Newsroom

A community meeting is set for Jan. 14.

The following statement is from DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6), as the country marks the five-year anniversary of the attack on the US Capitol to prevent the democratic certification of the 2020 US Presidential Election.

This is my final email newsletter for 2025, and I wish you a great holiday season with friends and family! This year brought real challenges for DC, but real progress, too. Even when the federal government and elected representatives from far across the country made our work harder, Ward 6 residents showed up, spoke up, and kept fighting for a city that’s safer, fairer, and that everyone can call home. As we wrap up 2025, here are a few moments from this year I'm especially grateful for. We:

• Took on dangerous driving, with the STEER Act now in effect, and the DC Attorney General suing the worst repeat offenders who've put lives at risk on our streets
  
  
• Secured meaningful community benefits in the RFK Stadium deal, including commitments for affordable housing along with 6,000 new homes, environmental protections and high standards, less parking and more Metro, and a better return for taxpayers
  
  
• Helped chart a stronger future for regional transit, concluding 18 months of work on the DMVMoves Task Force to recommend stable, long-term funding and a simpler, unified fare system for riders
  
  
• Locked arms to fight for DC’s right to govern itself by organizing and pushing back against federal interference — from Congress’s $1 billion budget cut to the federal takeover of MPD
  
  
• Advanced strong legislation to improve daily life for Ward 6 residents by introducing 42 bills, including bills to:
  • Make it cheaper to go to a concert by cracking down on digital ticket scalping (RESALE Act)
  • Restore cuts to the Earned Income Tax Credit
  • Protect residents from unfair water disconnections
  • Allow the District to auto-enroll eligible residents in utility affordability programs
  • Prevent landlords from charging separate common area utility fees in large buildings
  • Make better use of our curbspaces
  • Expand recreation center hours and make it easier for youth sports to get field access
  • Protect schools' budgets during modernization
    
    
• Protected core transportation, environmental, and city services in a tough budget year, making deliberate choices to keep the city moving, safeguard public spaces, and invest in the services residents rely on every day
  
  
• Brought neighbors together across Ward 6, through office hour events, Ward 6 Week, the annual Great Ward 6 Spring Clean, and the Ward 6 Brickie Awards — reminders that community is built face-to-face

None of this happened without you. It happened because residents stayed engaged, spoke up, and worked together, even when the path wasn’t easy. Thank you for being part of our community and helping move Ward 6 and DC forward.

As the year comes to a close, I hope you’re able to enjoy some time off, connect with the people you care about, and celebrate the holidays that are meaningful to you.

QUICK LINKS: MPD Chief of Police | Public Safety Update | Transit Needs Around the Future Stadium | Autonomous Vehicles in DC | Ranked Choice Voting | About Those Missed Trash Pickups | Committee Discusses Bills Around Climate, Public Health | Robust Retail | 10 Years After the Paris Agreement | Recess Is About More than Fun | Check Out the New NOI Portal | Did Your Bus Route Adjust? | An Overdue Crosswalk's Coming | Community Survey | A New Monument for the Mall

Miss the last newsletter recapping all the fun of the Brickie Awards? Read it here.

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Brickie Awards, Recreation for Kids & a New Cannabis Bill

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who nominated!

The DC Council will vote on Councilmember Charles Allen’s (Ward 6) emergency and temporary legislation to make immediate changes to the cost and design restrictions for DDOT’s streateries rules.

Today, DC Councilmember Charles Allen (Ward 6) introduced emergency legislation to make immediate changes to the cost and design restrictions for DDOT’s streateries rules, with the goal of ensuring streateries remain a viable tool for restaurants and an opportunity to enliven street life. The Council will vote on the legislation on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The emergency bill makes two changes DDOT’s rules.

Ward 6 Update: The Brickie Awards, Electric Bills & Shopping Local

This morning at 10:30 a.m., DC Councilmember Charles Allen, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment, will join a bipartisan group of state legislators to announce the “Protecting Ratepayers Proposal,” calling on PJM to require data centers to reduce their true cost to a grid, impacting millions of residents and businesses.

Fall's taking shape all across Ward 6 neighborhoods, as bright reds and oranges fill the trees (and leaf collection season is upon us). I hope you had a great Halloween -- if you missed it, we took a stroll through the Ward to capture some of the best decorations, and here's how you can compost that carved pumpkin before it morphs into some sort of metaphor for the state of the world.

On more serious matters, the federal government shutdown has become the longest in history. A lot of Ward 6 neighbors, as well as across DC and our region, are missing paychecks and are furloughed from work. But the bills keep coming, and day-to-day costs don't take a break. In addition, more than 140,000 DC residents are struggling with the Trump administration's refusal to provide food assistance (aka, SNAP) benefits. Even after a judge ruled this week that they must disperse funds to all states, the cruelty is clear as the President is refusing to follow the court's decision and appealing it in an effort to avoid helping those in need now. More on this below, but in short, the DC government has decided to tap into emergency reserve funds to ensure we can cover these federal costs for the short-term and get people help now. I've shared resources available previously and maintain a running list here, but feel free to reach out to my constituent services team if you need more assistance.

I also wanted to update neighbors on a big challenge we're seeing across the Ward: missed trash collection. We've heard from so many neighbors about DPW failing to get to your block (sometimes repeatedly) or getting to your block but missing your bins. I've spoken to DPW leadership, and they shared acute challenges they're having around staffing shortages. But it's a really unacceptable situation for neighbors, so I've been escalating calls that come into our office for them to prioritize. If you need our help getting service, please contact my team. I'll share updates as I have them on DPW's actions to fix the situation.

Finally, November also means we're about one month out from our annual Ward 6 "Brickie" Awards! This is our office's annual community celebration, completely free for Ward 6 neighbors, where we have some great food and drink, and we take time to celebrate wonderful neighbors that make Ward 6 such a great place to call home. But you help pick the people, businesses, and community organizations we recognize. Nominations are now open -- we have five categories for Ward 6 neighbors, businesses, organizations, and public servants! I need to hear from you about who deserves a Brickie, so click here!

There's plenty to get to in this newsletter, so let's jump in.

QUICK LINKS: SNAP & WIC Update | Public Safety | Working Families Get a Raise | WMATA's Brighter Future | DDOT's Streateries Plan Could Close Most | Southwest Town Center Parks | Randall Rec Final Design | A Peek at Cobb Park | New Street Safety Improvements | Solar Insta-Permits Now Available | Nominate Neighbors for the Brickie Awards! | There's an App for That | Time to Rake | Events

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