I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July holiday last weekend. I enjoyed seeing so many friends and neighbors at the Barracks Row parade (best parade in America, in my book!). In case you missed it, our annual parade picked up a lot of news coverage, too. More on that below.

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe 4th of July holiday last weekend. I enjoyed seeing so many friends and neighbors at the Barracks Row parade (best parade in America, in my book!). In case you missed it, our annual parade picked up a lot of news coverage, too. More on that below.

And while we're talking summer traditions, it's one of my favorite times to tour our school buildings with city government staff to run through a punch list with DGS, DCPS, and the school's leadership to ensure we're addressing any issues with the building during the break. This week, I was at Peabody Elementary School (pictured), and last week, I visited Maury Elementary School. It's a great opportunity to make sure big ticket items like HVAC systems are getting fixed, but I also focus on smaller - but still important - repairs like water fountains, broken lights, and locks on the bathroom stalls. More to come as the city works throughout the summer.

On a different note, I know I've continued to hear from many of you that it's time for the National Guard to go home. I think we all understand the dynamics at play, and I believe most residents recognize walking around DC neighborhoods or standing in our community parks was not what these National Guard members signed up for. But in many cases, they're here until they're called home by their governors. At the Council, I've co-signed a letter from most of DC leadership to various governors around the nation to call their residents home -- a strategy driven forward by Free DC, now that we're past the July 4th events and 250th celebrations. I hear daily from Ward 6 neighbors who respect the service of members who join the National Guard, but know that they've been called to the wrong mission and they're needed at home, not in our neighborhoods. 

So without further ado, let's get to the updates.

QUICK LINKS: Barracks Row Parade | Public Safety | RFK Campus Plans | Hope in War on Rats | Southeast Library Opening | Rumsey Meeting | Legislative Recap | Medicaid Update | Public Service Commission | Constituent Services | Ward 6 Week | DC Summer Resources | Events | Upcoming ANC Meetings | Tickets!

Miss the last newsletter recapping the latest DC budget vote, highlighting details from our first election with Ranked Choice Voting, new crosswalks, the potential for PorchFest in the fall, and more? Read it here.

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Barracks Row Fourth of July Parade Welcomes Stranded Marching Bands, Shows the Best of DC

In case you hadn't heard, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming multiple high school marching bands from around the country to the Capitol Hill Fourth of July Parade after downtown parades were cancelled. I'm fond of referring to the Capitol Hill Fourth of July parade as "the biggest little parade in America," and this year it felt truly like that as we had the chance to welcome visitors. I can't tell you how fun it was to watch our own Eastern High School marching band lead the parade and share the street with high school marching bands from Nebraska, Utah, and Minnesota. Read more about it from City Cast DC. And a big thanks to the Capitol Hill BID for taking the lead organizing the parade this year, Barracks Row Main Street for programming incredible music, activities, and fun on the Eastern Market Metro Plaza, and Eastern Market Main Street for hosting an air-conditioned celebration in the North Hall which included the first-ever Capitol Hill Pie Contest (I'm still working off the calories from tasting and judging 25 pies). All three organizations teamed up for a fantastic 4th of July celebration!

Public Safety Update

Checking in on Crime Stats Halfway Through the Year: As I've included many times before, residents can follow daily crime stats for nine key crime categories on DC Crime Cards. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it can give a sense of broader trends, and you can easily adapt a search more specific to your neighborhood or across the city. So far this year, homicides are down 42%, robbery is down 20%, and motor vehicle theft is down 53%. Carjackings, which are tracked on a separate dashboard, have been in decline, as well. These trends have been holding in this pattern for a few years now since the post-pandemic highs, but it's always important to note that if you or someone close to you was the victim of a crime, this won't feel true. But drops in crime are more than just numbers; they're lives saved. It's quality of life improved. It's good for business and for culture and for growth. The budget we just passed includes funding for MPD to hire additional officers and maintains funding for the cadet program, which I'm proud to have helped grow from 15 cadets a year to more than 150, creating a homegrown pipeline of talent to become officers.

Ward 6 Public Safety Updates:

Homicide at 1300 Canal St., SW: Tragically, there was shooting and homicide in the Southwest neighborhood last weekend. MPD was flagged down for a person found near 1st and M Street, SW, following the sounds of gunshots. Their investigation is ongoing utilizing video and other evidence, but MPD is requesting that anyone with additional information please share it with MPD here.

