DC Government

“AG Racine Sues Instacart for Charging District Consumers Millions in Deceptive Service Fees, Not Paying Sales Tax”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Thomas Dooley

From The Office of the Attorney General:

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced a lawsuit against Instacart, a grocery delivery service, for charging District consumers millions of dollars in deceptive service fees and for failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in District sales tax. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleges that for a span of 18 months, Instacart failed to clearly disclose to consumers that optional service fees were added on their bills and led them to believe these fees were tips for their delivery workers. In fact, the fees were an extra revenue source for the company and did not increase workers’ pay. Additionally, OAG alleges that Instacart violated District tax law and failed to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales taxes on delivery and service fees it collected. OAG is seeking restitution for consumers who paid deceptive fees, back taxes and interest on taxes owed to the District, civil penalties and costs. (more…)

“Pandemic Parking Permits”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

I just moved to the district from VA and I need a residential parking permit to park on my street, but I can’t get one of those or even a temporary pass without having a DC license and registration. How likely am I to get a ticket and is there any other type of temporary pass I can get?”

Ed. Note: While street sweeping tickets continue to be suspended we’ve received conflicting info as to what other parking tickets are being issued. I was under the impression – the only ticket being issued would be for safety issues, parking in front of a hydrant, in a crosswalk etc. but last month a reader reported “for any spots labeled ‘resident parking only’ tickets are being written again”.

DC Health Releases Updated List of High-Risk States requiring 14 day self quarantine. Delaware Added Back

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Mark Andre

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, DC Health released an updated list of high-risk states where the seven-day moving average of daily new COVID-19 cases is 10 or more per 100,000 persons. Mayor Bowser issued Mayor’s Order 2020-081 with requirements for all people traveling into Washington, DC from high-risk states.

Anyone coming into Washington, DC from a high-risk state (within the prior 14 days) who was traveling for non-essential activities will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days from their arrival in the District. Individuals traveling from high-risk states after essential travel or arriving in the District for essential travel are required to self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days and, if they show signs or experience symptoms of COVID-19, they are to self-quarantine and seek medical advice or testing.

Travel to and from Maryland and Virginia is exempt from the Order. This list should be used until Monday, September 7, when an updated list will be posted on coronavirus.dc.gov.

States that were added to the updated list include: Delaware, Hawaii, and South Dakota.

States that were removed from the updated list include: Montana and New Mexico.

High-risk states that require 14 days of self-quarantine: (more…)

6th Annual Chuck Brown Day to be celebrated virtually on Saturday

By Prince Of Petworth

From a press release:

“On Saturday, August 22, 2020, the Bowser Administration and the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), in conjunction with the DC Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment (OCTFME), will celebrate the late Go-Go legend Chuck Brown’s birthday with the 6th Annual Chuck Brown Day virtually. The event celebrates the Godfather of Go-Go and the rich, original musical history of the District.  (more…)

“What should I do about the overlapping day?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Pablo Raw

“Dear PoPville,

I have a question for the readership about DDOT No Parking permits. I’m moving out of an apartment that doesn’t have a loading dock, so I applied for and received a standard DDOT No Parking Permit for a moving truck. I applied for the permit on 7/22 for an 8/31 move out day. My permit is good for one day from the hours of 7am to 4pm. I went to the police station to print the signs on 8/9. So far, feeling pretty good and happy that I’m ahead of the game…

Just yesterday, No Parking signs were posted on my street effective for 8/20 – 8/31 for “Local Paving by DC/DDOT/GOVT”. These signs say they were printed on 8/15 – after I applied for and printed my permit. (more…)

“AG Racine Sues Washington Sports Club for Charging Gym Members During COVID-19 Shutdown”

By Prince Of Petworth

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

“Attorney General Karl A. Racine today filed suit against the parent company of Washington Sports Club (WSC), Town Sports International, LLC (TSI), for failing to abide by promises made to gym members while its facilities were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-April, responding to a letter sent by AG Racine and other state Attorneys General, TSI had agreed to freeze memberships, credit consumers for dues paid while their gyms were inaccessible, and process requests for cancelations. Since reopening on June 22, however, the company has neither issued those credits to account holders, nor processed all membership cancelations. In response, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) is seeking a court order forcing TSI to follow through on its agreement to credit consumers and process cancelations, along with civil penalties. This is the second consumer protection lawsuit OAG has filed against the company. (more…)

“DC Tax Return in Limbo”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Eric P.

“Dear PoPville,

I have not received my DC tax return yet. I submitted on June 17. I did receive a letter from DC Government in late June about additional verification steps needed. I went to the website and completed all the steps. I have not received a payment or any further follow up from DC Government. Is anyone else experiencing this?”

“Any advice out there on how we should handle this?”

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Olaf Zerbock

“Dear PoPville,

I’m wondering if any of your other readers have encountered this situation. My girlfriend and I recently (July 1) moved into a new apartment and we’ve started getting mail addressed to an LLC at our address, including some tax paperwork and bank statements. I did some searching on DCRA’s website, and the company was incorporated on July 23rd, so it doesn’t seem like it’s something that belongs to a previous resident. I reached out to DCRA and basically they gave me the paperwork from the incorporation and said good luck. Any advice out there on how we should handle this?”

View More Stories