Dear Ward 5 neighbors,
Is the Council holding “secret meetings“? Are we making it easier to evict tenants? Is the DC budget crisis on the Hill ever going to get fixed? These are some of the questions I’ve heard from residents over the past week, and ones that deserve robust engagement. I always appreciate hearing from neighbors and pride myself on being flexible in thought. These are serious issues worthy of debate, and while I attempt to give my take below, let’s keep the conversation going. Please continue to reach out to share your feedback.
On Tuesday, the Council held a Legislative Meeting where we voted on several important pieces of legislation, including two that have been a point of much conversation: the Open Meetings Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2025, and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program Reform Amendment Act of 2025.
Those are both a mouthful of legal jargon. I break it down in this week’s newsletter.
In this edition of the Ward 5 Weekly newsletter, you’ll also find public safety updates, a “Safety Behind the Wheel” webinar for seniors on April 8, the Rhode Island Ave Commemoration Tour and Public Art Info Session on April 12, the opportunity to sign up to host a clean-up site as part of our upcoming Healthy Communities Spring Cleaning Day on April 26, information about the new My Out of School Time (MOST) DC portal, a one-stop-shop for afterschool and summer programs, recaps of recent ANC and civic association meetings, Legislative Updates in Neferteria’s Nook and updates from the Committee on Youth Affairs, programs to benefit from including a Parents’ and Workers’ Low-Income Tax Clinic on April 8, new food pop-up distributions for impacted federal workers starting tomorrow, April 5, and lots of community events including Ward 5 Family Biking’s next Family Ride, an Environmental Justice Tour in Brentwood, community clean-ups in Trinidad and Eckington, and Gearin’ Up Bicycles Grand Opening, all this weekend! Keep reading for more.