Arrest Made after H Street Robbery and Shooting: MPD made a quick arrest of six individuals allegedly involved in an armed robbery and shooting within a business on the 1400 block of H Street, NE. According to MPD, the suspects entered the shop, pretended to browse for items, attempted to rob the store, got into an altercation with a staff member who was shot and injured, then fled the scene. MPD made the arrest later that same evening. Good work by MPD, and I can share that the victim from the H Street business is in stable condition. Commander Hall, who leads the First District, also shared they have increased high-visibility patrols, and Specialized Units are conducting drug and firearm interdiction efforts.

Arrest Made in 2025 Child Homicide: Providing an update on a horrific story from last August when MPD responded to a call for an unresponsive infant who passed away several days later. MPD's investigation determined this was a homicide, and the child's mother has been arrested.

Arrest Made in Multiple Robberies: Yesterday, MPD announced the arrest of a suspect involved in multiple robberies, including several in Ward 6.  

RFK Planning Guide Released, Council Hearing Presses for Progress on Transit Planning

The future of RFK must be transit first. It's the only way this succeeds - not just for games and major events, but also for the nearly 10,000 new residents that will call the area home. Last week saw two big steps.

First, the Office of Planning released it's planning guide for the campus. This is a draft that guides all the development decisions in they years to come that includes major decisions like where to place roads and sidewalks, down to design decisions about the facades of certain buildings. The public can comment and get involved here.

The following day I chaired our second hearing focused on how DC delivers on the transit promises being made. I brought together WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke, RFK's Project Manager for the District Brian Hanlon, DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum, and the Commanders VP Kirtan Mehta for a detailed update on planning for transit and transportation at the RFK Campus. These are hearings are helpful ways to drive forward the progress, create accountable deadlines for action, and advance the conversation around how we make the RFK Campus the most transit-friendly in the nation. We learned a lot more about the proposed Gold Line bus service WMATA envisions to connect the campus with fast, reliable, and frequent connections on H Street and Benning Road. We also explored how this would work with center-run bus rapid transit to deliver results and get the job done. I also pushed on the timeline needed for the major expansions planned for the Stadium-Armory Metro Station to accommodate the large crowds, given the work will take a long time and needs to be ready for opening day. News coverage of the hearing from WUSA9, WTOP, NBC4 and DC News Now.

Promising Early Progress on DC Health's Rat Pilot Project in Eastern Market

Hey, here's some welcome news: a pilot program by DC Health to take on rats in two parts of the city is showing promise early on! WJLA has the story, including this encouraging tidbit from Andre Pittman, the program manager for the Rodent and Vector Control Division within DC Health: "While Pittman said they're still working on gathering statistics, the early numbers show that in Adams Morgan, the program started with 33 burrows and is down to 18. Eastern Market started at 44 burrows and is now close to single digits, he added."

It's not every day you read about rat birth control, but here we are. I'm following up to see how they measure these outcomes and isolate them to the birth control - and if the success holds, I want to see this expanded to other areas.

Southeast Library Opening Date!

Folks, at long last, we have an opening date for the Southeast Library! Thursday, September 10 will be the first day the newly modernized library is open to the public. This is a project years in the making, and I am so, so excited to see the final product. I've taken a few hard hat tours to track the progress, and this will be one of DCPL's marquee projects when it's completed. Get the full history of the project here, and follow for updates around the opening here.

This does mean the Arthur Capper Tech Express will cease operations on July 31, as the staff will transition back to the Southeast Library to prepare it for opening. I funded the Arthur Capper location two years ago to provide some library services, including holds and access to computers, in the interim while the Southeast Library was closed. 

See you there on opening day!

Important! Updated Designs on Rumsey Aquatic Center to be Presented on July 22

I can't tell you how many people have asked me when we'll see the latest and updated versions of the Rumsey Aquatic Center designs. I'm eagerly awaiting them, too! The community meeting where DPR will present updated designs has now been announced for July 22 at 6:30 p.m. in Eastern Market's North Hall. This is the first big update since January of this year. You can track the project's progress here, where all presentation materials will be available following the meeting on July 22. More in the Hill Rag.

Legislation Roundup: Cannabis, RESALE Act, Bottle Bill, and more

There's a lot (!) going on with legislation at the Council, so here's a recap of some of the topics we've been covering:

• My Bill Closing the Loophole around Cannabis Dispensaries Opening Near Childcare Sites Gets Hearing
  
  Last week, the Council's Committee of the Whole held a hearing on my legislation to close a loophole in our law that allows cannabis dispensaries to operate near some childcare facilities, but not others. This comes down to a distinction between a childcare facility and a child development center, one of which a dispensary cannot open within 300 feet of, and the other it can. It's a distinction without a difference - both of these facility types do the same thing and care for children. We've seen this issue pop up in the Ward a few times, including in recent months with lots of residents in opposition along 8th Street, NE. My bill would close the loophole and give ANCs greater standing to protest. It would also permit an ANC to protest the issuance, renewal, or transfer of an internet retailer license, which is a significant issue as we continue to bring more of the industry out of the gray area and into legitimacy. This recap of the hearing from ::checks notes:: the Marijuana Herald has a good summary of the various issues being debated around the bill, which is covered in the second half of the article. If you'd like to submit testimony on the bill, you can do so here until 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 16.

