlier this week, and written in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) — that will protect DC consumers from abusive and unfair debt collection practices after the District’s temporary COVID-19 protections end and debt collection activity resumes. (more…)

“When ANC doesn’t represent constituents?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Tim Brown

“Dear PoPville,

I know from experience that the ANC system is a great way to access and influence DC government when you’ve lost all of your individual battles, but I’m writing to ask what readers would recommend if you find that your ANC rep is not representing their constituents before a DC department. (more…)

After Surfside, Florida and Kennedy Street Building Collapses, Mayor Announces “Enhancements to Safety Reviews of Multifamily and Commercial Buildings”

By Prince Of Petworth

From the Mayor’s Office Friday:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) announced several new initiatives to enhance safety reviews of multifamily and commercial properties in the District. These initiatives include mandating proactive reporting of unsafe structural conditions, increasing the scrutiny of engineering, and implementing real-time reporting of required inspections. These actions are in response to the recent building collapses in Surfside, Florida and 916 Kennedy Street NW.

“The tragedy in Florida and the frightening collapse of a building here in DC have created a new sense of urgency to find these problems before they put people in danger,” said Mayor Bowser. “These initiatives will establish an early warning system to catch potentially unsafe building conditions and keep our community safe.”

DCRA is taking the following seven actions: (more…)

Heat Emergency Declared for Today through Wednesday

By Prince Of Petworth


photo by Eric P.

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Due to the current temperatures and forecast of extreme heat, Mayor Muriel Bowser has activated the District’s Heat Emergency Plan for Monday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 14, 2021. When the forecast of the temperature or heat index in the District is 95 degrees or higher, District Government, through the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), implements the Heat Emergency Plan and activates cooling centers for residents to seek relief from the heat.

Cooling Centers: (more…)

“Mayor Bowser Announces Plans for Three Bridges in Ward 7, Including the Lane Place Bridge”

By Prince Of Petworth


June 23 Pedestrian Bridge Collapse across 295 Photo via DC Fire & EMS

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced plans to improve pedestrian accessibility across DC295 in Ward 7. In the next three years, DDOT will build three bridges–the replacement for the Lane Place Bridge, the Parkside Bridge, and the Douglass Street Bridge–to improve connectivity and pedestrian access for residents in Mayfair, Parkside, Eastland Gardens, and the surrounding communities of Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue.

“We are committed to working with the community and making the necessary investments to increase connectivity, improve safety, and build a multi-modal transportation network that works better for the residents of Ward 7,” said Mayor Bowser. “These three bridges, to be built over the next three years, are a critical component of this work and part of our overall effort to build a more connected DC.”

In the next three years, DDOT will build the following bridges: (more…)

About that new parking permit system, not working well for everyone

By Prince Of Petworth

A resident from Ward 2 writes in part to DDOT and the Council:

“After spending over 2 hours trying to obtain a visitor parking permit this evening (used to take 75 seconds at a MPD station), including 41 minutes on the phone with a DDOT contractor, I wanted to reach out regarding this flawed and discriminatory new permitting system.

First the system is broken – neither the app or the website worked and I even stopped by my local MPD station with no luck. Everything had to be manually entered by a DDOT contractor over a grueling 41 minute phone conversation. (more…)

“DC building inspection records?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Diane Krauthamer

“Dear PoPville,

So hopefully the tragedy of the Surfside Champlain towers has few implications for dc residents (right?), but still curious to know if there are public records of dc building inspections, and how often such inspections must legally be performed. My building is old, but I think our board is pretty proactive about this kind of stuff. Still…can’t hurt to be sure.”

View More Stories