• Rock on! RESALE Act Passes First Vote with All-Important Price Cap on Reselling Tickets

  I'm thrilled to say the Council advanced my RESALE Act at its first vote after approving an amendment I moved to reinstate a price cap on ticket resales - the core of the bill. To zoom out, the RESALE Act aims to rein in the unfair, rigged secondhand market for buying a ticket. For the average consumer, it can be hard to tell the difference between the box office and a website selling you a ticket they bought and then outrageously marked up -- essentially ticket scalping in the digital age. 

  The problem is that with the advancement of technology, a handful of companies can buy up huge swaths of tickets from the box office and turn around and sell them at much higher prices, mislead people that their ticket is part of a VIP section that doesn't exist (yes, that happens all the time), or sell a ticket they don't even have in their possession. My RESALE Act takes on all of these challenges, but central to it was passing a 10% cap above face value for how much a ticket to a live music or theater show can be resold for, thereby limiting the profit that attracts a lot of these bad actors and crowds out consumers. A final vote will take place next Tuesday, July 14, when I hope the bill is passed and sent to the Mayor for her approval.

• Second Roundtable Considers Changes to Potential Bottle Bill in DC

  

  This week, I chaired a public roundtable to discuss changes to a bill that would create a redemption program for returning cans and bottles to a collection point for a small $0.10 fee, more commonly referred to as the "bottle bill." If you grew up in one of the nine states that run their own redemption programs for years, you're already familiar with the concept and probably think it works pretty well. A bottle redemption program creates an incentive to pick up litter and improves the amount of recyclable materials such as plastic and aluminum that correctly make it into the recycling system and are able to be refashioned into raw materials to make new products. It accomplishes all of this by providing a $0.10 value for all cans and bottles correctly returned at various collection points in the city.

  This bill had a public hearing last fall, but given standing up a new redemption program would represent a significant change for our local breweries, manufacturers, restaurants, and nearly every local business selling bottled and canned drinks, I want to be very thorough in how we craft this bill. In advance of the roundtable, our committee released revisions to the introduced bill based on testimony from the first hearing and the wide range of meetings I've had on the topic in the past six months. Those changes include removing planned increases in the deposit fee in future years, limiting the costs for small businesses, and limiting what sites must serve as a collection point, while expanding the ability of BIDs and nonprofits to set up collection points themselves. There are real questions to answer and challenges to solve for to ensure this good effort doesn't become a significant burden on our economy or our small businesses.

  You can review the updated legislation and a one pager here (under "Other Documents") if you'd like to dive into the details. We'll have the summer to continue working on a bill before the committee takes it up in the fall. 

• Monday: Public Hearing on Bringing Self-Driving Cars to the District

  On Monday, I will be chairing a public hearing on legislation to create a pathway to move Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) from the testing phases toward commercial operation in DC. Even if passed right away, it won't mean you can hail one tomorrow. But the bill seeks to create a legal pathway for new innovation and technology while also addressing numerous issues such as liability and insurance issues, phased in testing, congestion and traffic management, equity in service across the city, safety planning for first responders, and planning for disruptions to the workforce. I introduced this bill earlier this year (WaPo, Urban Turf, press release), and the hearing is a chance to get feedback on the proposal before more work takes place. If this is an issue you feel strongly about or just want to learn more, you can follow the hearing live online starting at 9:30 am and submit testimony here. 

Wellpoint Exiting DC Market as Medicaid Managed Care Organization 

For any Ward 6 neighbors who are enrollees of Wellpoint (and that's around 50,000 people in DC), they will be exiting the District as a Medicaid managed care provider effective August 1, 2026. Current enrollees will be notified and automatically transferred to AmeriHealth Caritas DC. Enrollees may also request to change to MedStar Family Choice DC through January 31, 2027. Benefits will remain the same.

Key protections for you include:

• Current doctors may continue seeing enrollees through October 31, 2026, and many providers work with more than one MCO. If an enrollee’s doctor is not enrolled with AmeriHealth, AmeriHealth will assist in finding someone in-network.
• Existing prior authorizations, referrals, and active prescriptions will be honored during the transition period.
• Providers are being instructed not to cancel appointments with current patients.

Please reach out to me and my team if you need assistance or aren't hearing from Wellpoint about the change.

New Leadership Coming to the Public Service Commission; Ensuring Continuity Into Early Next Year

After the energy affordability crisis that DC has been facing, new leadership will be selected to help lead the DC Public Service Commission (PSC). The PSC is the independent body that regulates utilities in the District. I announced that I'm not moving forward with the Mayor's renominations of two of the three existing Commissioners. However, I moved emergency legislation last week to extend the holdover period for these seats to ensure that the PSC can continue to meet and function, and to allow the next mayor to select their own nominees for the 4-year terms to begin in January. I put out a short press statement, given the PSC has come under a lot more scrutiny recently, including since being added to my Committee on Transportation and the Environment's oversight authority earlier this year. The PSC is a very important body that has worked largely out of the public eye, despite its outsized role in a number of critical policy areas, like the District reaching its climate goals and signing off on rate increases and major spending by Pepco and Washington Gas (as you may have heard).

The Latest Constituent Services Wins

I'm proud to have a hardworking and experienced constituent services team, and as I have in past newsletters, I want to take a moment to share some of the different kids of problems they're helping Ward 6 neighbors solve every single day. As always, you can request help with a challenge through our website (please include your address or quadrant when you submit so we can respond faster). 

Here are a few big wins in the last couple of weeks: 

• Worked with the DC Office of Tax and Revenue’s Taxpayer Advocate to secure a tax refund that a Northeast resident had been incorrectly denied for 12 years. 
  
  
• Stayed on DDOT until signage was installed for C55 bus stops on either side of 4th Street Southwest in front of the Safeway. 
  
  
• After a Northeast resident’s construction project was falsely labeled a vacant property, we were able to have the Department of Buildings correct their assessment.  
  
  
• Helped a Southeast resident who had renewed their vehicle’s registration in May get a registration sticker, which the DMV had failed to mail. 

In one particularly urgent case, a Northeast resident alerted us that their front yard had been marked for lead pipe replacement, despite their house not having lead pipes. Our team moved swiftly and contacted DC Water, who confirmed that the markings were a mistake (they were intended for a neighboring house). DC Water informed their contractor of the mistake, and an accidental dig was averted.

Ward 6 Week Save the Date

Ward 6 Week is fast approaching, and we're finalizing a fantastic lineup of events starting Sunday, July 26 through Saturday, August 1. If you're in town, keep an eye out for the lineup on our website and in a forthcoming email. Ward 6 Week is an annual event my office holds during the dog days of summer to check out some of the very best our Ward has to offer. A few of the events are space limited and we'll hold a raffle for entry, but others will be able to accommodate everyone. See you soon!

Families' One-Stop Shop for All Things Summer

I included this last newsletter, but I want to make sure folks have this helpful link for all things summer. If you're still looking for sports, camps, free meals, library programs, and more, you can check out summer.dc.gov. It's a good place for families to explore lots of things to do in DC for parents and youth. 

As a reminder, all outdoor pools and spray parks are open daily, other than one day a week when each pool is closed for maintenance and a day off for the lifeguards. You can find all locations and hours here for outdoor pools and here for spray parks.  

Events

Friends of Lincoln Park Soccer Party: Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Lincoln Park
Come join the Friends of Lincoln Park from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. on Sunday, July 19th, for a soccer party ahead of the World Cup final that afternoon! Enjoy soccer activities led by DC Way, the Little Gym, and Mathnasium, arts and crafts and soccer (temporary) tattoos, refreshments, including pizza, popcorn, and other treats, and spending time with friends and neighbors.

Long Bridge Project Community Advisory Group Meeting: Tuesday, July 28, 12:30-1:30 p.m. (virtual, register here) 
One of the biggest projects in the District is the Long Bridge Project, which is expanding commercial and passenger rail capacity between Virginia and DC to relieve a major bottleneck. This is a substantial project and inevitably will impact Southwest and DC residents. This meeting's a chance to hear from and speak with the project team on what's coming next. Learn more about the project.

Upcoming ANC Meetings

ANC 6B: Tuesday, July 14 | Zoom Link & In-Person (700 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE)
ANC 6D: Monday, July 20 at 7 pm | In-person (1100 4th Street, SW, 2nd fl. conference room)

Locate your Advisory Neighborhood Commission here.

Ticket Giveaway

Thanks for reading to the end! The Nats have some of the best batters in baseball, and you can watch them play the Blue Jays on July 29 (it's a 1pm game). Reply to this email if you'd like to be entered into a drawing for two tickets.